A spa esthetician is a spa employee who specializes in skin care. A spa esthetician may use facials, body wraps, waxing, salt exfoliation, cosmetic makeup, microdermabrasion, and other techniques. Depending on the type of spa, the spa esthetician may focus on making the client feel pleasant, or she may focus more on providing a real and lasting positive effect to the skin of the patient. If the spa esthetician is working in a medical spa, they may work in tandem with a doctor to undertake more advanced techniques, such as high-level chemical peels.
Generally, a spa esthetician will provide a number of services for her patients in addition to the actual skin care services. For example, a spa esthetician may have a consultation session with a client to analyze their skin and give recommendations as to what procedures they think would best help the client. At the same time, they will likely also recommend a home-care regimen, giving the client the information they need to look after their skin on their own, to optimize the benefit they get from the treatments themselves.
Some basic procedures a spa esthetician might employ include extractions and light cleansing and toning. They can extract pores to clean them, and then apply topical treatments to help rejuvenate the pores and stop them from producing excess oils that might cause clogging. They may also lightly peel the skin, to stimulate it into producing new skin cells, as well as elastin and collagen.
One might also visit a spa esthetician for treatments not directly related to skin care. For example, it is often a spa esthetician who performs waxing on clients, as well as other facial or body hair treatments like eyebrow tinting. A spa esthetician will likely operate some sort of retail side to their business, offering home-care products for sale so that a client can continue to keep their skin healthy between sessions with the therapist.
A spa esthetician may also undertake more advanced procedures, often requiring individual certification, depending on the region. Microdermabrasion, for example, is a popular technique for lighten dark skin, sun-damaged skin, or scar tissue. Although specific techniques vary, the basic premise is using a very fine grit to abrade the skin. This may utilize organic particles, aluminum oxide crystals, or zinc oxide crystals. It is a relatively-painless procedure, and the client remains conscious the entire time.
In a more medically-focused spa, a spa esthetician might work in tandem with a doctor, or with a doctor’s support, to undertake even more advanced procedures. Often these people are referred to as paramedical estheticians, and it may require additional education and certification. In this context, a spa esthetician might work with a patient about to go in for plastic surgery, or someone recovering from plastic surgery. They would show them how to best prepare their skin for the surgery, and afterwards teach them how to help the skin heal, how to hide red rashes or discolorations, and how to reduce scarring as much as possible.