Estheticians, also known as aestheticians and skin-care specialists, are personal appearance professionals who focus on facial and body skin care, makeup artistry, and hair removal. Many estheticians opt to specialize in particular services or customer niches. The type of business in which an esthetician works can have an impact on her earnings, as well as the kinds of services she provides to clients.
Job Description
Unlike cosmetologists, who are trained in a range of beauty and personal appearance services with a specialization in hairdressing, esthetician training focuses on skincare, along with makeup application techniques and facial and body hair removal services. Each state establishes its own scope of practice for estheticians, but estheticians are typically licensed to:
- Analyze the appearance of a client's skin and provide treatments to improve the skin's appearance.
- Remove unwanted facial and body hair using one or more methods, including tweezing, waxing and possibly electrolysis or laser hair removal.
- Apply makeup and teach makeup techniques.
- Provide non-therapeutic massage.
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A spa esthetician may focus more on services that provide relaxation and enhance the clients' personal appearance. For example, an esthetician working in a spa may focus on providing relaxing massages with aromatherapy oils, providing hydrating or anti-aging facials or applying makeup to a client who has special plans for the evening.
Medical estheticians, on the other hand, work in physician's offices. Their goal is to complement the care being offered by the medical professional or professionals for whom they work. Examples of the care provided by a medical esthetician include:
- Providing facials and skin care education to people recovering from facial trauma, including burns or plastic surgery, as well as people undergoing chemotherapy or who have a severe skin condition.
- Teaching patients corrective makeup techniques for minimizing the appearance of burns, discoloration or scars.
- Removing unwanted facial or body hair using medical lasers.
Educational Requirements
According to the BLS, every U.S. state, except Connecticut, offers a license in the practice of esthetics and requires individuals who provide skin care and related services to hold licensure in either cosmetology or esthetics. To earn a license, you'll need to complete a state-approved education program or apprenticeship: Many cosmetology schools offer esthetics programs, though there are also stand-alone esthetics schools as well.
The length of educational or apprenticeship programs vary significantly between states: According to the American Association of Cosmetology Schools, an esthetician program can require as few as 350 instructional hours (Pennsylvania) or as many as 1,500 hours (Alabama). Apprenticeship programs, in states that approve them, take longer to complete. After graduating from a program or apprenticeship, you'll need to pass a state licensing exam.
Many estheticians opt to obtain additional training. Spa estheticians, for example, may take additional massage courses or seek to learn more about aromatherapy. A medical esthetician, on the other hand, may opt for classes that will help him learn more about providing services in a medical setting. In fact, some schools even offer specialized programs for medical estheticians.
A few states issue master esthetician licenses to estheticians who have received more in-depth training. These training programs offer instruction in more advanced techniques, including chemical peels and lymphatic drainage. These skills can be put to work in just about any work setting but may be particularly useful in a medical office or high-end spa.
As of May 2016, the median hourly wage for estheticians was $14.55. This means that 50 percent of estheticians earned more than this amount and 50 percent earned less. BLS statistics also show that estheticians employed in medical offices earned significantly more than this amount, with a median hourly wage of $17.96. These statistics did not break out wage information for estheticians employed by spas.
Tip
Even if you decide to specialize in medical or spa esthetics, you should be aware that no state issues a "medical esthetician" or "spa esthetician" license. The educational requirements for licensing are the same for all estheticians.
Industry
Estheticians work in medical offices, spas and salons. In some cases, these workplaces may be located within other businesses, such as hotels, resorts, cruise ships or medical buildings. According to the BLS, estheticians usually work full-time and may be required to work both evening and weekend hours. On a cruise ship, you may find yourself with an uneven work schedule.
Spa estheticians may find themselves working under some unusual circumstances: For example, some resorts offer guests certain services, such as massages, in a beach or pool cabana. You may also provide makeup services to brides in their rooms or suites. If you work on a cruise ship, schedules can be eclectic: For example, "sea days," when the boat is not in port, can be very busy. When the ship is in port, however, most guests are off the boat and you'll have a day to relax. You'll also be expected to sell products to your customers: A substantial portion of your compensation may be based on commissions from these sales.
If you become a medical esthetician, your work schedule and environment will usually be more consistent. The hours you work will depend on the schedule of the medical practice itself.
Years of Experience
According to surveys by PayScale.com, there can be a difference in long-term salary expectations between medical and non-specialist estheticians. Medical estheticians saw an increase in income as they gained more experience, which was not true for the generalist estheticians:
Estheticians
- 0-5 years:
- 5-10 years:
- 10-20 years:
- 20+ years:
Medical Estheticians
- 0-5 years:
- 5-10 years:
- 10-20 years:
- 20+ years:
Job Growth Trend
According to the BLS, employment for estheticians is expected to grow by 14 percent between 2016 and 2026, which is faster than the growth expected for all professions. The BLS does not break out the demand for medical or spa estheticians from its statistics.
Contributor
Lainie Petersen writes about business, real estate and personal finance, drawing on 25 years experience in publishing and education. Petersen's work appears in Money Crashers, Selling to the Masses, and in Walmart News Now, a blog for Walmart suppliers. She holds a master's degree in library science from Dominican University.
