Beauty School Prepares Medical Estheticians to Help Physicians

In a culture where soap opera stars never age, a more youthful appearance is only a doctor's appointment away. Many popular cosmetic and sometimes medically necessary treatments don't have to be performed by physicians themselves--they can be done by specially trained estheticians. With medical spas cropping up faster than sun damage in the summertime, you may want to customize your beauty school esthetician training for the medical spa market.

Paramedical & Medical Estheticians

New scientific advances in equipment and techniques and non-invasive anti-aging procedures have created the multi-billion dollar medical esthetics industry--and with it, the need for medical estheticians. Medical estheticians, also called paramedical estheticians, are skin care specialists who perform skin care services that supplement a physician's services, including facials, anti-aging treatments, and pre- and post-operative skin care. Medical estheticians typically work with dermatologists, plastic surgeons, nurses, and in medical spas and may assist in the following services under the supervision of medical personnel:

Botox. Botulinum toxin, known by its product name Botox Cosmetic, is a refined bacterium that can erase facial lines such as crow's feet and forehead furrow lines between the eyes.
Dermal fillers. Collagen, both human and bovine, and other substances, such as hyaluronic acids, are injected into the skin to plump up aging facial skin that has wrinkles and lines.
Sclerotherapy. Also known as vein therapy, sclerotherapy is an injected treatment for varicose and spider veins.
Medical peels. Not unlike chemical peels used by estheticians, medical peels use chemicals to remove the outer layers of skin to reduce the signs of aging or skin pigmentation. Medical peels use stronger products than typical chemical peels, so they are higher risk and require physician supervision.
Pre-medical and post-medical procedures. The better condition a client's skin is in before a surgical or laser procedure, the better the results. A client also needs help developing a post-op skin care regimen for long-term and lasting results.

Medical Esthetician Training

If you want to be a medical esthetician, keep in mind that your credentials essentially are equal to those of an esthetician who works in a salon or day spa. Though working as a medical esthetician requires that you get specific training and have more advanced knowledge to be qualified and competitive, state laws have not caught up with the industry: there is no medical esthetician or paramedical esthetician license. Luckily, there are beauty school programs offering esthetician training courses that focus on medical esthetics while satisfying state licensing requirements.

Because your state laws determine which procedures an esthetician can or cannot perform in a medical office, be sure to check with your state board of cosmetology if you are interested in pursuing medical esthetics training.