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ASCP - Healthy Skin
Posted: February 25th, 2010 @ 6:18pm
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What Is Esthetics?
Esthetics is the application of various treatments to the skin’s epidermal layer. In other words, esthetics is all about healthy skin. Some of the techniques used by estheticians—or skin care professionals—include facial steaming, wrapping, exfoliation, waxing, pore cleansing, extraction, and chemical peels. Professionals give personal guidance on the latest in skin care maintenance and excel at helping clients apply makeup skillfully to conceal scars and imperfections. Central to this specialty is the use of creams, lotions, wraps, clay or gel masks, and salt scrubs. Some technicians may also utilize machines to help deliver high-tech services. Esthetic practice is different from dermatology in that it specifically excludes diagnosis, prescription, or any other service, procedure, or therapy that requires a medical license. If you’re being treated by a dermatologist, your esthetician will provide complementary and support therapies. In addition, estheticians are trained and licensed to recognize early signs of many medical conditions, including skin cancer, and will refer you to a dermatologist in such a case.
Would I Benefit from Seeing A Skin Care Professional?
Skin care professionals are experts trained in skin wellness, helping their clients balance oil and moisture content and achieve a healthy, youthful complexion. A variety of treatments and products are used to protect skin from environmental hazards and combat fine lines, wrinkles, and a dull, uneven skin tone. Estheticians are also skilled in managing conditions such as acne, rosacea, eczema, and dry skin, to name just a few. Through specialized therapies and remedies, a skin care professional can help ease the burdens such conditions can cause. Furthermore, skin care treatments are wonderfully relaxing and rejuvenating. If smooth, healthy skin is your goal, a skin care professional can benefit you.
What Can I Expect?
During your first appointment, your skin care professional will discuss your skin care issues and goals. Once the practitioner has evaluated your skin, the two of you will work together to determine a course of action to achieve those goals. This plan will likely include treatments, home care, and follow-up appointments.
What About Home Care?
In addition to providing face and body treatments for personal use, skin care professionals educate clients on proper cleansing, exfoliating, hydrating, and stimulating regimens for home-care support between visits. Estheticians may also supply you with information on lifestyle choices, such as nutrition and exercise, to further support your skin health.
Types of Skin Care Therapies
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Chemical Peel: An exfoliation process usually used to minimize fine lines and wrinkles.
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Exfoliation: The removal of dead skin cells manually or using chemical peels.
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Extraction: Proper pore cleansing, the removal of blackheads, whiteheads, and blocked pores.
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Facials: After analysis, cleansing, and preparation, a mask is applied to the face. Therapeutic ingredients vary based on skin type.
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Microdermabrasion: A technique utilizing a machine to exfoliate the uppermost layers of the skin. Used to treat hyperpigmentation and uneven surface texture. Some states require that estheticians who perform microdermabrasion meet certain requirements, be supervised by a physician, or that the technique is performed only by a physician.
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Waxing: Hair-removal technique. Warm wax is applied to the skin, allowed to cool, then removed.
Why Choose an Associated Skin Care Professionals Practitioner?
Your skin care treatments should be provided by a properly trained professional. Don’t hesitate to ask your skin care therapist about her background, training, and experience—especially as it relates to the treatment you are considering. As a member of ASCP, your skin care professional’s state licensing credentials and/or core training have been validated. ASCP member materials emphasize that each client’s skin is as unique as the individual beneath it, and that skin type can change depending on lifestyle, medications, allergies, or diet. ASCP members agree to follow a code of ethics, which ensures that you’re treated responsibly and with the utmost respect. ASCP also provides comprehensive resources that allow members to keep up with the ever-changing trends and treatments the way only a true professional can, making certain you’ll receive the most up-to-date skin care therapies available.
Find an ASCP professional in your area.
Contact: Associated Skin Care Professionals • 25188 Genesee Trail Road, Suite 200, Golden, CO 80401 • 800-789-0411 • 303-679-7606 • Fax: 800-790-0299
General E-mail:
getconnected@ascpskincare.com
