Medical Aestheticians Have A Unique Role In Skin Care
A medical aesthetician consults with patients who’ve had trauma and require skin grafts, reconstructive surgery and seek cosmetic skin treatments. They are professional, licensed skin care specialists who do procedures under the supervision of plastic surgeons, dermatologists and medical doctors board certified in Aesthetic Medicine. By administering non-surgical methods of skin care, the beautification process becomes safer, speeds recover, controls costs and places the patient back into a more normal routine quicker.
These professionals can also work with burn patients as well as those who have skin cancer, have lost facial hair and hair on their heads because of chemotherapy treatments. Technology has afforded skin care practices with the access to advanced skin graft procedures and hair regrowth procedures that did not exist only five years ago. Read on to learn more about medical aestheticians and what it means to be board certified.
Researching Job Duties
The daily tasks of medical aestheticians involve the close examination of the skin using magnifying lamps, giving face massage treatments prior and after plastic surgeries, choosing makeup that flatters the client’s skin tone, performing skin exfoliation treatments and removing blackheads. They are the practitioners who will recommend the creams, peels, lotions and cleansers that they believe will be best for the client’s skin. It is also their job to ensure that equipment is regularly sterilized and patient records and properly maintained.
Pursuing Requisite Education
The process requires formal training to be a medical aesthetician. First, they enroll in a skin care program in any general cosmetology school approved by the board of cosmetology in the state it is in. The required length of training can vary from state to state, but most cosmetology school programs last at least nine months. Vocational schools and community colleges can offer associate’s degree programs and certificates in general aesthetics. When they have completed their general aesthetics studies, they might have to go through more hands on clinical training to specialize in certain procedure and to use certain types of equipment. This can be done on the job, or in supplemental training programs.
The usual curriculum includes classes in cosmetic chemistry, salon management, advanced topics on aesthetics and aromatherapy, diseases and disorders of the skin, aesthetician laboratory and physiology. If a particular aesthetic program does not offer any of the classes above, the medical aesthetician might be required to take supplemental college science courses on biology and anatomy to prepare themselves for the medical aspects of the profession.
Obtaining a License
Medical aestheticians need to have a license before they provide care to patients. Requirements for licensing can vary depending on the state. Most states only ask for general aesthetician licenses, and to practice as a medical aesthetician that is under the license of the hospital or physician who hired them. To get a license on general aesthetics, the aesthetician has to be at least 18 years of age and a graduate of an aesthetics program approved by the state. They need to pass a licensing exam administered by the state that is made up of written, oral and practical sections.
Acquiring a Medical Aesthetician Certification
Certifications in medical aesthetics are available once the aesthetician graduates from a licensed school of cosmetology. Technical high schools and independent training organizations usually offer these kinds of programs. Aestheticians learn related subjects on skin nutrition, laser facial procedures, advanced skin care practices, medical resurfacing techniques and clinical skin care applications. Often students can work with actual patients under the supervision of a licensed professional like Doctor of Aesthetic Medicine. Once certified and licencesed, they may go onto careers in hospitals, private practice dermatology and medical spas in Lancaster.
