What is an Esthetician?

Esthetician definition – someone who works in the beauty industry who specializes in skin care, specifically, face neck and shoulders but not excluding the body.
What does an esthetician do? An esthetician works in salons, spas and dermatology offices. They are experts in skin care. They care for and maintain the skin by helping clients determine their skin type and setting up skin care treatments and regimens designed for them. An esthetician also specializes in massages, facials, waxing. There are many different jobs of an esthetician.

How to Become an Esthetician

Here are some tips on how to become an esthetician. First, you will need to be at least 18 years old (in some states 16) and possess a high school diploma or GED. Research what the requirements are for your state to become a licensed esthetician. Different states require more training hours to be a licensed esthetician. Next, apply to an esthetician program. Find a program that caters to your needs such as your budget, location, and your schedule. Be sure to have your identification, transcripts registration fee. Complete the program. Become an apprentice. Complete your licensure exam. Build your resume and find work.

Esthetician School

Along with learning about skin care esthetician schools will teach you management, safety and sanitation, customer service, and sales. Learning and developing skills in things such as customer service is important as you are dealing with clients all day. On average, esthetician schools can cost from $2,000 to over $10,000. Completing esthetician school may take anywhere from 4 months to a year depending on your schedule and flexibility. There are different types of estheticians and different requirements. Here are the different careers you could get into when going to esthetician school.

Esthetician Jobs

Spa or salon therapists

Spa or salon therapists provide services such as

• Waxing
• Pore cleaning
• Facials
• Massages
• Basic makeup application

Basic Makeup application can also be considered an esthetician job. An esthetician can choose to specialize in makeup and learn about choosing shades of makeup that look best for the client’s skin and bone structure. They will learn how to make creative looks, match makeup with hairstyles, make customs makeup regimens for clients, do makeup for television and big events. Makeup artists can even have specialties like eyebrow design.

Medical Esthetician

They work alongside dermatologists and plastic surgeons. They specialize in skin care. They can help prescribe a skin care regimen for the client to maintain clear healthy skin. They specialize in things like

• Laser treatments
• Skin conditions
• Microdermabrasion
• Exfoliating

Cosmetic makeup

Cosmetic makeup application can even be considered an esthetician job. They specialize in

• Eyebrow tinting
• Microblading
• Permanent lip color
• Permanent eyeliner
• Eyelash extensions

Esthetician Salary

An esthetician salary depends on the rate of pay and level of experience. The lowest pay rate for an esthetician is $8 per hour and the highest is $25. The wage differs by state. For example, in 2012 it was reported that in Alaska, an esthetician can earn up to $22.68 per hour while in other states the rate of pay for the same job could be $14 per hour. Esthetician median salary is between $30,000 to $35,000 a year. Experience also factors into salary. A more experienced esthetician with 20 years of experience can look to earn up to $50,000. That’s $20,00 more than an esthetician first starting out.
Spa or Salon salary- Spa or salon therapists can earn on average, $27,000 a year.
Makeup Artist salary- Makeup artists can make from $20,000 to $120,000 a year. Pay is dependent on experience, location, specialty, and portfolio quality. The industry you’re in also plays a big factor. You wouldn’t get paid as much working in a beauty or retail store as you would working in Hollywood as a celebrity makeup artist or a special effects makeup artist.
Medical esthetician salary- Since they have a background in health care they tend to have a higher pay. A medical esthetician salary is about $41,000 a year.

Is it worth it?

Is it worth paying money for going to school and becoming an esthetician? A job as an esthetician is lucrative and you will definitely get your money back. You also may get the benefits of traveling as a lot of spas and salons are located in resorts and even cruise ships. If you’re looking for good income, a good career with the possibility of travel, that is always interesting, artistic and fun, then becoming an esthetician could be for you.