No national standards exist for medical estheticians. The terms medical esthetician and para-medical esthetician apply to any esthetician who works in a medical setting. State cosmetology boards determine what kind of training a medical esthetician should have. Schooling alone won’t qualify her to perform services. After completing schooling, she must take a written and practical exam given by the state cosmetology board before an employer will hire her. Medical esthetician schooling does not qualify her to make diagnosis of skin conditions. Rather, it gives her the knowledge to perform certain treatments on skin and know when she should refer a patient to a physician.
A medical esthetician must complete a program in cosmetology. Because he specializes in the care of skin, many employers will prefer that he has completed an esthetics cosmetology program that focuses on the treatment of the skin and identification of different skin disorders. All training programs require at least a high school diploma or GED equivalency. Some of the basics include instruction in the structure of the skin, infectious diseases, skin analysis, product ingredients, bacteriology, and sanitation and sterilization used in the skin care treatment room.
Medical esthetician programs differ by school. Some schools concentrate on basic understanding on the treatment of skin, and require that the esthetician then take advanced training in specific areas of skin care. Some programs feature a comprehensive training with in-depth instruction on chemicals and machinery used to exfoliate the skin. The program also covers laser hair removal equipment and procedures. An esthetician licensed as a nurse may learn how to do injection of fillers that plump the skin to make it look younger.
In some states, a medical esthetician only needs 300 hours of training, while other states may require 1,200 hours. Some training programs expect the esthetician to already have basic esthetician training, and will only teach advanced treatments used in the skin care setting. Some of these programs are workshops that last for a weekend. Some estheticians may complete a two-year program that awards an associate degree.
A medical esthetician may consider some classes in medical terminology. This will aid her as she may need to make notation on a patient’s medical records. Some employers want you to complete a program in basic first aid training.
Though she may find legitimate medical esthetics training programs online, they will not provide the hands-on training and interactive communication with instructors that she can reflect on once she starts performing services in the medical setting.