Also known as a skincare therapist or an aesthetician. With expert knowledge in advanced skin science, skin assessment and investigative skin consultation.
What is a skin therapist?
A skin therapist is someone who cares very much for the health of a client’s skin, identifying specific skin concerns, offering advice, and carrying out safe evidence-based and bespoke treatments to help achieve a brighter, healthier complexion.
A good skin therapist will first conduct an extensive consultation to provide the client with a treatment plan with treatment options and a prescription for recommended skin care products. A clean well organised work area is a good sign that the practitioner has their client’s health and safety in their best interest.
What does a consultation involve?
A skin consultation should last for at least 30 minutes. This will enable the practitioner to gather as much information as possible from the client with regards to their health, diet, lifestyle, their past and present relationship with the sun, their main concerns, their current skincare regime, and their commitment to treatment. The client’s skin will then be analysed through a magnifying lamp or/with the aid of a skin scanner.
This will help identify the clients skin condition not just on the surface but also below the layers that cannot be seen with the naked eye. It can also establish the level of damage or severity of a client’s condition, a fine example is sun damage, where hyper-pigmentation originates at the bottom of the epidermis. Finding the extend of the damage can help determine the length of a treatment programme.
Following every consultation as a practitioner it is so important for my client to receive a detailed report of my findings, treatment options and product recommendations. This will enable the client to refer back to and help make decisions regarding their skin.
What skin conditions can a skin therapist treat?
A skin therapist can treat many skin conditions such as sensitive skin, ageing skins, acne management, rosacea and scarring unless they are contra-indicated due to a medical condition or a medication. Conditions such as acne are graded and therefore will need medical intervention if infection or advance inflammation is present. Any skin issues that cannot be identified or is not within the practitioner’s remit will be referred to the clients GP or dermatologist.
What skin treatments can a skin therapist provide?
As a skincare specialist, a skin therapist will have to undergo further training and qualifications when carrying out advanced skincare treatments such as peels, micro-needling, laser hair removal, advanced pigmentation treatments. Do ask for evidence of certification if you are not sure.
Treatments can be carried out on both face and body. An excellent Skin care therapist will first give their client some homecare products to use for at least 2 weeks before commencing any advanced treatments, this will optimise treatment results, reduce risks of any adverse reactions, and introduce the skin to quality, the result led ingredients.
As a practitioner, I love to treat my clients with a combination of treatment modalities to give the best treatment results. It is always good that the client should ask as many questions as possible before deciding to go ahead with a treatment plan.