Finding a Great Aesthetician

When looking for an aesthetician, it’s important to find one that you trust, is talented, and is focused on your skin rather than selling tons of products. And since there are a lot of aestheticians out there, I wanted to give you my thoughts on finding the right one for you.

First, let’s talk about the difference between an aesthetician and a dermatologist. An aesthetician is someone who is trained on non-medical skincare benefits and treatments, such as facials, waxing, etc. They use beauty treatments to improve the look and feel of your skin. Dermatologists, on the other hand, are physicians who focus on medical conditions that can affect the skin. Often times they work together in the same practice to treat both the medical and aesthetic aspects of skin. If you want a hydrating facial, you would go to an aesthetician. If you have a suspicious mole, you would go to a dermatologist.

I’m not going to focus on advice on finding a dermatologist, as you should definitely work with your primary doctor on finding one for a specific medical condition. You should also have a yearly full-body check with your dermatologist to make sure there is nothing suspicious on your skin that needs to be addressed, such as unusual moles or signs of skin cancer.

But finding a talented, thoughtful aesthetician can sometimes take time, and may require a bit of trial and error. So here are my tips on finding a great aesthetician and enjoying your next skincare treatment.

• Ask your friends and family who they go to. Referrals are always the best way to go.
• Read online reviews for both the spa, and the individual aesthetician.
• Set up a consultation to meet with the aesthetician first to talk about their experience and your skincare thoughts and goals.
• Take a look at the office. Make sure it’s clean, brightly lit, and makes you feel comfortable. The treatment area should be separate from any reception area and everything should be fresh and new for your appointment.
• Find out what type of product lines that they use, if any. Feel free to research that product line before your appointment, so you know what to expect.
• Make sure that the aesthetician listens to you before, during and after your treatment. If he or she is doing something painful or that doesn’t feel good, speak up!
• Relax and enjoy the experience. This is your time to focus on self-care.
• Try to avoid the chain-type spas. While I am sure that some of them are good, I have heard that the treatments at these types of spas can be inconsistent. And honestly, finding an independent aesthetician near you is great…you’re supporting your local economy!
• Never feel pressured into buying something that you aren’t sure of. You can always ask for samples first. Same goes for adding on services.
• Tipping is standard for aesthetician services, usually 20%. But feel free to change that to reflect the quality of the service that you received.

Living outside Philadelphia, I am incredibly lucky to have an amazing aesthetician team that I go to on a regular basis. Shout out to Beauty By Biba in Medford and Moorestown, New Jersey! If you live in the southern NJ area, I’d highly recommend any of the aestheticians there. They are thoughtful, creative, highly trained professionals who make getting facials and other treatments fun!

https://beautybybiba.com

If you have any questions on finding an aesthetician or about going to receive a service, feel free to reach out to me. I would love to give you some one-on-one advice.