PART 1: What Licensed Estheticians Need to Know About Botox and Fillers — So They Can Truly Serve Their Clients

Hi, and welcome!

I am Diane Buccola, also sometimes known in the world of esthetics as Happy Esthetician. Thank you for following me over here to read my upcoming series which I have titled "The Informed Esthetician Series."

Note: If you see two asterisks (**) following a word, phrase or sentence, this means you can find more detail on that topic in my book The Heart of Esthetics (because I don't want to go too long here). I'll post a link to the book at the bottom of each blog.

Full disclosure: I have been working on another book for women which is not directly related to esthetics; however, something happened a few days ago which compelled me to put that project aside and turn my attention to this because I think it's really important. Here's the story:

Last week -- and for the first time in my social media life -- I replied to a random post that popped up in my feed. It was created by a woman I didn’t know and wasn’t following. The short version of this story is that she was publicly shaming female celebrities who she believed had undergone cosmetic plastic surgery/fillers, etc. She had photos of these women as well as photos of women she believed are aging without plastic surgery & fillers. She ended her video by saying something along the lines of “Why can’t women just age naturally?” 

First of all, can you even imagine the pressure put on celebrities (especially females) to be youthful and beautiful at all times and forever? They are photographed constantly, and any "flaw" -- be it aging, weight gain/loss, etc. -- is not only pointed out, but enlarged for the public to study and criticize. In my experience, this rarely happens to men which is why I am focusing only on women here. 

In my experience as a long-time Esthetician, the simple answer to the "why can't women just age naturally?" question is that we don’t know what is going on in a woman’s mind and in her life. What we do know is that often women are trying to deal with internal struggles by means of resorting to external fixes. But no matter the reason, unless it’s a family member or personal friend, it’s really none of our business. One thing we do know is that shaming these women does not help; and in fact, it tells us more about the woman doing the shaming than it does about the women they are criticizing. 

Estheticians know from experience that many women grapple with insecurities regarding their appearance, whether it's body image or signs of aging. This may result in one woman perceiving another as a threat to her own self-worth. It goes without saying that the phenomenon of social media has had an enormous impact because it leads to comparison with others which may influence an individual's evaluation of their own worth. This phenomenon is very likely what triggered this woman's criticism of other women. 

I've got to be honest here. At first glance of the woman in this video, the Esthetician in me immediately thought "She needs to exfoliate." And I'm sure any Esthetician reading this will acknowledge that often we joke among ourselves about things we see in our work. (We have seen it ALL!) It's the nature of our job -- practically an instinct -- to notice issues that we believe we can help with. We may share a funny video someone has posted of themselves during a brow wax fail. But what we don't do is name names, post photos of someone without permission, or publicly shame them. And if we have been doing that, we should stop because we are contributing to the problem. 

My reply to this woman was not an attack, but I was direct in my defense of women. I said something along the lines of: Speaking as a 26-year-licensed Esthetician -- and a woman who has opted not to go down the road of plastic surgery and fillers -- I can tell you this: I have had a front row seat to the dramatic increase of pressure on women to remain forever youthful, "beautiful" (according to society's current standards), and practically perfect in every way. As a result, women are willing to go to great lengths to meet those unrealistic expectations, even if it means plastic surgery, fillers, dramatic weight loss/surgery, and/or whatever else it takes. In other words, external fixes for internal issues. 

HOW CAN ESTHETICIANS HELP?

As Licensed Estheticians, I believe we are in a position to help other women. At least that's why I got into this field. I started my esthetics career in 1999 -- before plastic surgery and injections became the go-to solution for issues related to normal aging,

Today, my dream is to build a network of like-minded Estheticians who uplift one another. (More about that in blog #7.) Maybe we can educate women who are considering invasive and possibly dangerous cosmetic services. Maybe we can help those who have already had invasive services and don't want to do it again, however don't know what other options are available. Or maybe we can help women who aren't considering invasive services but would be open to learning about facials, home care, and non-invasive procedures before going under the knife or needle. 

There are plenty of potential clients out there, however licensed Estheticians aren't necessarily easy to find. It's not like we are standing in public places trying to meet customers. We don't advertise on billboards or buses, and we know potential clients do not choose an Esthetician based upon social media posts or emails -- other than clients who are looking for a discount or the ones who plan to purchase their products on Amazon.**

If you agree with me and are saddened by this trend of publicly shaming women about their appearance, please watch for my next 6 blogs which will include research about injectables. I will announce each blog on my Happy Esthetician FB page every day for one week. 

We are very familiar with how our clients feel about their appearance because they tell us when they are lying on our treatment table. Part of our job is to examine their skin and point out things that are "wrong" -- but do we ever also compliment them on at least one good thing?**

To be very clear, I am not suggesting women shouldn't take advantage of invasive cosmetic procedures. In fact, I truly support women in whatever they believe will make them feel good about themselves. However, my fear is that while invasive cosmetic procedures may make them happy today, many years down the road -- as unused muscles atrophy, for example -- it could be a completely different and sometimes irreversible story. 

What I am suggesting here is that any licensed Estheticians who are interested in providing high-tech, non-invasive esthetics services utilizing state-of-the-art esthetic equipment should consider educating themselves about these procedures and earning the certification to perform them. You will then be able to educate clients and potential clients and introduce them to the world of non-invasive, yet powerful and safe, esthetics services. Before you do any of that, however, it is very important to check with your state licensing board to determine what you are legally allowed to do. 

I would also highly suggest you become an NCEA Certified Esthetician, which is the national certification and the highest voluntary esthetics credential in the United States. This certification elevates professional standards beyond entry-level licensure, and it signifies expertise and credibility which helps clients and potential clients identify well-trained Estheticians. Once you have earned that important credential, market it like crazy!** On your walls, your business card, your service menu, social pages, etc. 

 THE HISTORY OF ESTHETICS 

  We are not in the products business. We are in the relationship business. 

In the early years of esthetics, our income was dictated primarily by the selling of retail skin care products. And we offered a variety of beautiful facial services. In some areas of esthetics, that is still true and still beautiful. However these days, products are sold online, and facials can be learned via YouTube. Today, products are no longer the “bread and butter” of our business; they are simply tools that we use in our work. Unfortunately, most clients are not aware of "product diversion**" so they don't realize what they are really getting when they purchase online. It is the job of a Professional Esthetician to teach them.

Savvy Estheticians realize that we are now in the relationship business, which is what I love most about being an Esthetician. This means our clients must be able to trust us and rely on our knowledge and expertise, which is precisely why I have created this "The Informed Esthetician Series." (And it is also why I named my book "The HEART of Esthetics.)

What Licensed Estheticians Need to Know About Botox and Fillers

This series is not about scaring women away from cosmetic procedures. It is to make sure if they go down that road, they do so with full information. And Licensed Estheticians can help with that. In the blogs that follow, I will share my research and include references, citations, and links to the sources of this information. Please read it for yourself and also feel free to offer this information to your clients and prospective clients. I am a huge fan of client newsletters if done properly,** and this information would be perfect for a newsletter (not to be confused with yet another email which will go immediately into the recycle bin.) 

** More detail can be found in my book The Heart of Esthetics

 NEXT BLOG (#2) - What You Need to Know Before Getting Botox or Fillers