The Making of an Esthetician

I have yet to do a successful extraction. Usually I don’t even see them, so once during a demo I asked my teacher if I could see what she was looking at and trying to extract. She pointed them out to me, but if she hadn’t, I wouldn’t have seen them. She told me that the next time I have to do extractions, to call her in the room and she’ll help me.

So today I have a client come in for a spa facial, and she has some concerns about blackheads around her nose. I think this was the first time I actually saw them, and I got excited to think that I might actually get one! Never in a million years would I have ever thought I would be excited to extract someone’s blackhead, yet here I am, looking forward to it! :)

So it’s on the side of her nose near her nostril, and it’s in a very awkward spot. I have esthetic wipes around my index and middle fingers, and I’m rubbing the skin around it back and forth. I’m looking at it through the mag light and I can see it popping up, but the whole thing won’t come out. I tell her to let me know if I’m hurting her, but she says I’m not. After quite a few attempts, I decide to call in my teacher. I watch what she’s doing to see if maybe I was doing something wrong. She was doing the same thing I was doing, so that made me feel good. She even tried using two Q-tips, but she couldn’t get it either. I felt bad, but I told her that the next time she comes in, we could use some other products while she steams to help with the extractions.

As I said before, most of the time, I really don’t even see them. I question a lot what I see in the skin scope and under the mag light and Wood’s lamp. I think the only thing I know for sure is that white spots under the skin scope indicate dryness and orange under the Wood’s lamp indicate oil. And it’s really not so much that I don’t know what the colors mean; it’s more that I have a hard time seeing them.

I have had teachers point out to me the tiniest of an orange speck under the Wood’s lamp that I would not have seen had it not been identified. That really concerns me. How can I know for sure then that I’m giving my clients the best treatment for them and using the correct products?

Another thing I question is freckles versus hyperpigmentation.  What’s the difference when you see it under the skin scope or mag light? Is hyperpigmentation more of a cluster of freckles? Is the color slightly different? Does anyone else ever have a hard time seeing things under the lamps? Any advice for doing a thorough and complete skin analysis?

1. Svetlana, co-owner - A-Skin Care Salon
   May 8th, 2008 at 8:00 am

   Well done, Sandra!
   I love the fact, that you question every little thing. If I knew that you were near my spa (and I am in Arlington, MA), I’d invite you for an intervew right now.

2. Sandra
   May 8th, 2008 at 8:14 am

   Svetlana: Wow, thank you!!! I wish I lived near Arlington, MA (I’m in the Chicagoland area)! I do question a lot of things because I really want to be good at this. I love listening to people in the industry talk about skin care. They are so knowledgeable and I can’t wait to get to that point! I hope you’ll continue to come back here. I look forward to hearing any advice you have. Thanks again!

3. Angela Duvall, Clinical Esthetician - Angela Duvall Skincare, Inc.
   May 8th, 2008 at 12:43 pm

   Hi! The first piece of info. that I can suggest is that to give yourself some time to recognize imperfections in skin. After a bit of experience “finding” blackheads, etc. you will zero right in on them. Your method seems to be just fine. Often times, the blockage has been resident in the skin for some time and they do not always come out on the first attempt. I try to tell my clients to use baking soad at home as a scrub and also the Clarisonic brush — it does wonders! As for the hyperpigmentation, various people identify it in various ways. The doctor that I work with and I consider freckles a form of hyperpigmentation (sun damage/sun exposure) and also the brown spots/marks left by pregnancy mask. In these cases, we always suggest the client to use a lightening product or perhaps a peel. It really depends on the clients lifestyle. Since we live in Florida, we see alot of this condition. Hope this helps a bit!

4. Sandra
   May 12th, 2008 at 6:48 pm

   Angela: I definitely need more experience with not only finding blackheads, but doing extractions. I think sometimes I just get impatient and give up too easily. Thanks for the advice about the baking soda and Clarisonic brush. I will keep that in mind for my clients who get a lot of blackheads. Thanks!