How To Find A Professional and Qualified Esthetician

A fabulous esthetician is key in having a phenomenal facial experience! Shiri Sarfati has the scoop on what questions to ask and what to look for in the treatment room to ensure you find the best esthetician for you!

Hi, I’m Shiri Sarfati. All of my friends are always asking me what they should look out for when they go to see an esthetician. First and foremost you must make sure that the esthetician is carrying a current esthetics license from the state that she’s performing the facials in. So if you’re in New York City, they must carry a current New York esthetics license. You definitely want to make sure it is an esthetics license versus a cosmetology license because an esthetician will have received a greater depth in knowledge of skin care, although those with a cosmetology license are absolutely allowed to perform facial services. If they are carrying an esthetics or cosmetology license, definitely make sure they are taking post-graduate classes on a regular basis and updating their skills and knowledge so they know exactly what are the latest skin care techniques and exactly how to apply, extract and exfoliate the correct and safe ways. Find out what schools they do their on-going training at too. You may also want to find out if your esthetician has an even higher degree of knowledge, like a CIDESCO diploma, which ensures that they have expert skills in skin care and that they have a higher level of knowledge on the facial anatomy, structure and that they really know what to touch and when to touch, in addition to having perfect extraction techniques.

Next, when you go into the facial room, take a look around. If the lights are a little dim, maybe turn them up a little bit to see exactly what implements the esthetician will be using. Check out the facial trolley; does it look dirty or grimy? Are the product jars open and looking a little ragged? Make sure the environment is totally sanitary. See if there is an autoclave or sterilization equipment in the room. It’s so important that all of the implementations they are using on you are sterile. And make sure that they use disposables, like disposable cotton and facial tissues; these are much more sanitary than using wash clothes. Check out my video on why using cotton and facial tissues are more sanitary than wash clothes. You definitely want to make sure they are using these types of disposables in their facial treatment rooms. Uni-dose package services are even cleaner than double dipping in the jar. If the esthetician is using open jars make sure that they have soufflé cups near by with clean spatulas so that they’re not dipping into the jars but rather dispensing into a disposable soufflé cup and then using that product on your skin. Also make sure there are closed garbage cans. Garbage cans by law are actually required to have a lid on them. If the products are just lying out in an open garbage it’s just not sanitary.

Next, take a look at your esthetician’s appearance. How do her nails look? They should be filed down and cut short; she should not have long nails because bacteria, dirt and grime can end up underneath the nail beds; then when they’re doing extractions those could end up in your skin. This is what would cause redness and irritation. Make sure their hair is pulled back, away from their face, so their hair is not in the products and skin creams while the facial is going on. Also, make sure that they are wearing closed-toed shoes; it is actually required by law that they wear closed-toed shoes.

All of these essentials are important to make sure you have a great facial experience. When you’re in a clean environment with the right esthetician who has up to date knowledge you always have wonderful, great results. Definitely do your research before heading to the spa, check on the Internet, friends and family are also great resources for finding wonderful estheticians, and check out our Locate a Spa Page for wonderful spas near you with certified trained Repêchage estheticians as well.

Good luck! I hope you enjoyed this beauty tip and I do hope you enjoy your next facial. Please do share with us your favorite estheticians in the comments below!