There are many different terms you’ll come across when you research beauty school. There are all sorts of specialties and niches you can become part of in the beauty world, so sometimes these differences indicate something special about a specific realm of the beauty world. One term you might see at times is a distinction between “aesthetic” and “medical” esthetics. Is there really a difference? Here’s what you need to know about the two.

Understanding Aesthetic Esthetics Jobs

So-called “aesthetic” esthetics jobs center around branches of esthetics that are about making you look great. That typically includes makeup artists as the primary job, but there are other aesthetic esthetics jobs out there. Whether you’re applying bridal makeup, you’re doing SFX for a movie, or you’re helping someone match their skin tone to the perfect foundation, you’re doing an aesthetic esthetics job.

These are definitely crucial for the field of esthetics. Makeup artists will typically go through an esthetics course before becoming a makeup artist, which means they’ll often have in-depth knowledge of skin and how to keep skin healthy even with a lot of makeup on it. In this way, they often overlap a surprising amount with medical esthetics practitioners.

Understanding Medical Esthetics Jobs

The other part of the field includes so-called “medical” esthetics jobs. This part of the field gets its name because it typically has a lot more to do with the medical field. Dermatologist assistants tend to have an esthetics background rather than a medical background, for example. You’ll see the medical expert, the dermatologist, to get your diagnosis, then see the esthetics expert, the assistant, to receive your treatment.

Medical esthetics is just as important as aesthetic esthetics. You may have received a medical esthetics procedure at some point without realizing it; if you’ve ever been to a dermatology appointment, chances are you met someone with a background in esthetics. These jobs can help people suffering from medical conditions find relief.

The Overlap of These Jobs

Of course, there are also some jobs that utilize elements of medical esthetics and aesthetic esthetics. For example, a tattoo artist who specializes in permanent makeup application is doing both medical esthetics, as tattooing requires medical knowledge, and aesthetic esthetics, as their type of tattooing requires makeup knowledge. Many spa skin treatments make your skin softer and more beautiful but also require knowledge of different skin types and how to manage them.

Overlap is very common in the field of esthetics, and it’s one of the reasons you typically won’t find different esthetics schools focusing on aesthetic or medical esthetics. Instead, people with a background in esthetics have the tools necessary to branch out into either of these areas. It’s not an official difference so much as it is a semantic one.

Conclusion

Whether you’re thinking about becoming a permanent makeup tattoo artist, a dermatology assistant, or an SFX artist, you need a background in esthetics to succeed. In some areas, you may even need it to legally practice. The esthetics program at Ogle School will help prepare you to become an esthetician in San Francisco. Regardless of your final place in the world of esthetics, Ogle School can provide you with the building blocks you need.