First and foremost, the beauty industry generated $60 billion in revenue in 2008, and by 2011, this rate rose by 5.3 percent. A portion of this profit was earned by estheticians who are currently employed by medical spas, clinics and even by dermatologists.

The state of Washington currently has laws implemented that require an esthetician to have 600 hours of training from a licensed school. A student must pass an examination given by the Washington State Department of Licensing (DOL). Once the 600 hours of training have been completed, a licensed esthetician is able to use lasers under the supervision of a physician, according to the regulations enforced by the Medical Quality Assurance Commission. Seems simple, right? Well, the issue lies with the fact that during the course of a 600-hour training program, it’s not feasible to fit laser training into the curriculum; even basic laser training is difficult to be squeezed into such a short time span.

As of right now, the laser training rests on the shoulders of the business that hires the esthetician, and there are no set standards as to how it is done. In fact, the laser training can consist of a few hours of instruction from the person who sells the company a laser and that person then spreads the word to the rest of the staff. In some instances, an employee may go through private lessons, and who pays for it depends on the company that hires the esthetician. And some estheticians opt to go out of state to well-known facilities for more comprehensive training. One laser clinic has spent more than $25,000 to send her estheticians for out-of-state training.

Originally, the Northwest Aestheticians’ Guild proposed that schools begin offering a 1,200-hour training, but this idea was shot down, since it would cause people to have to learn more than just the traditional practice of esthetics. Not to mention, it would harm schools because it would lead to them being required to double their training, which could possibly put them out of business.

The bill that’s set to go into law will increase the 600-hour training to 750 hours. This will help familiarize students with the new technologies, and it will give the students more opportunities to practice. Laser services will not be part of the 750-hour certification curriculum, and all estheticians will no longer be able to give infections. A new license will be created known as the master esthetician license, which consists of 1,200 hours of training and includes instruction on lasers and medium-depth peels. Skincare professionals who have a 600-hour esthetician license will automatically be grandfathered into the 750-hour license. Anyone who now has an esthetician license will have five different ways to become eligible for the master esthetician license, and it gives current estheticians until January 1, 2015 to qualify for the master esthetician license by being grandfathered in.

1. Use a Lubricant

Olive oil, moisturizer, even baby oil is better than nothing. Just do not exfoliate bare skin. No matter how much it claims to be safe for sensitive skin, if you use it without some protection you might as well be using sandpaper. A cream or oil will not get in the way of the exfoliation process. It will actually help it.

2. Less Really Is More

You need to do it, but be careful not to do it too much. It is kind of like eating. You have to eat to stay healthy, but too much food or the wrong kinds of food can actually do damage. Exfoliation is essential to healthy skin, but doing it too often actually defeats the purpose. Exfoliation is meant to remove dead skin cells and leave room for healthy, younger ones to shine through. If you exfoliate more than once per week chances are you are getting rid of healthy skin cells, which increases cell production. The result is too many cells needing attention and care, and a dull or uneven complexion.

3. Step Away from the Sandpaper

Regardless of skin’s condition, harsh scrubs are not the answer. Skin cells are delicate and it does not take much to knock them free. Larger beads are better than jagged sandy ones, and a homemade scrub made with a rich cream and fine grain sugar works just fine. Use a light touch, rinse thoroughly, and beautiful skin is yours for the taking. The rougher the grain, the more irritating and damaging the skin is going to be. Damage and irritation does not result in beauty.

Estheticians are full of useful information and great skin care is their specialty. They take what they learn in esthetics schools and take your exfoliation advice from them and watch glowing skin ensue. Find a beauty school and BeautySchool.com.

But now it’s time for healthy skin enthusiasts to check out the wave of the future!

Inspired by some of the innovative equipment used in professional esthetics practices and esthetician schools, these gadgets are designed for in-home use. Do they stack up to your neighborhood esthetician? You’ll have to be the judge on that. But if you’re hankering to give any of these ultra-modern beauty machines a try, you just might have the calling for your very own career in esthetics!

1. Crystalift Resurfacing System

By combining crystal resurfacing with vacuum-lift therapy, this Crystalift doo-dad removes dead cells and polishes skin to help you achieve a healthy glow. It’s inspired by the microdermabrasion equipment used in dermatology practices. Price: $249

2. Tria Laser Hair Removal

Safer than razors, this laser device helps remove those unwanted hair follicles, wherever they may be hiding. With three intensity levels, even those with sensitive skin can use this machine. It’ll cost you a pretty penny, though. At $995, I think I’ll choose my trusted esthetician to take care of this job for me.

3. The Marvel Mini

Estheticians and dermatologists have long known about the power light. By harnessing different wavelengths and frequencies, light can help us address our skin concerns. Enter, the Marvel Mini. With varieties in red, green and blue, these miniature glowing devices can help address skin issues like fine lines, wrinkles, age spots and acne. Price: $225

Embarking on a new career can be frightening at first because the distance between where you are when you get out of one of the many esthetician schools and gaining the experience prospective employers want can seem so vast. The first step on any journey into the unknown is always the most difficult, and the good news is that once you pass your state boards, you’re actually already on your way.

The next step is to define what is a successful career for an esthetician? You’d be amazed at how many people never bother to plan their careers. They plan just about everything else about their lives – vacations, weddings, even grocery shopping – but when it comes to what they spend most of their working lives doing, they just drift. Most people never actually examine where they want to go; they simply follow the crowd and do the obvious. But even if you get offered the greatest job, it won’t really be your choice unless you actively, consciously make it. I certainly don’t think working in a medical setting is the right choice for every esthetician, nor do I think that every esthetician working in a spa should do it to the exclusion of other esthetic work. I know that working in a dermatology practice was the right choice for me because I made it only after spending a great deal of time thinking about what I like, what I’m good at, and what my options are, given my predilections and my training.

And that’s really the key for any important career decision. It’s a cliche, but it’s true, if you fail to plan–you plan to fail. But really knowing what you like is not so easy as it might seem. Many of us took aptitude tests in high school to find out what we were best suited for. Those tests, among other things, were really subtle explorations of what we enjoyed doing. I’m sure your local library can recommend some reference books if you haven’t explored your skills. Even if you don’t have much faith in the specific techniques these books employ, doing the exercises at least forces you to give some conscious thought to the direction you’d like to take, as opposed to what you think you ought to be doing with your life. Whatever exercises you use, they should have one thing in common: they should help you free your mind from the strictures we usually place on it when we think about work. In other words, when you think about what you’d like to be doing with your esthetics career, you shouldn’t be limited to what you traditionally think of as work. The whole point of these exercises, in fact, is to broaden your usual definitions of work. Think of the things you actually choose to do when you’re completely free to spend your time as you like. That includes what you do for entertainment, volunteer activities, hobbies, anything, even cleaning the garage if that gives you pleasure. In fact, it’s those things you wouldn’t think of under ordinary circumstances that can be the most revealing. For example, if you like cleaning out the garage, it may mean you enjoy bringing order out of chaos – you’re a good organizer.

There are other exercises that are useful for helping define what shape you’d like your career to take. Priority lists, where you list the pros and cons of a decision on each side of a piece of paper and give numerical weights to each entry to see which side comes out ahead, decision trees, or any of a host of methods used to clarify decisions can be used. Make lists of goals for your next position – wealth, challenge, interaction with interesting people, creativity, a pleasant environment, adventure, fame, power, leadership opportunities, long lunch hours, anything you want – and try to imagine the ideal position. Pay attention to what turns you on and to what turns you off.

Remember, these exercises are just for you. Be as free as you can because their only purpose is to help you think creatively about your strengths and to become conscious of the forces that help you succeed or prevent you from doing as well as you can.

Above all, the most important thing to take from these exercises, is that the reasons for choosing to work as an esthetician in a medical or spa setting, be conscious reasons, not vague, undefined impulses. Now get to work planning your future!