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!

What’s a good way of getting back to basics and choosing the right product for your skin? The answer yet again lies in understanding the ingredient list. But as always, talk with your licensed esthetician or dermatologist to get a professional opinion on what products will work for you.

In her article “What Are Those Ingredients?” Stacy Colino asks some dermatologists to decode some of the most common skincare ingredients. Here are a few of the big-name players:

1. Vitamin C:
• Also known as: ascorbic acid, L-ascorbic acid, ascorbate, magnesium ascorbyl phosphate, ascorbyl palimate.
• Great for: almost all skin types, except very sensitive skin
• Treats: aging and sun damage

2. Salicylic Acid
• Alias: beta hydroxy acid (BHA)
• Great for: normal and oily skin
• Treats: acne and skin irritation

3. Ferulic Acid
• Alias: 4-hydroxy-3-methoxycinnamic acid
• Great for: normal and dry skin
• Treats: aging and sun damage

4. Retinol
• Alias: retinoic acid, retinyl palmitate
• Great for: normal and oily skin
• Treats: aging, acne and sun damage

5. Idebenone
• Alias: ubiquinone, coenzyme Q-10
• Great for: almost all skin types
• Treats: aging, irritation and sun damage

6. Hyaluronic Acid
• Alias: sodium hyaluronate
• Great for: almost all skin types, especially for dry skin
• Treats: aging

7. Green Tea
• Alias: epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG)
• Great for: almost all skin types
• Treats: aging, irritation and sun damage

8. Niacinamide
• Alias: nicotinamide
• Great for: dry skin
• Treats: aging, irritation, sun damage

9. Alpha Lipoic Acid
• Alias: lipoic acid
• Great for: almost all skin types, except very sensitive skin
• Treats: aging and sun damage

Some of these wonder ingredients have pretty long aliases, but paying attention to the label next time you’re in the skincare aisle can pay off for your skin. Have any great brands to recommend for skincare during the warmer months? Let us know!

These days, it can be difficult to escape talk about the “R word.” I’m talking about the recession. In tricky economic times, it’s only natural for people to tighten their belts a little and trim down their extra expenses. That may mean cutting out certain luxuries, like eating out or taking a vacation.

So, where does the beauty industry fit into this equation? For businesses that are willing to adapt to the current economic situation and get creative, there are bountiful opportunities to attract new and existing spa customers.

Don’t let the shaky economy discourage you if you’re considering a career in the beauty or spa industry – spas around the country are finding ways to keep the foot baths and the massage tables occupied. Most are even flourishing and hiring more than ever.

Consider San Francisco’s spa industry. According to one online reference site, SpaFinder, there is one spa for every 5,100 San Francisco residents (this compares to about one spa for every 15,300 New York City residents). How does a business in this competitive environment stay afloat?

Here are a few ideas from some San Francisco spa directors:

1. Most importantly, get creative! Find ways to differentiate your spa from the competition and to keep your clients coming back.
2. Try out new ideas for payment programs or membership drives.
3. Attract eco-savvy customers by offering green facilities and spa practices, or break into another untapped market of potential spa-lovers.
4. Design customizable service packages. The InterContinental San Francisco I-Spa offers its customers a personalized membership program (similar to those offered at a gym).

What do you think about the current economy and its effect on spas and other health and beauty businesses? Do you have other ideas for how the beauty industry can weather the storm?