The use of Aesthetics in the beauty industry

A definition of beauty according to the Oxford English dictionary is “A combination of qualities, such as shape, colour, or form that pleases, especially the sight “ (OED.com, 2023) For this research project the writer will discuss and provide research into the use of Aesthetics in the beauty related industries. The researcher has worked in the industry for 30 years and over this period has witnessed changes in the training provided and professional standard. At the start of the researchers career the rules on training in Beauty Therapy had only just changed, previously to this time a person would need to be at least 18 years old to begin any form of beauty training. It is now common for school aged children, at the age of 14, can choose to study Beauty Therapy as part of the GCSE options process in school years 10 and 11, albeit on a smaller scale and these students would only be those basic treatments such as skin care, nail acre and make up skills. The industry has grown steadily over this time but more recently the influx of non-surgical treatments or “tweakments” is gaining speed at an unbelievable rate. Some of these are held in a patient’s own home and referred to as “Botox Parties”! Other forms of aesthetic treatments are offered in a variety of settings and may not always abide by any form of health, safety, and hygiene policies. The researcher has first-hand experience of an “Aesthetic specialist “arriving at a salon with needles and a sharps box and running a clinic from a back room in the salon. Gone are the days when these procedures would be administered by medical professionals only and only in a clinical environment. The growth, and in some cases demand, for these procedures is of a personal and professional interest to a lot of people in the beauty and medical industry and no doubt anyone who is contemplating maintaining youth full appearance. The aim of this paper will give further clarification on the following points.

1. The growth of aesthetics in the beauty related industry
2. The need for all practitioners to carry a licence to enable them to carry out procedures.
3. People's views on who should be able to administer these treatments and what training / qualifications they would expect a person to hold.