Professional skincare as a passion: esthetics scholarship application essay

Esthetics scholarship application “why is professional skincare my passion"
The skincare profession, at one time, thrived on mysteriousness. ‘Facialists’, ‘estheticians’ and other specialists in this field guarded their secrets well. Mystery ingredients were used on customers’ skin, with authentic ritual authority, and customers were ordered to come back from time to time to ensure long-term results. This age was characterized by intensely-perfumed creams, flashy gold-and-pink packages, and an abundance of brands with French-sounding names. Millenials, however, chiefly on account of the novel digital technology, is better aware and has greater demands. Twenty-first century consumers are well-read on the subjects of health, skincare and welfare; this awareness can empower the skincare industry via a novel responsiveness and sense of urgency in selling products (Ferraro, 2014).
My choice of career was evident to me from the outset. I know I have been born to help my fellow human beings feel and look better. This choice of career affords a rather emotionally rewarding experience. When my clients feel and look good I feel good as well. All customers come to a skincare specialist with a unique set of skin-related concerns, and therefore, we are faced with unique challenges every day. I have encountered a variety of issues including acne, dark spots, wrinkles and rosacea. As every individual has a different type of skin, with different needs, there is no one-product-fits-all approach (Rouleau, 2010).
Advances in the field mean that a lot remains for professionals to learn, on an ongoing basis. I love learning new things and rely on industry magazines, blogs, seminars, webinars, books, classes, websites and trade shows to acquire knowledge of new things. In fact, in my opinion, all careers require one to remain apprised of industry updates. Skincare is a swiftly evolving sector, necessitating constant learning (Rouleau, 2010).
Greater esthetic awareness accords respect to skincare professionals. During the eighties, estheticians were confused for anesthesiologists. Further, the medical profession condemned estheticians and facialists. It is only recently that skincare’s significance is being appreciated by healthcare personnel, with a number of physicians collaborating with estheticians. Additionally, with growing demands for delaying the ageing process, esthetics has become a highly-regarded profession. This trend is novel to America; however, the French started giving importance to skincare several decades ago (Rouleau, 2010).
Touch has transformative ability. I worked as a volunteer once, giving facials to domestic violence victims. This patient population typically relates touch to aggression and rage. Facials help them see that touch may also imply love and care; it helps convert their mistrust into trust once more, with the added advantage that such therapy makes them look better and, as a result, feel better.  This improves their self-worth, empowering them to avoid violent scenarios. This tear-jerking experience of mine made me realize facials aren’t only good for one’s skin; they have myriad positive effects (Rouleau, 2010).
I love my profession and am extremely lucky to have realized what I wished to do in life from a very young age.  I am at progressing further and contributing to positive changes worldwide, one patient after the other. Estheticians don’t only market skincare creams and give facials; they create changes, thus greatly impacting lives.
I work with the personal ideology that it is central to my profession to remain adaptable, receptive to novel opportunities and solutions, and updated on novel trends by means of education, journals, trade magazines, and visiting exhibitions. Quite frequently, I have find things being contrary to my expectations; inflexibility of thought and expectation could cause one to miss a great opportunity. Moreover, I feel loving one’s job is the key to long-term happiness. The esthetics scholarship will facilitate my continued study of novel ingredients, methods and technology; I can pass on the knowledge gleaned from this to peers and students in the field. Sustainability is the key here, as esthetics represents a dynamic market. My sound healthcare background will help me concentrate on ensuring the conventional therapy/beauty role advances further, with strong emphasis on skin wellness. I have learned to ensure I am always probing beneath the surface to get a thorough picture of physical functioning, which can facilitate the treatment and correction of a number of skin problems (Deitz, 2013).
Youngsters such as me encounter unique issues, having been raised in an age of unprecedented technological evolution, which places us at a distinct advantage when it comes to learning novel applications. But within the esthetic education arena, this gives rise to concerns since younger pupils learn in smaller bites, with certain points highlighted and easy-to-scan. Pupils might subsequently lack a thorough grasp of the workings of any given practical application or model. This renders problem-solving, critical-thinking, and activity completion hard, since one could easily get distracted by the next novel idea put forward. Social networking proves to be a second powerful distracting force (Deitz, 2013). No matter one’s age, constant learning is imperative for all. Greater knowledge regarding a topic implies more connections and a greater need for increasing one’s knowledge further. Current graduate and post-graduate level esthetics courses have learners belonging to all age groups, depicting diverse challenges and approaches to learning. This gives rise to distinctive problems for both esthetic pupils and teachers, irrespective of their level of experience in the field. But the former have to bear the major portion of responsibility and accountability, since they must understand how to learn and to position themselves for success in diverse instructional settings (Deitz, 2013).
Understanding personal as well as peers’ learning approaches is vital to every esthetician irrespective of setting. A grasp of individuals’ learning techniques is linked to their information reception and communication. Individuals typically receive information on the basis of learning approach, within the bounds of personal intelligence inclinations. Learners might portray two or more approaches to learning; however, in the process of assimilating novel facts, one, or a maximum of two, approaches might be dominant (Deitz, 2013).
The best part about my profession is work flexibility. A number of jobs allow part-time work, which makes the career ideal for moms or those who pursue another career as well. As there is no one-approach-suits-all solution to esthetics, I am aware of the fact that research is necessary for me. A second plus-point about my choice of career is the numerous alternatives of job settings at my disposal (Rouleau, 2014), which include day spas, skincare spas, hair salons with skin treatment facility, hotel spas, medical spas, resort spas, cruise-line spas, and department store spas having an associated skincare line. Those not inclined to work as service providers have other options, which include working as a skincare line representative within medical offices, spas and department stores; such a role would require one to offer training and education to clients and work at representing the line in trade shows. Another option is working at retail store counters (this includes beauty retailers and department stores). I could consider freelancing or on-call independent contracting as well, which offers one the opportunity to be working at a number of spas. An esthetics teacher’s job at the local esthetics institute is also a sound career option. Lastly, I could consider entrepreneurship and come up with my personal skincare line. Thus, the scholarship will contribute greatly to advancing my learning and career (Rouleau, 2014).
Bibliography
Deitz, S. (2013). Skin Care Practices and Clinical Protocols: A Professional’s Guide to Success in Any Environment. New York: Cengage Learning.
Ferraro, E. C. (2014). The Art of Selling in the Spa: How Healthy Retailing Feeds Your Business. Retrieved from The International Dermal Institute: http://www.dermalinstitute.com/us/library/157_article_The_Art_of_Selling_in_the_Spa_How_Healthy_Retailing_Feeds_Your_Business.html
Rouleau, R. (2010, June). Why I Love Being an Esthetician. Retrieved from http://blog.reneerouleau.com/why-i-love-being-an-esthetician-by-skin-care-expert-renee-rouleau/
Rouleau, R. (2014, March 28). My Tips for Having a Successful Career As An Esthetician. Retrieved from http://blog.reneerouleau.com/tips-successful-career-esthetician/