Aesthetics is derived from the Greek word aesthetikos (αἰσθητικός), which translates into “perceptible to the senses.” An esthetician is someone who offers skin care services.
Historically, skin care and grooming were practiced less for attractiveness and more for self-preservation. Aesthetics can be traced back as early as Greek and Egyptian times, when they used cosmetics to enhance ones beauty
Aesthetics is a branch of philosophy dealing with the nature of beauty, taste and art, while creating an appreciation of beauty. It can also be identified in scientific terms, as being a study of sensory or sensory emotional values, or more commonly referred to as sentiment, taste, and judgment.
Scholars in the cosmetic field define the industry as a critical reflection of culture, art, and nature.
The Egyptian culture, when pertaining to beauty, was also defined by their attention to cleanliness through proper skin care techniques. Cleopatra is widely known for her skin care regimens and other anti-aging methods, including bathing in sour milk which is high in lactic acid. Even by today’s standards this is a favorable skin exfoliation procedure.
Ancient Greek athletes would bathe in olive oil to make their skin more resistant to the sun’s rays, preventing sunburn. Ancient Romans introduced shaving methods that are still the most common of practices today when it comes to plucking hair and using depilatory creams. Both men and women favored skin free of hair. Since Rome was in a water-rich environment, they were able to take lots of baths and use soaps not common to other regions, thus allowing them to lather and cleanse their skin on a more regular basis.
Europeans were known for covering their body odors by using perfume, and women in the Middle Ages would bathe in wine so that they could retain their smooth and silky skin. These habits were not necessarily for body cleansing, and sadly, poor sanitation created medical issues within this era. People from this culture suffered from a number of hygiene related diseases and illnesses.
The “art” of aesthetics, when it comes to the beautification of one’s skin, can include performing cosmetic skin care treatments such as:
- Makeup application
- Massage therapy
- Body wraps
- Aromatherapy
- Microdermabrasion
- Laser hair removal
- Laser skin rejuvenation
- Neuromodulator injections
- Dermal filler augmentation
The latter procedures require advanced degrees in nursing or medicine, but when the practice is limited to the outer layer of skin (epidermis), the field of aesthetics opens up to a wider range of professions. Whether one spells it aesthetics or esthetics the vocations is ever expanding, and those gifted with this artistic talent are more in demand than ever.
Today, we at Refine Medical Aesthetics give a shoutout to our colleagues, associates, and partners who strive to bring out the beauty in all of us everyday!