Cosmetologist - who is he and when to go to him?

A cosmetologist is a specialist who gives beauty and youth to humanity. This is achieved through a combination of diagnostic, therapeutic and restorative procedures aimed at maintaining and restoring the structure and function of the integumentary tissues of the human body - skin, hypodermis, nails, hair, mucous membranes and superficial muscles.

Who is a cosmetologist?

A cosmetologist is a professional in aesthetic problems related to a person’s appearance, identifies the causes of their occurrence and carries out their correction using a variety of methods.

A distinction is made (conditionally):

• A cosmetologist-esthetician is a specialist without higher medical education, works in a hairdressing salon or beauty salon. Performs simple manipulations that do not violate the integrity of the skin - massage, facial cleansing, wrapping, depilation, applies masks, makeup, etc.
• A cosmetologist (dermatocosmetologist) is a certified specialist with a higher medical education. Determines the skin type, selects cosmetics taking into account the skin type, carries out therapy for problem skin using medications and/or minor (small) surgical interventions (removal of papillomas, moles, spider veins and other defects).
• Plastic surgeons are specialists with higher medical education who perform more complex surgical interventions – facelifts, changing the shape of the nose, lip contour, liposuction, etc.

A cosmetologist must regularly confirm or improve their qualifications and master new work methods and manipulations.

When should you see a cosmetologist?

When to see a cosmetologist, everyone decides for themselves. But it is important to know that any emerging disease of the skin, hair and nails should be treated in a timely manner to avoid chronicity of the process and further complications. What signs of damage to the skin, hair and nails should alert you:

• skin rash of pale or bright color;
• swelling of the skin;
• the presence of itching, especially over a long period of time;
• hyperemia and peeling of individual areas of the skin;
• regular inflammatory processes of varying intensity on the skin;
• frequent occurrence of boils and pustular formations;
• a large number of moles and/or warts that are growing;
• a lot of acne, pimples and more.

Therefore, even in questionable situations, it is necessary to consult a cosmetologist-dermatologist who:

• will examine the affected and healthy areas;
• will prescribe additional examination methods, if necessary;
• determine the scope of therapy – conservative treatment (prescribing medications and/or physiotherapy procedures) or surgical;
• If necessary, will refer you for consultation with the required specialist.

What tests should you take when visiting a cosmetologist?

As a rule, the specialist decides which tests to take when visiting a cosmetologist. The following tests are usually performed:

• general blood and urine analysis,
• biochemical blood test with determination of blood glucose and lipoproteins,
• stool test for intestinal dysbacteriosis,
• blood test to determine levels of sex hormones and thyroid hormones,
• if necessary – virological blood test.

Often, consultation with specialists such as a gastroenterologist, endocrinologist, gynecologist, and infectious disease specialist is necessary. If necessary, additional examination methods are performed - ultrasound examination of the pelvic organs, abdominal cavity, or thyroid gland.

What diagnostic methods does a cosmetologist use?

What diagnostic methods does a cosmetologist use? There are many different ones. Diagnostic methods can be invasive (penetrating the skin and mucous membranes) and non-invasive. Invasive methods are mainly used in oncology, while a cosmetologist-dermatologist mainly uses non-invasive methods, which are used to evaluate:

• humidity,
• pigmentation,
• fat content,
• Skin pH.

Widely used:

1. Photodiagnostics (using photography) of skin and hair.
2. Dermatoscopy, videodermatoscopy (diagnosis of moles) – hardware diagnostics of skin neoplasms.
3. Trichoscopy is an examination of the scalp, hair follicles and hair shafts.
4. Confocal laser microscopy of skin structures is a study of tissue at the cellular level, allowing you to see the epidermis and papillary layer of the dermis on the monitor with a resolution close to histological.
5. Ultrasound diagnostics of the skin.
6. Sebumetry – measures the activity of the sebaceous glands and the amount of superficial sebum – measuring the oiliness of the skin.
7. Optical coherence tomography is a non-invasive diagnostic tool for thin layers of skin, mucous membranes, eye tissue and teeth.
8. Diagnosis of pigmentation, desquamation (peeling) of the skin.
9. Bioimpedancemetry is a unique method that allows you to determine precise data on body composition - percentage of fat, excess fluid, metabolic rate, muscle mass.

What does a cosmetologist do?

A cosmetologist is engaged in the preservation and maintenance of health and youth, which ensures the beauty and attractiveness of women and men. A cosmetologist works with such matters as skin and subcutaneous fat, hair and nails. A cosmetologist not only corrects existing defects, but also treats and prevents various diseases of the skin, hair and nails.

Treatment measures that a cosmetologist uses in his work:

1. Conservative methods of therapy. Medicines in the form of solutions, ointments, gels, creams, lotions or therapeutic mud are used. Medicines can be applied to damaged (defective) areas of the skin or injected (solutions and gels). Therapeutic massage, baths or showers are often used.
2. Hardware methods of therapy. Medical equipment is used that provides a deeper impact on the skin.
3. Surgical treatment methods. Used to eliminate serious defects of the skin and subcutaneous fat:
   • scars and adhesions that occur after burns or surgeries,
   • benign formations on the surface of the skin, as well as in the inner layers (papillomas, nevi - moles, warts, keratomas, fibromas),
   • congenital and acquired defects (for example, deformation of the nose - curvature of the nasal septum, rhinoplasty is performed; change in the shape and/or size of the breast - mammoplasty is performed, etc.).

Preventive measures used by a cosmetologist:

1. Promotes maintaining a healthy lifestyle: balanced, rational nutrition, proper distribution of sleep and wakefulness patterns, strengthening the immune and nervous systems, and playing sports.
2. Selects the optimal means for daily care of skin, hair and nails, taking into account their individual properties. Uses, as general strengthening measures, lymphatic drainage, immunostimulating and other types of equipment that do not damage the skin.

In his office, the cosmetologist conducts a survey and examination, and, if necessary, sends for additional examination. In the manipulation room, the cosmetologist performs non-invasive manipulations:

• depilation,
• darsonvalization,
• Broadband Pulsed Light Therapy,
• laser influence,
• magnetic therapy,
• microcurrent treatment,
• phonophoresis, electrophoresis, UFO, electromyostimulation,
• hardware treatment of nails in case of non-infectious lesions,
• automated massage (mechanotherapy), vacuum massage,
• cosmetological facial cleansing,
• cryomassage and cryoirrigation,
• manual medical massage of the scalp, face, neck and décolleté area,
• hardware skin peeling and superficial peeling,
• rubbing medications into the scalp,
• makes medicinal masks.

In the treatment room, the cosmetologist performs invasive manipulations:

• injection of tissue fillers,
• Botulinum toxin injection,
• performing injection correction of scar tissue,
• mesotherapy,
• biorevitalization,
• medium peeling,
• injections of drugs.

What diseases does a cosmetologist treat?

A cosmetologist deals with the therapy and prevention of diseases of the skin, hair and nails, which has a positive effect on the whole body. Since the skin performs a barrier function and protects the internal environment of the body from external influences. What diseases does a cosmetologist treat?

1. Acne (sebaceous gland disease):
   1. blackheads,
   2. whiteheads (millet),
   3. common acne.
2. Demodicosis is a lesion of the skin of the face and outer ear caused by a mite, the acne gland.
3. Skin aging (wrinkles).
4. Nevi (birthmarks).
5. Hyperpigmentation of individual areas of the skin (excess pigment in the skin).
6. Skin diseases caused by viruses (papillomas, lichen, warts, herpes).
7. Fungal infections of the skin and nails (trichophytosis, epidermophytosis, microsporia, etc.).
8. Keratoses (skin diseases characterized by a powerful proliferation of the stratum corneum).
9. Corns, calluses or cracks on the lower limbs in the feet area.
10. Hirsutism, hypertrichosis (increased hairiness).
11. Various types of scars (keloid, fan-shaped, stellate, hypertrophic).
12. Diaper rash (inflammation of the skin at the points of contact between skin surfaces).
13. Dermatitis (skin inflammation, including allergic).
14. Hemangiomas (benign vascular tumors, most often localized on the face).

Advice from a cosmetologist

The advice of a cosmetologist is to pay close attention to your health:

• healthy balanced diet (more fruits, vegetables, water and protein);
• active lifestyle (sports – running, swimming, fitness, etc.);
• avoid negative influences;
• take proper care of your skin, nails and hair – know your skin and hair type (dry, normal, oily or combination), which will allow you to choose the right care products; regularly nourish and moisturize your skin, nails and hair using creams, lotions, tonics and masks; do not go to bed with makeup on;
• avoid prolonged exposure to sunlight or hypothermia;
• periodically visit a cosmetologist-dermatologist for a preventive examination;
• In case of skin, nail and hair diseases, seek help from a specialist immediately.