Dermatologist / Aesthetician

It is obvious that we live in a vain world. As such, anything that promises glowing and blemish free skin will definitely be welcome.

There are a lot of people with claims of being dermatologists/skin specialists now. People out there that tell you they have what it takes to treat all the skin conditions that you have.
The problem in Nigeria is that of poor regulation. In other countries, there are certified aestheticians that are well trained in aesthetic procedures. In Nigeria, there are also well trained aestheticians who know what they’re doing. How then do you separate the wheat from the chaff?

First thing to note is that there is a difference between a dermatologist and an aesthetician. A dermatologist is a medical doctor that had gone through post graduate training in dermatology and has been awarded a fellowship. In Nigeria, this fellowship is either from the National Postgraduate medical College or the West African College of Physicians.

An aesthetician on the other hand is trained in providing aesthetic/cosmetic care for the skin. They do not manage general dermatology cases.
As long as each the aesthetician stays within the scope of what he/she is trained to do, there should be no problems. Then be sure you’re speaking to someone that has actually been trained in providing aesthetic care by an institute that has the authority to give such certification. The fastest way to get into trouble is through aesthetics. This is because the patients are actually not ‘sick’ in the true sense. Be sure that you do not give your patients grandiose ideas of what the procedure will do. It is better to underestimate than to overestimate.

Be sure the patient is aware of all complications that may occur. So that everyone is on the same page. As a patient seeking aesthetic procedures; read all you can about the procedure and complications that may occur. Information is at your fingertips…ignorance is not an excuse anymore.
A good soldier knows when to hold on, when to run… and when to fight. As an aesthetician, don’t go and be managing Psoriasis or other general dermatology cases. I’m a dermatologist and there are still some procedures that I don’t do yet…Like LASER. Because I’m not well trained in its use.

As a patient…you owe it to yourself not to be ignorant. Ask questions. How do you know the person that doesn’t know what he/she is doing? They get very defensive when you ask questions. Be careful out there so you don’t get into the wrong hands.
Any questions?