AK Esthetician common mistakes
AK Esthetician · Understand the traps and how to avoid them.
Using the terms 'sanitation,' 'disinfection,' and 'sterilization' interchangeably when answering questions about implement care, or stating that a tool is 'sanitized' when the scenario requires disinfection.
Everyday language treats these as synonyms, and candidates memorize a list of steps without anchoring each term to its precise definition and required use.
What to do instead
Build a three-column card set (sanitation / disinfection / sterilization) listing the definition, an example tool, and the required product or method for each, and practice labeling every scenario by the highest level of control it demands before choosing an answer.
Choosing a disinfection product or contact time that does not match the label or the tool type, such as selecting a low-level product for a tool that contacted blood or skipping the labeled immersion time.
Candidates study 'disinfectant' as a single concept and do not connect product level and manufacturer contact time to the specific implement and exposure.
What to do instead
Study disinfection by tool category (porous vs. nonporous, blood-exposure vs. intact-skin contact) and memorize that the manufacturer's label directions and contact time govern; drill scenarios where the correct answer hinges on the label rather than the product name.
Confusing the layers and functions of the skin, such as placing melanocytes or the dermal papillae in the wrong layer, or mixing up which layer contains blood vessels and nerves.
The layers are learned as a labeled diagram rather than as a functional system, so details blur under exam pressure.
What to do instead
Redraw the skin cross-section from memory daily, labeling each layer with its cells, structures, and one function, and rehearse 'what lives where' until the placement is automatic.
Mixing up skin types with skin conditions, for example labeling dehydration, sensitivity, or acne as a skin type rather than as a condition, or calling oily skin 'combination' without evidence.
Clients and marketing language blur type and condition, and candidates carry that casual usage into analysis questions.
What to do instead
Practice writing a skin analysis in two separate lines every time: type (based on oil production) and conditions (based on what is observed), then answer analysis questions by identifying the type first and conditions second.
Skipping or rushing the client consultation and contraindication screening before a facial, or proceeding with a treatment when a contraindication is present.
Candidates treat the consultation as paperwork and focus their study on technique steps, so screening questions feel like an afterthought.
What to do instead
Memorize a contraindication list organized by category (skin integrity, medical, medications, lifestyle) and rehearse a scripted consultation that ends with a documented go/no-go decision before any product touches the skin.
Describing waxing direction, temperature testing, or post-wax care incorrectly, such as applying wax against hair growth or failing to test wax temperature before application.
Steps are memorized as a sequence of motions without the reason behind each one, so direction and safety checks get reversed or dropped.
What to do instead
Learn each waxing step paired with its rationale (hair growth direction, follicle anatomy, skin barrier) and practice explaining the 'why' aloud for every step until the reasoning, not just the order, is fixed.
Treating lash and brow services as low-risk and omitting patch testing, client history for adhesives or tints, or sanitation of tools between clients.
These services are perceived as cosmetic and quick, so candidates under-study the allergy, infection, and sanitation content specific to them.
What to do instead
Create a dedicated lash/brow safety checklist covering patch test timing, adhesive and tint contraindications, eye-area sanitation, and tool disinfection, and answer every lash/brow question by first checking that checklist.
Confusing pH, acidity, and alkalinity values, or misidentifying which products are acids, bases, or neutral, and how that affects the skin barrier.
Chemistry is studied as abstract numbers rather than as a scale tied to product behavior and skin health.
What to do instead
Anchor the pH scale to concrete products (skin surface, cleansers, acids, bar soap) and practice placing each product category on the scale, then predict its effect on the acid mantle before answering.
Answering business-ethics or client-relations questions by choosing the option that maximizes revenue or convenience rather than the option that protects client confidentiality, informed consent, and scope of practice.
Candidates prepare for technical content and treat business questions as common sense, so they answer from a customer-service instinct instead of professional standards.
What to do instead
Study the professional code of conduct and scope-of-practice boundaries explicitly, and for each scenario question ask 'which option protects the client and stays within my license' before considering any other factor.
Relying on general esthetics knowledge or another state's rules for Alaska-specific questions, such as licensing, sanitation standards, or scope of practice, instead of Alaska requirements.
Most study materials are national or from other states, and candidates assume rules are uniform across jurisdictions.
What to do instead
Obtain the current Alaska statutes and board regulations for esthetics and build a one-page summary of Alaska-specific licensing, sanitation, and scope rules; flag any practice question that turns on state law and verify it against that summary.