AL Esthetician key terms

A process that destroys most harmful microorganisms, but not bacterial spores, on hard, nonporous surfaces and implements using an EPA-registered product mixed and used exactly as the label directs.

The complete destruction of all microbial life, including bacterial spores, usually achieved with an autoclave; it is required for items that penetrate skin or contact blood.

A basic cleaning step that physically removes dirt, oils, and a large number of germs from surfaces and tools using soap or detergent and water before any disinfecting step.

Disease-causing microorganisms such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and HIV that are carried in blood and can be transmitted through needlesticks, cuts, or contact with mucous membranes.

A standardized document, formerly called MSDS, supplied by a product manufacturer that lists a chemical's hazards, safe handling, first-aid steps, and required protective equipment.

An approach in which every client's blood and body fluids are treated as potentially infectious, so gloves and other barriers are used consistently regardless of known health status.

A product carrying an Environmental Protection Agency registration number on its label, meaning it has been reviewed and proven effective against the microorganisms listed on that label.

The outermost, avascular layer of the skin, made of stratified epithelial cells that continually renew from the base and provide the body's first barrier against water loss and infection.

The middle layer of skin, containing collagen and elastin fibers, blood vessels, nerves, glands, and hair follicles, which gives skin its strength, elasticity, and nourishment.

The outermost sublayer of the epidermis, composed of flattened, keratin-filled dead cells that form the skin's primary physical and water-retaining barrier.

An oil-producing gland usually attached to a hair follicle that secretes sebum onto the skin surface, helping lubricate skin and hair and contributing to the acid mantle.

The slightly acidic film on the skin surface, roughly pH 4.5 to 5.5, formed by sebum and sweat, which helps suppress bacteria and maintain barrier function.

A plugged pore formed when sebum and dead cells collect in a follicle; open comedones appear dark at the surface, while closed ones stay covered and look like small white bumps.

An inflammatory skin condition of the oil glands and follicles that produces comedones, papules, pustules, and sometimes cysts, most often on the face, chest, and back.

A chronic inflammatory condition causing flushing, redness, visible vessels, and sometimes bumps or pustules, typically on the central face; it is often triggered by heat, alcohol, and sun.

Redness, itching, or blistering caused by direct contact with an irritant or allergen; it is not contagious and is a signal to stop the product and refer the client.

Any condition, medication, or circumstance that makes a treatment unsafe or inadvisable for a client, requiring the service to be modified, postponed, or refused and referred out.

A six-point classification of how skin responds to ultraviolet light, ranging from always burns to never burns, used to gauge sun sensitivity and risk of post-treatment pigmentation.

A handheld device that emits filtered ultraviolet light used during skin analysis to reveal surface dehydration, oiliness, pigmentation patterns, and some bacterial or fungal fluorescence.

The systematic examination of a client's skin during consultation, noting type, oiliness, pore size, texture, pigmentation, and lesions, so that a safe and appropriate treatment plan can be chosen.

A client's voluntary agreement to a service after being told, in understandable terms, what will be done, the expected results, the risks, and the alternatives.

The controlled removal of comedones and built-up sebum from follicles using gloved fingers or a metal extractor, performed only on non-inflamed lesions after softening the skin.

A gentle, gliding massage stroke that follows the contours of the face and neck, used to begin and end a massage and to spread product evenly.

A direct electrical current used in skin care; the positive pole is used for desincrustation and the negative pole for product penetration, always applied with constant contact and no broken skin.

An alternating, oscillating electrical current delivered through a glass electrode that produces a mild germicidal and warming effect and is used briefly over oily or blemish-prone areas.

The active growth stage of the hair cycle, when the hair is attached to the follicle's blood supply; it is the phase in which waxing most effectively removes hair.

A stripless wax that shrinks around the hair as it cools and is removed without cloth, making it useful for coarse or sensitive areas such as the bikini and underarms.

Reinserting a wax applicator into the wax pot after it has touched a client's skin, which can transfer microorganisms; it is prohibited practice in most settings.

A small application of a product, such as wax, tint, or lash adhesive, on a discreet area 24 to 48 hours before the service to check for an allergic reaction.

The fast-curing adhesive chemical used in eyelash extensions and some nail products; it bonds quickly and is a common cause of allergic reaction, so patch testing and ventilation matter.

A single synthetic lash bonded to one natural lash with adhesive, applied one at a time with the client's eyes closed; the natural lash must never be glued to another lash.

A molecule with a water-loving head and an oil-loving tail that lets water mix with oil and dirt so they can be rinsed away; it is the cleaning agent in cleansers and shampoos.

An ingredient such as glycerin or hyaluronic acid that draws water from the air or deeper skin layers into the outer layers, helping skin stay hydrated.

An ingredient that fills the spaces between surface skin cells with lipids, smoothing roughness and softening the skin while slowing moisture loss.

Describes a product or ingredient with a tendency to clog pores and contribute to comedone formation; clients prone to breakouts should favor low-comedogenic formulas.

The set of services and procedures a licensed esthetician is legally permitted to perform under state law; working outside those limits can bring discipline or license loss.

The professional duty to keep a client's personal, health, and treatment information private and to share it only with the client's permission or as the law requires.

Failure to provide the level of care a reasonably careful professional would provide, resulting in harm; it involves a duty, a breach, causation, and actual damage.