Oncology Esthetician: Job Details, Training, and Resources

People undergoing cancer treatments deal with a lot – including skin damage that they wouldn't otherwise endure. Luckily, oncology estheticians, sometimes called cancer estheticians, are here to take on the challenge of helping patients' skin look and feel a bit better.

And many are ready for the challenge! Did you know that helping others is one of the primary reasons people go to esthetician school? In fact, many people transition from nursing to esthetics to continue their love for being of service without the stresses of nursing.

Here, we'll talk about what oncology estheticians do, how they differ from other types of estheticians, and how you can begin your oncology esthetician career.

What Oncology Estheticians Do

Oncology estheticians work with medical teams to help cancer patients through treatments and recovery. While a cancer patient's other team members focus on getting their specific condition under control – if not cured – oncology estheticians try to keep their skin healthy.

Like standard estheticians, oncology estheticians create a relaxing environment and listen to their clients' medical concerns and everyday trials and triumphs. In other words, cancer estheticians try to make something feel normal during a turbulent time.

Importantly, cancer estheticians are trained in understanding cancer, how its treatments can affect the skin, and what services are safe for the average patient. In addition, they should know how to tailor treatment to each patient, as every person's body reacts differently to chemotherapy, radiation, and other cancer treatments.

Treatments Offered by Oncology Estheticians

As cancer estheticians have undergone esthetics training, they can provide all the services an esthetician can. However, they need additional training in the needs of cancer patients' skin, which may have difficulty handling typical treatments or need services traditional estheticians can't provide.

Bearing in mind that services vary based on each patient's needs and doctor's instructions, a few services oncology estheticians often offer are:

• Massage modified for the patient's needs
• Hydrating treatments
• Makeup, including products unique to the client
• Cleansing

However, they typically avoid harsher treatments, as those can damage skin affected by cancer treatments or cause a great deal of pain. For instance, they are unlikely to provide services that involve a lot of exfoliation, heat, friction, or potentially irritating products.

While oncology estheticians work specifically with medically fragile clients, they are not medical professionals (unless they are nurse estheticians). Before touching a patient's skin, they should speak to their client's medical team.

Why Cancer Estheticians Are Necessary

Cancer treatments can wreak havoc on all parts of the body, and the skin is no exception. And while chemo and radiation are what we typically picture when thinking about cancer treatments, those aren't the only possibilities. Common cancer treatments include:

• Surgery: Attempts to permanently remove cancer from the body; can leave scars
• Adjuvant therapy: Chemotherapy, radiation, and hormone therapy; can cause dryness, itchiness, peeling, and more
• Neoadjuvant therapy: Same as above but with the goal of shrinking tumors before surgery
• Palliative care: Aims to improve quality of life and relieve pain; oncology estheticians are often part of this team

And those four are only the most common options! Cancer patients may undergo many other therapies, all of which come with risks.

As cancer patients' treatments can leave scars, cause painful and visibly damaged skin, and result in other issues that lower one's quality of life, an oncology esthetician may be essential to preventing permanent issues or alleviating pain and discomfort during and after treatments.

Differences Between Oncology Estheticians and Medical Estheticians

Oncology estheticians focus on helping people battling or recovering from cancer's skin healthy, while medical estheticians provide in-depth esthetic treatments to those with various medical conditions. While some medical estheticians provide cancer-related care, they don't tend to have the same level of training and may not be considered part of a medical team specifically for cancer patients.

Further, medical estheticians don't have to have any special training, while oncology estheticians typically do. Even if it's not legally required, having specialized oncology training before beginning work is a significant factor in employability for oncology estheticians. Medical estheticians may have an easier time finding on-the-job training.

Medical and oncology estheticians must complete an esthetics program and earn licensure.

Oncology Esthetician Training

Like medical estheticians, oncology estheticians don't need licensure beyond their esthetics license. However, getting trained and certified or licensed in the field is advisable. You can find training through niche organizations.

As an example, the Society for Oncology Esthetics offers foundational courses in:

• Understanding cancer
• Understanding cancer treatments
• Relevant esthetic services and side effects
• Massage services and skin products
• Administrative practices

Chances are that any cancer esthetician training you undergo will include similar classes and hands-on training.

Resources for Cancer Estheticians

• S4OM & S4OE: The Society for Oncology Massage and Society for Oncology Esthetics have joined forces to assist patients, caregivers, medical professionals, massage therapists, and estheticians with the resources they need to navigate these areas of cancer therapies.
• Oncology Spa Solutions: This organization provides training, mentorship, and other resources to beauty professionals working in oncology.
• Oncology Esthetics – A Practitioner's Guide: Mórag Currin, an esthetics educator who has created oncology training used worldwide, wrote this resource for any esthetician interested in cancer esthetics.
• Look Good Feel Better: Cancer patients can take courses on caring for their skin through this organization. Healthcare providers can become members of its association.