8.1 Other Services: Aromatherapy, Pre- and Post-Medical Care, Body Treatments & Wellness

8.1 Other Services: Aromatherapy, Pre- and Post-Medical Care, Body Treatments & Wellness

The NIC Skin Care and Services domain ends with "other services." These are treatments outside the basic facial that estheticians are expected to understand: facial services such as aromatherapy, pre- and post-surgical or medical treatments, and ultrasonic; body treatments, including wraps, scrubs, and sunless tanning; lash and brow services; hair removal; and wellness programs. Lash, brow, and hair-removal services are covered in Chapter 7, and ultrasonic equipment in section 6.4. This section covers the rest. The exam focus is on safety, contraindications, and scope, not on memorizing a spa menu.

---

Aromatherapy

Aromatherapy uses essential oils, which are concentrated, volatile aromatic extracts from flowers, leaves, peels, roots, and resins. They are used through inhalation, in steam or a diffuser, and through diluted topical application during massage.

Safety Rules

• Dilute before skin contact. Essential oils are mixed into a carrier oil such as jojoba, sweet almond, or grapeseed. A common facial dilution is about 1%, and body blends are often around 2%. Undiluted ("neat") oils can burn or sensitize the skin.
• Watch for phototoxicity. Expressed citrus oils, especially bergamot (because of its bergapten content), lime, and some lemon oils, can cause burns or dark streaks when the skin is exposed to UV light afterward. Do not use them before sun exposure or on areas that will be in the sun.
• Screen the client. Ask about asthma, allergies (including nut allergies for nut-based carriers), pregnancy, epilepsy, and fragrance sensitivity. Patch test new blends.
• Store oils correctly. Keep them in dark glass, tightly capped, away from heat. Oxidized oils are more likely to sensitize skin.
• Common oils and their traditional associations: lavender (calming), chamomile (soothing), tea tree (clarifying), peppermint and eucalyptus (cooling and stimulating), rose and geranium (balancing).

Keep claims cosmetic and sensory, such as "relaxing" or "refreshing." Saying an oil treats disease turns a cosmetic into a drug claim. Under 16.34.5.12 NMAC, an esthetician may apply oils and cosmetic preparations, but may not diagnose or treat disease.

---

Pre- and Post-Surgical or Medical Treatments

Estheticians increasingly work alongside plastic surgeons, dermatologists, and medical spas. The rules for this work are strict:

1. Get a physician release. Obtain written clearance from the treating physician before any service near a surgical site, and follow the physician's timeline and product limits.
2. Before surgery: gentle cleansing, hydration, sun protection, and education. Avoid anything that inflames or thins the skin unless the physician directs it.
3. After surgery or a procedure: never work over incisions, sutures, drains, or unhealed skin. Approved support may include gentle cleansing, hydration, sun protection, camouflage makeup once the skin is healed, and gentle lymphatic techniques if the surgeon approves.
4. Know the warning signs. Increasing heat, redness, swelling, drainage, fever, or severe pain can signal infection. Stop and send the client back to the physician.
5. Know New Mexico's limits. Working in a medical setting does not expand your license. You remain limited to the 16.34.5.12 list, and you may not call yourself a "medical esthetician." A medical office not overseen by a licensed physician needs its own establishment license for licensed services, according to the Board's inspection notice.

---

Body Treatments

Body Scrubs

A body scrub is manual exfoliation of the body. It is usually followed by a shower or warm towels and then a moisturizer.

• Salt glow: sea or mineral salt mixed with oil. Salt stings broken skin, so do not use it on freshly shaved or waxed skin, cuts, or sunburn.
• Sugar scrubs are gentler and dissolve more easily.
• Keep pressure light over thin skin and varicose veins.

Body Wraps

Wraps apply a product such as mud, clay, seaweed, cream, or herbal-soaked linens, then cover the client with sheets, foil, or blankets to hold in warmth.

• Screen before you wrap: heart conditions, high or low blood pressure, pregnancy, diabetes, recent surgery, claustrophobia, and iodine or shellfish allergies when using seaweed products.
• Never leave a wrapped client alone. Watch for dizziness, overheating, or anxiety, offer water, and have the client sit up slowly afterward.
• Describe results accurately. Inch loss from a wrap is temporary fluid shift. Claims of "detoxing" or permanent fat loss are not supportable cosmetic claims.

Sunless Tanning

• How it works: the active ingredient, dihydroxyacetone (DHA), reacts with amino acids in the dead cells of the stratum corneum to form brown pigments called melanoidins. The color fades in about 5 to 7 days as those cells shed.
• Preparation: exfoliate first, and keep the skin free of lotion, oil, and deodorant. Apply barrier cream to palms, nails, knuckles, and heels.
• Spray or airbrush application: FDA has approved DHA only for external use. It has not approved DHA for the eyes, lips, or mucous membranes, so give the client eye protection, nose plugs, and lip balm, and work in a well-ventilated booth.
• A sunless tan provides no sun protection unless the product also contains a sunscreen with labeled SPF. Clients still need daily broad-spectrum sunscreen.

---

Wellness Programs

Spas often package skin care with broader wellness education. Your role is supportive and nonmedical:

• teach sun safety and daily broad-spectrum sunscreen use;
• talk about general hydration, sleep, stress management, and not smoking, all of which affect skin appearance;
• offer relaxation-focused services such as massage, aromatherapy, and hydrotherapy;
• refer to physicians, dietitians, or mental-health professionals when a client's concerns go beyond cosmetic care.

Do not prescribe diets, supplements, or medical treatments. The same scope limit applies to wellness services as to facials.

---

Quick Reference: Other Services and Their Key Precautions