Oncology Esthetics
What is Oncology Esthetics®?
Oncology Esthetics® involves up-to-date training through Oncology Training International that is specifically and specially designed to train estheticians in the modification of skincare treatments in spas to ensure the safety of people who are in the struggle of fighting cancer.
Oncology estheticians complement other specialists in the field of cancer treatment especially your medical oncologists and their team. It is a type of treatment that belongs to the integrative approach to your skincare, which means that the treatments do not just focus on a single medical problem but treats a cancer patient in the holistic approach or as a whole person. All treatments are patient personalized meaning that therapies are designed on the personal needs of each and every cancer patient because each person is unique and they have distinctive needs and preferences.
Having skincare treatments from a trained oncology esthetician is the safest option because they have an extremely heightened sensitivity to each and every one of their patients’ conditions. We work very closely with you and your Oncology team to ensure the highest quality and safety of your treatments during treatment. Each esthetic treatment is modified and all these modifications are geared towards the reduction of exposure to particular treatments which may have side effects or adverse reactions on the patients’ skin.
Adjustments to prevent exposure to excessive heat, pressure, and friction
Avoidance of the use of chemical exfoliants, peeling creams, and skin-damaging scrubs
Avoiding the use of irritating as well as stimulating skin care products
Being an Oncology esthetician is definitely a tough job, first and foremost because the clients are special with distinctive needs because they are being treated due to cancer. There are a lot of duties and responsibilities when dealing with cancer patients, and they are as follows:
As your oncology esthetician I will be very keen in assessing my clients and will ask pertinent and relevant questions before the treatment is conducted.
Some of the most important questions to ask are:
If there are lymph nodes that have been removed and its locations What are NADIR levels at if undergoing current treatment
If there are unusual skin pigmentations due to cancer treatments like chemotherapy
If the patient has taken or is currently taken steroids
If the patient has ports in the body used for chemotherapy
If the patient had or has phlebitis and its location
If the patient is under radiotherapy and the area being treated
If the patient is currently under chemotherapy or if the patient is in remission
An esthetician working with oncology patients should always keep in mind the rule of thumb that with cancer “Less is More”, so they should always use less heat, less friction, less pressure, and fewer skincare products.
The main role and responsibility of a certified oncology esthetician are to provide utmost comfort and relief for cancer patients by relieving their symptoms, reducing skin problems and improving their complete sense of well-being. The main objective is to help cancer patients cope not only with the physical aspect but as well as the emotional and psychological side. Though this one becomes an efficient and effective oncology esthetician.
A professional oncology esthetician should always bear in mind the safety of each and every patient while they are being treated. They should possess exceptional skills to be able to perform the treatments with utmost security and protection always keeping in mind the welfare of the patients.
They should be sensitive especially to the psychological aspect of each patient since the changes in their appearance may have a great impact on their capability to deal emotionally with their disease.
They should also be armed with actual and effective massage techniques to relieve pain, anxiety, insomnia, fatigue and other symptoms.
An exceptional oncology esthetician has brilliant communications skills so as to be able to talk to patients sensibly and with empathy so that they may verbalize their aches and pains may it be physically or emotionally.