-Nandan Gijare
Founder Director of I2CAN (Indian Institute of Cosmetology, Aesthetics & Nutrition)
Aesthetic medicine procedures started making inroads in India in the late 90s. These procedures involved a very limited set of treatments like chemical peels, some small machine-based procedures and a very limited set of Laser based treatments. Lasers were very costly then, and the results were not very promising. Over the first decade of the 21st century, these machine-based treatments started giving better results and became cheaper. Laser-based treatments became an option for surgical procedures. Risks were much lower and so were the costs. A lot of people started getting attracted to these procedures and their popularity soared.
With income levels rising in India, and the introduction of these new procedures, aesthetic medicine finally took off in India. The volume of these procedures far surpassed the volume of surgical procedures. Social changes taking place in India in the past 25 years have also made these procedures more popular. No one wants to look old anymore. Even a professional environment necessitates looking sharp and smart all the time. Hence more and more people are getting attracted to these procedures.
This creates a huge opportunity for both doctors and non-doctors. Cosmetology and Trichology are new segments, which are getting created as a result of people’s interest in these procedures. With this, the need for the availability of proper training also becomes very important. Currently, universities in India do not offer training courses in this segment, as this segment comes under vocational training.
These courses are available for doctors as well as non-doctors. Course content changes based on who the course is being offered to. The primary difference in the content is decided by following training guidelines:
- Doctors are allowed to treat a patient internally as well as externally. Hence courses for doctors contain both elements. Non-doctors primarily focus on machine-based procedures only.
- Injection-based procedures cannot be performed by non-doctors alone. Hence those procedures are included in doctors’ courses only.
- Ablative lasers can only be used by doctors, as they result in damage to the outermost layer of the skin and the risk of adverse effects is high.
A lot of institutes in India conduct training courses around Cosmetology and Trichology. Before selecting any institute, you should consider these parameters:
- Does the institute have a good reputation on social media? Social media gives you the most unbiased opinion about an institute. So before deciding, check the google rating. It will give you a very good idea about the overall satisfaction level of the students.
- How is the institute going to help you after your course gets completed? Are they supporting you with your centre setup post-course completion? Are they helping you with an internship? Jobs?
- Who is teaching? Is the faculty experienced enough? Will they be able to impart enough practical knowledge for you to get started?
- How much hands-on will you get as a part of the course? Hands-on is the most important aspect of these courses, and you should get to do all procedures on your own rather than just observing demonstrations.
- Is the institute allowing you to repeat the course in case you want that?
- Since Cosmetology comes under vocational training, it should be governed by NSDC (National skill development corporation). Does your institute have an affiliation with NSDC?
At Indian Institute of Cosmetology, Aesthetics & Nutrition, we conduct various training courses, which cover the entire set of treatments available under the Cosmetology and Trichology domains. Our focus is to provide world-class education to students. We balance theory and hands-on training to make sure that the student is completely ready by the time course ends. Experienced faculties make sure that practical aspects of Cosmetology and Trichology are covered extensively along with procedure protocols. We support the students after their course gets over to make sure that they get adequate help while establishing their practice. Students can get clinical support while they start their practice and are also allowed to re-attend the course any number of times after paying the fees once.
All in all, this is a very exciting new field to venture into. It is equally interesting for doctors as well as non-doctors and with proper training, you can establish yourself very well in this domain.
Also Read: Cosmetology: An exciting career option