VET - Vague Esthetician Terminology
There is an acronym I’ll refer to now and again – VET – which stands for Vague Esthetician Terminology. VETs are words that often used to frame results from a treatment or product: ‘soothing, smoothing, hydrating, glowing, firming, lessening, freshening’ and a whole host of others, all of which have in common a pleasant descriptiveness married to a lack of specificity. VET is not a phenomenon of esthetician’s choosing, it is forced upon them by the law of man and the law of survival, but it is endemic and should be explained.
First, estheticians are not allowed to effect skin deeper than the epidermis. This poses a problem since treatments can be carried out on the epidermis, and lotions applied to the epidermis which will indeed affect the dermis. And as time and science march on, efficacy and the reach of treatments and products increases. So, for instance, estheticians shy from saying ‘this will increase collagen production’, and instead say ‘this will have a nice firming effect’. VET is often used to circumvent legal restrictions.
Second: the capricious nature of skin care. Two people can use the same cream, one will notice results within weeks, the other won’t notice a thing. By using VET, estheticians give safely unquantifiable predictions, ensuring they are not misleading, and cannot be accused of misleading the client. Example: the VET version of “it will get rid of brown spots” would be “your skin will look brighter and clearer”.
Third: the era we live in. Clients arrive with expectations that have been grossly inflated by a steady diet of miracle makeovers and outrageous advertising claims. Estheticians must introduce reality without torpedoing their livelihood. VET allows estheticians to bring their clients to earth with a soft landing. Example: the VET version of “Nothing short of a deep laser peel will get rid of those lip lines”, would be “lines will appear softer and the skin more radiant”, followed by a short lecture on the benefits of increased cell turnover.
