KEY TAKEAWAYS: Professional estheticians face risks that could expose them to claims. Knowing what the most common claims against an esthetician are, as well as how to protect yourself with an esthetician insurance policy, is key to protecting your future and practicing your craft with confidence.
As a beauty pro, you spend your life trying to help people achieve their aesthetic and health goals. From glowing skin to an effective at-home skincare regimen, estheticians know how to give their clients the confidence and knowledge they need to thrive. Unfortunately, you could still find yourself on the receiving end of professional liability claims.
Familiarizing yourself with the most common claims against estheticians is important. Even baseless claims can wreak havoc on your beauty business and your career if you do not have a proper esthetician insurance policy, resulting in financial losses, a damaged reputation, and more.
If you’re ready to equip yourself for a secure future as a beauty pro, you’ve come to the right place. Read on to learn more about claims against estheticians and how you can protect yourself and your business.
What are the Most Common Claims Against Estheticians?
Any time you interact with clients, even if it is as simple as recommending a skincare product, you open yourself up to risk. You can help mitigate these risks by understanding the most common claims estheticians face and working to avoid such situations. To help you on that journey, we’ve compiled a list of the most common claims esthetician liability insurance policies tend to cover.
- Skin reactions. As an esthetician, you use many skincare products and provide several skincare treatments to help your clients reach healthier, happier outcomes. Unfortunately, some clients may suffer from reactions, especially during treatments like chemical peels.
- Allergic reactions. While similar to skin reactions, allergic reactions to products and treatments aren’t limited to the surface.
- Poor results and lack of satisfaction. Your clients have certain expectations when they come to you for your expertise. Whether it’s a botched procedure or simply an unsatisfied individual, a customer who feels slighted might pursue a claim.
- Hygiene issues, infections, and poor sanitation. Part of your responsibility as a beauty pro is to properly sanitize and sterilize your equipment, tools, and workspace. Failure to do so could lead to infections, some of which might be serious.
- Bodily injury. Sometimes, accidents and mistakes happen. These claims typically result from improper handling or treatment.
Each of these common claims could result in financial loss, your reputation suffering, your business being at risk, and more.
In other words, the consequences can be severe, which is why general and professional liability insurance policies are a must.
How Does Liability Insurance Help Protect Estheticians From Claims?
The idea that you could one day be living your best life as an esthetician and the next day be facing a lawsuit is a bit scary, but it doesn’t have to be. By investing in esthetician insurance, you can protect your career and your livelihood from potential disaster.
"The consequences of common insurance claims can be severe, which is why esthetician liability insurance policies are a must."
While any professional liability insurance is better than none, there are a few key things to look for when investing in comprehensive coverage. By choosing wisely and protecting every aspect of your beauty biz, you can set yourself up for long-term success. The first step to making the right choice for esthetician insurance? Understanding the different coverages you need!
General liability insurance and professional liability insurance are the two most important things to check for when investing in a policy. General liability insurance is often called “slip-and-fall” coverage because it protects you from accidents that occur at your shop. For example, if a client suffers an injury after slipping on a wet spot. Professional liability insurance, on the other hand, protects you when you make a mistake while performing a service. For this reason, it’s sometimes called malpractice insurance.
In addition to these two basic coverages, you should look at coverage for legal fees, medical expenses, and bodily injury claims, as well as the coverage limits of a policy. You should also know the difference between occurrence form coverage and claims-made coverage. Occurrence form coverage applies to any event that happens during your policy period, even if the claim is filed after. This means that it is a more comprehensive type of coverage than claims-made coverage.
What are the Risks of Not Having Insurance for Your Esthetician Practice?
Now that you know the most common claims against estheticians and the basics of what to look for in an esthetician insurance policy, it’s essential to understand the potential consequences of practicing without proper insurance coverage.
- Significant financial losses. Facing legal fees, medical expenses, and more without insurance means you could be forced to pay for them out of pocket. This can be devastating to any beauty business.
- Legal risks. Many locations require you to carry some form of insurance in order to legally operate your business. Failure to do so could result in you losing your license, paying fines, and more. You could also be on the hook for legal fees and court costs, both of which can add up quickly.
- Damage to your reputation. As a beauty pro, much of your success hinges on your hard-earned reputation. Facing legal issues without esthetician coverage could damage your reputation and jeopardize your future.
- Fear of failure. Performing services without the right professional liability insurance could cause hesitancy, lack of confidence, and an unwillingness to take the risks necessary to truly succeed as a beauty professional in the esthetician industry.
Skincare professionals need a comprehensive beauty insurance policy so they can face the common claims against estheticians without risking their business and livelihood.
To learn more about how to mitigate risk and choose the right professional liability insurance, be sure to check out Elite Beauty Society.
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Meet Hanna Marcus, the Founder and Head Copy Gal behind Boundless Copy, a one-of-a-kind copywriting agency that specializes in big, bold brand voice and industry-disrupting copy that’s all about resonating with the right audience.
Hanna has proudly teamed up with Elite Beauty Society for several years as their go-to copywriter on all things beauty, small biz marketing, and brand voice development. She’s big on feeling-first writing–her personal soapbox is that the best copy starts with telling a story.
When she’s not writing cheeky, converting copy for clients, she’s mentoring other aspiring copywriters and creating digital copywriting resources designed for service pros and focused on taking the stress out of DIY copywriting.
