Cosmetology License Exam Skin Care, Facials, and Hair Removal Syllabus

Skin Care, Facials, and Hair Removal syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Skin Care, Facials, and Hair Removal in Cosmetology License Exam, not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Skin Analysis and Disorders

   5 topics

   • Skin types and the Fitzpatrick scale
   • Lesions: primary and secondary
   • Acne, sebaceous, and pigmentation disorders
   • Contraindications to skin services
   • Recognizing conditions requiring referral
2. 2

   Facial Treatments

   5 topics

   • Cleansing, toning, and moisturizing steps
   • Facial massage manipulations and motor points
   • Basic facial procedure and machine use (steamer, magnifying lamp)
   • Masks, exfoliation, and treatment products
   • Facial for dry, oily, and acne-prone skin
3. 3

   Facial Makeup

   5 topics

   • Cosmetic color theory and undertones
   • Face shapes, contouring, and highlighting
   • Foundation matching and concealer
   • Eye, lip, and corrective makeup techniques
   • Artificial lashes and special-occasion makeup
4. 4

   Hair Removal

   5 topics

   • Permanent vs. temporary removal methods
   • Contraindications (Accutane, recent peels, varicose veins)
   • Soft wax vs. hard wax application
   • Tweezing, threading, and depilatories
   • Eyebrow shaping and arching

Skin Care, Facials, and Hair Removal flashcards for Cosmetology License Exam

22 of 64 cards from the Skin Care, Facials, and Hair Removal deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. What does the Fitzpatrick scale classify, and how many types does it have?

   It classifies skin by its reaction to UV exposure (tendency to burn vs. tan) based on melanin content. It has 6 types: Type I (always burns, never tans, palest) through Type VI (never burns, deeply pigmented, darkest).

2. Which Fitzpatrick skin type always burns and never tans, and which never burns?

   Type I always burns and never tans (very fair, often red hair/freckles). Type VI never burns and is deeply pigmented (darkest skin).

3. What are the four basic skin types based on oil (sebum) and moisture?

   Normal, dry (alipidic, lacks oil), oily (excess sebum), and combination skin (oily T-zone with dry cheeks).

4. What is the difference between dry skin and dehydrated skin?

   Dry (alipidic) skin lacks oil/sebum and is a skin type. Dehydrated skin lacks water/moisture and is a temporary condition that can affect any skin type.

5. What is a primary skin lesion?

   A lesion in the early or initial stage of development that involves a change in the skin's structure, such as a macule, papule, vesicle, pustule, tubercle, tumor, or wheal.

6. What is a secondary skin lesion?

   A lesion that develops in the later stages of disease, characterized by accumulations of material on the skin or depressions/loss of skin surface, such as a scale, crust, excoriation, fissure, scar, ulcer, or keloid.

7. Define a macule and give an example.

   A macule is a flat, non-elevated spot or discoloration on the skin (no change in texture). Examples: freckles or a flat mole (lentigine).

8. What is a papule versus a pustule?

   A papule is a small, raised, solid elevation of the skin containing no fluid but which may develop pus. A pustule is an inflamed, raised lesion containing pus.

9. What is a vesicle, and what condition commonly produces them?

   A vesicle is a small blister or sac containing clear fluid, lying within or just beneath the epidermis. Poison ivy and herpes produce vesicles.

10. Define a wheal and give an example.

    A wheal is an itchy, swollen lesion (raised) that lasts only a few hours. Examples include hives, insect bites, or a reaction to an allergy test.

11. What secondary lesion is a thin or thick dry/oily flake of dead skin, and what secondary lesion is a thick scar?

    A scale is the flake of dead skin (e.g., dandruff, psoriasis). A keloid is a thick, raised scar caused by excessive growth of fibrous tissue.

12. What is the difference between a crust and a fissure?

    A crust is dead cells formed over a wound or blemish while healing (a scab). A fissure is a crack in the skin penetrating the dermis, such as chapped hands or lips.

13. What gland is involved in acne, and what is the medical name for a blackhead and a whitehead?

    The sebaceous (oil) gland. A blackhead is an open comedo (open to air, oxidized dark); a whitehead is a closed comedo (milia).

14. What is the technical name for common acne, and what bacteria is associated with it?

    Acne vulgaris, associated with the bacteria Propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes / Cutibacterium acnes), which thrives in clogged, sebum-filled follicles.

15. What is a comedo and what is it composed of?

    A comedo is a clogged hair follicle (pore) filled with a hardened mass of sebum and dead skin cells (keratin). Open = blackhead; closed = whitehead.

16. What are milia?

    Milia are small, whitish, pearl-like masses of dead cells (epidermal cysts) trapped just beneath the skin surface, with no visible opening.

17. Name three common sebaceous gland disorders.

    Comedones (blackheads/whiteheads), milia, sebaceous hyperplasia, asteatosis (dry skin from sebum deficiency), seborrhea (oily/oozing sebum), and steatoma/sebaceous cyst (wen).

18. What is hyperpigmentation versus hypopigmentation?

    Hyperpigmentation is overproduction of melanin causing darkened skin (e.g., melasma, lentigines, freckles). Hypopigmentation is a lack/absence of melanin causing lightened areas (e.g., vitiligo, leukoderma, albinism).

19. What is melasma (chloasma) and a common cause?

    Melasma is patchy hyperpigmentation (often facial), commonly caused by hormonal changes such as pregnancy ('mask of pregnancy') or birth control, and worsened by UV exposure.

20. What is a contraindication in skin services?

    A condition or factor that makes a particular treatment or service inadvisable or unsafe, requiring it to be avoided or modified (e.g., performing exfoliation on sunburned or broken skin).

21. List common contraindications to a facial service.

    Contagious skin disease/infection, open sores or lesions, sunburn, recent chemical peel or laser, use of Accutane/Retin-A, inflamed/broken skin, uncontrolled diabetes, pregnancy concerns, and known product allergies.

22. When should a cosmetologist refer a client to a physician instead of treating?

    When signs of a possible medical/contagious condition appear—abnormal lesions, suspicious moles, infections, inflammation, undiagnosed rashes, or anything outside the scope of cosmetology. A cosmetologist must never diagnose or treat disease.

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