Sneek a Peek Inside The International Dermal Institute Post Graduate Classes

Clinic Area

Work area

Instructor Area

The Dermalogica Products

For anyone who doesn't know about The International Dermal Institute come join me for a look inside this exciting and fun class! IDI as it is frequently called, was created by Jane Warwurd who started Dermalogia Skin back in the 80's. She was one of the first industry pioneers to change skin care products from over-the-counter products to professional grade products that truly help change the appearance of skin. This blog is not specially about Dermalogica the product line, but about what it is like to embark on the 3 day journey through the school.

This particular 3 day class cost me $318.75. The class runs from 10AM-5PM for the three days and students get roughly an hour for lunch and a morning and afternoon break. The skin care instructors have years of industry experience, and they are friendly and open to answering all questions.

At the first class, the instructor begins the class with a "meet and greet" type of ice breaker where she tells the class about herself, and then asks the class to go around and introduce themselves. Most of the students were recent graduates, or had only been in the industry for a short time. There were a couple cosmetologists as well who were transitioning from hair stylist to esthetician. When you arrive you will be greeted with a lovely green binder with copies of the topics discussed in the class and the IDI training video. There is a locker room available for you to change into your esthetics gown, and to keep your Styrofoam mannequin head. There is also a nice lounge for you to take your breaks in with cereal bars, water, coffee and hot tea.

While this class reviews a lot of basics, it is advisable that you already have a good deal of working knowledge of esthetics and you feel comfortable giving facials, and using equipment. Of course, it is always a little awkward using someone else's equipment, but it is fine once you figure out how to use theirs. (Note: Their equipment is very expensive, and they make it clear you need to be extremely careful in handling it). The teacher will talk about the different layers of skin and focuses on the different layers of the epidermis, she goes into the different types of skin conditions vs. skin issues, and discusses the best products for those clients. At this time, the teacher hands out both in class samples to try and take-home samples of Dermalogica products. During class, you will watch the Jane Warwurd IDI Techniques Video as you practice on each other. You might be a little sick of Jane W. at the end of this course.

The second day is the IDI's massage techniques day where you practice on each other again and pull the facial together with a 20 minute massage IDI style. The last day is a recap, test your skills day and a class lunch with the sales person from Dermalogica to tell you all about the Dermalogica Skin Care Line. While I like a lot of the IDI methodologies, I don't think I want to be an IDI robot and do exactly every protocol in my facials as they do. They are very specific in how you cleanse the skin, with exact finger movements that you have to memorize, and I don't want to be so stringent in my facial protocols.

The Dermalogica brand was used in our classes, but I don't feel like they pushed Dermalogica on us. In fact, we were not allowed to ask any questions about the brand during our regular classes because the instructor did not want to undermine the quality of our technique learning, and she respected that we all came in using different product lines. I had experience with Dermalogia prior to this course, and I can't say it is a favorite brand of mine, and taking this class only reconfirmed it still doesn't make my lists of favorites. However, I am not saying it isn't a good line, it just isn't for me. But the classes are definitely for me, I think they have a unique edge in the industry that they offer so many post graduate classes all over the U.S. and the world.

This class is highly professional, and it is a great class for anyone who wants to a refresher course, or that wants to learn the IDI's method. If you are planning on taking any of the IDI courses you must take this 3 day course first. I am not sure if I would have plopped down the couple hundred dollars for this course if it weren't a pre-req to the other courses. I think the subsequent courses are much more affordable and I wish IDI would consider reducing their 3 day rate because a lot of recent graduates can't afford that kind of money after paying for regular esthetics school.

Overall, I am glad that I took this class. I am appreciative that Jane Wurward decided to open a post graduate school to offer estheticians across the globe a chance to hone in on their skills and bring better results to their clients. I give this school an A+ for upscale post graduate classes and quality education!