“From the time I set up a lemonade stand and sold my handmade jewelry as a child, I knew I wanted to open my own business,” says Rashell Dimitris, owner of Emergence Skin Care Studio, in Lancaster. She began her professional career in sales, but lost her job as a result of the 9/11 disaster in New York City. Even after acquiring new employment, her thoughts were elsewhere; the attack became the inspiration for her to leave her job and turn the dream of owning her own business into a reality in October 2012, when she opened Emergence.

Esthetics, the application of treatments to the skin to maintain its health and vitality, is only part of the picture for Dimitris. She also has a great deal of training and experience in skin wellness. In 2006, she passed her board examinations, received her esthetician license and became the director of graduate services at the Lancaster School of Cosmetology. In 2007, she worked in Lancaster at American Laser Center, where she learned microdermabrasion skincare techniques and became certified to use three types of lasers. Additionally, she was employed at a doctor’s office where she performed medical-grade skin peels and pre/post-operational skin procedures.

From 2007 through the summer of 2012, Dimitris worked as the spa manager, esthetician and makeup artist at a high-end salon in York, Pennsylvania, where she interacted with clients as well as vendors, maintaining product inventory. This experience reinforced her idea of entrepreneurship.

Dimitris studied with Dr. Peter Pugliese, M.D., of Reading, Pennsylvania, who is considered by some to be a legend in esthetics, and attended training classes up and down the East Coast. She still attends classes regularly at the International Dermal Institute, in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, where she has earned more than 150 education hours. She also received a certificate in makeup artistry from Last Looks Makeup Academy. “Esthetics is an ever-evolving field because of cosmological and dermatological advancements,” Dimitris notes. “Education is one of the keys to be successful in this business.”

For more than four years, she taught Look Good Feel Better for the American Cancer Society. The non-medical, brand-neutral public service program teaches beauty techniques to cancer patients to help them manage the appearance-related side effects of cancer treatment. Dimitris plans to become certified in both oncology esthetics and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) laws, which would allow her to exchange information with doctors about treatment plans and continue working with cancer patients that are dear to her.

Emergence Skin Care Studio’s customized skin care treatments are relaxing and rejuvenating and help clients to achieve a healthy, youthful complexion by balancing oil and moisture content and combatting fine lines, wrinkles and dull, uneven skin tone. They also help protect skin from environmental hazards and manage conditions such as acne, rosacea, eczema and dry skin. Services include facials, microdermabrasion, waxing, lash/brow tinting, makeup application, massage and infrared sauna. High-quality, professional skin care and beauty products, including Glo Minerals makeup and Dermalogica Skin Care, are used in the treatment room and available for purchase in the retail area, along with Country Trail soy candles and Dimitris’ handmade jewelry.

Dimitris believes that her services are a vital part of the overall skin heath of her clients. “The idea that I can impact someone’s day in a positive way is a guiding principal for me. My goal is to help every person feel better about themselves, appreciate their inner and outer beauty and like what they see when they look in the mirror a little bit more.”

Location: 3695 Marietta Ave., Unit 2, Lancaster. For appointments, specials and more information, call 717-419-4766 or visit Emergence.SkinCareTherapy.net.

Gisele Siebold is a contributing writer for Natural Awakenings, Lancaster-Berks edition, who lives in Lancaster.