Today, in most areas of the country, individuals are required to wear face masks to minimize exposure and the spread of COVID-19. The practitioner may not be aware that their client has either of these two skin infections until the face mask is removed.

Both herpes simplex and impetigo fall under the skin infection category. Both can look similar with blister-like appearances; however, herpes is viral in nature as opposed to impetigo, which is caused by bacteria. The practitioner should refer any client with these presentations to their medical provider and reschedule any skin care services until the lesions heal.

Brenda Linday is a licensed aesthetician, licensed aesthetic instructor, and certified aesthetic consultant with over 16 years’ experience in the medical aesthetic industry. Linday serves as a consultant for medical and aesthetic companies desiring to build strong sales and education teams. She develops clinical and sales education content, and trains sales and educational units, clinicians, physicians, and distributors around the world. Linday is also a featured author in many industry publications. Her passion is sharing her wealth of knowledge with other like-minded professionals who believe that education is the key to building lasting relationships with our clients, making each clinician more successful by increasing client satisfaction. Reach her at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or @LindayConsult.