Michael Razzano is the first man to win Esthetician of the Year at The Skin Games. He won it at the 10th Anniversary competition in Dallas, after four years of competing and twenty-two documented clinical case studies. Here’s what that actually took.
The career that wasn’t sustainable
Before esthetics, Michael was building a music career. It didn’t hold. “I fell into a really dark place,” he’s said of that period. “And when I found aesthetics, everything kind of just clicked.” That’s not a polished origin story written for a press page; it’s a career built on the other side of something that didn’t work out, which is a more honest starting point than most.
Four years, twenty-two case studies
Here’s the number that actually matters more than the title: twenty-two. That’s how many clinical case studies Michael built and documented over four years of competing before he won. Not one lucky season, not a single standout result. Twenty-two separate, documented attempts at proving his work held up. If you’re building your first case study right now and it doesn’t place, this is the actual math behind a win: most of the twenty-two didn’t win either, and he kept building them anyway.
Breaking ground, precisely
Esthetics has historically been a female-dominated profession, and Michael’s win as the first male Esthetician of the Year was a real, first-of-its-kind moment for the industry, not a symbolic gesture. As his sponsor, Bioskin Aesthetics, put it: “Winning multiple awards and being named Esthetician of the Year is a testament to your passion, precision, and relentless dedication.” The line that’s stuck with our community since is simpler: precision, passion, and skill know no gender. That’s not a slogan we wrote. It’s what four years and twenty-two case studies actually proved.
The mentor behind the final year
Michael credits Dominique Brandt, 2023’s own Esthetician of the Year, as a key mentor during the season he finally won. Dominique’s own case-study guide, the one she wrote in 2023 and we refreshed for this season, is still the starting point we point every new competitor toward. Two of our most decorated title holders, one mentoring the other, is exactly the kind of thing a nine-season community is supposed to produce.
Why this story matters heading into 2026–27
If you’re building toward your first entry this season, or your fifth, Michael’s story is the honest version of what it takes: not a single dramatic before-and-after, but a documented body of work built one case study at a time, with a mentor in your corner and a reason to keep going after the ones that don’t place. Full details on this season’s categories, dates, and how to register are in our season guide.
Register your entry → · See the full 2026–27 category lineup →