You Can’t Do it Alone

The Consult

It starts with the initial consultation and skin analysis. This is your time to educate your client and establish a teamwork approach toward meeting her skin care goals. This teamwork mind-set means that you take responsibility to do your part in-office with each procedure, while your client takes responsibility to follow your recommended home care products.

Remember that a thorough understanding of your client’s medical history can prevent negative side effects or emergency situations. Be sure your client completes a consultation form that includes her medical history, to cover all the information you must know before beginning any treatment series or home care products.

Perform an Analysis

To provide the most accurate skin analysis, start with a freshly cleansed face. Use a magnifying device such as goggles or a loupe in a well-lit area and/or a Wood’s Lamp. Sometimes what you think is the problem may not be your client’s primary focus. Instead of pointing out flaws you might see, let your client identify her personal concerns. Cover these basic points and listen carefully to her answers:

Skin Type

Ask, “After cleansing in the morning, what time of the day do you notice your face looks or feels shiny?” If she answers noon or earlier, she is likely an oily type. If the answer is about three o’clock, then she’s likely a more normal type. Dry skin types almost never notice shine. A true combination type will notice shine or oil just in the T-zone (forehead, nose, chin). Also consider pore size; oilier types have larger, more visible pores.

Personal Preferences

Determine current regimen and personal preferences. Sometimes, a dry skin type may prefer a foaming cleanser instead of a lotion cleanser. Or, if she is used to using strong retinols or alpha-hydroxy acid products, she may be able to tolerate a stronger treatment product.

Skin Condition

This is where your expertise shines. While it is important to ask your client what their perceive to be their skin conditions and concerns, it is your job to look closely at every inch of your client’s skin to determine what you need to treat, wPrescription Interference

Make sure that the recommended home care products do not interact with the medication.

Age

Simply put, a 20-year old client will require a different regimen than a 50-year old. Acne products formulated for oilier teen skin will often be too drying or irritating for mature, hormonally challenged skin.

Lifestyle

Many individuals are slightly drier in the winter or oilier in the summer months. Some products may have higher activity in humid climates due to higher moisture levels in the skin.

ASAP Importance

What are your client’s current skin care needs? Is she preparing for a surgical procedure or finishing a prescription regimen? Select products that help strengthen and repair the skin barrier to help aid the healing process and maintain long-term results.

Remember that what worked for one client may not work for another, even if they each have similar goals. When you consider the factors listed above, the proper home regimen combined with your expert treatments are the best way to ensure success for both you and your client.

Ensure Compliance

The more thorough you are in your consultation and skin analysis, the more trust you are building with your client. Ultimately, it is their trust in you and their seeing you as a true professional that will determine how well they comply with their homecare regimen. Remember that your client is not a skin care professional, so don’t assume they know how much of each product to use, when to use it, and how to apply it.

Take baby steps in explaining your client’s new skin care regimen to the best chance a helping them make a full 360 degree skin transformation.

Good luck!