Client Consultation, Treatments, and Services
Client Consultation
Consultation is a process, not a form
Consultation starts with a health-history intake and interview and continues through skin analysis, treatment planning, and aftercare instructions on every visit. Cover medications and supplements (isotretinoin, antibiotics, blood thinners, photosensitizing drugs), allergies, pregnancy, recent surgeries, active infections, and prior cosmetic procedures. Re-ask at each appointment; a new prescription changes the plan.
Contraindication versus precaution
A contraindication means do not perform the service. A precaution means modify or defer. Active cold sores, impetigo, or conjunctivitis contraindicate work on the area; pregnancy typically defers electrical modalities and many chemical services. Fitzpatrick typing plus skin analysis (oiliness, hydration, texture, sensitivity, pigmentation, vascularity) drive product and modality choices. Patch-test 24-48 hours before lash or brow tint, color, or an unfamiliar acid.
Consent, records, and communication
Informed consent means explaining the procedure, expected outcome, risks, alternatives, and aftercare in plain language, then documenting the client's agreement or refusal. Chart objectively: date, products, strengths, timing, devices, and the client's own statements. Records are legal documents that may be subpoenaed and that support your defense if a claim arises. Communicate realistic expectations, never diagnose a medical condition, and refer suspicious lesions, persistent rashes, or pain to a physician.
Traps and a rule of thumb
Traps include assuming the intake form is complete, accepting "no allergies" without probing, ignoring a medication added since the last visit, treating a client who appears impaired, and promising cures. Rule of thumb: when in doubt, stop and refer - a delayed service costs a booking; an adverse event costs a license.
Treatments and Services
Facials and massage
A facial follows a predictable sequence: consult and analyze, cleanse, exfoliate, extract if appropriate, massage, mask, then finish with moisturizer and sun protection. Know the classic movements - effleurage (gliding), petrissage (kneading), tapotement (percussion), friction, and vibration - applied generally upward and outward, avoiding heavy pressure on the thyroid area and lymph nodes.
Exfoliation chemistry and waxing
Chemical exfoliation depends on three variables: concentration, free-acid pH, and time on skin. AHA (glycolic, lactic, mandelic) are water-soluble and act at the surface; BHA (salicylic) is oil-soluble and reaches pores. Depth rises as pH falls, so never stack products without accounting for the resulting pH. Do not wax or apply strong acids over skin thinned by isotretinoin, recent peels or laser, or topical retinoids, and never over broken, inflamed, or infected skin. Waxing rules: test temperature on your inner wrist, patch-test, apply in the direction of hair growth and remove against it, hold skin taut, and never double-dip applicators. Devices - high frequency, galvanic, microcurrent, LED - each carry contraindications such as pregnancy, pacemakers, metal implants, epilepsy, and photosensitivity.
Traps and a rule of thumb
Traps: treating a "small" cold sore, forgetting the client's home retinoid counts as an exfoliant, skipping SPF and aftercare advice, and using a modality the health history rules out. Rule of thumb: for any exfoliation, change only one of concentration, pH, or time at a time - and always ask what the client used on the skin in the past seven days.