Skin Care and Facial Services
Analyze before you treat
Classify skin type - normal, dry, oily, combination, or sensitive - and record it on the client card. Fitzpatrick phototypes I to VI predict how skin responds to light and to exfoliation; types V and VI carry a much higher risk of post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. The acid mantle sits near pH 4.5–5.5, so alkaline cleansers strip the barrier. Distinguish dryness (lack of oil) from dehydration (lack of water).
Contraindications
Defer service for active herpes simplex, sunburn, open lesions, recent chemical peel or waxing, severe cystic acne, recent facial surgery, or a contagious condition; get physician clearance where state rules require it.
Standard facial sequence
Cleanse, analyze, exfoliate, steam (three to five minutes, held well away from the face), extract, massage, mask, tone, moisturize, and finish with broad-spectrum SPF. Massage manipulations are effleurage (gliding), petrissage (kneading), tapotement (percussion), friction (circular), and vibration; work upward and outward along the muscle fibers and avoid pressure on the eyes and trachea.
Worked example
A Fitzpatrick V client with dark cheek spots requests "a strong peel." Reasoning: aggressive acids on deeper skin tones can burn and rebound into worse pigmentation. Offer a gentle enzyme exfoliation, a tyrosinase-inhibiting serum, daily broad-spectrum SPF, and a patch test, then refer her to a dermatologist for medical-grade peels.
Traps that cost marks
Massaging over active acne or broken skin; extracting without steam and without gloved fingers; assuming oily skin needs no moisturizer; failing to document the product and the client's reaction.