So, it’s your first time visiting a medical spa. You might feel a bit uneasy because you’re not sure what to say.
What you should keep in mind is the reason why you’re there in the first place: what are your concerns? Do you want a less tired look, glowing skin, minimal wrinkles, or smaller pores?
Your consultation is the perfect opportunity to discuss your skin goals and the procedures involved to achieve them. If you’re still unsure what to ask, here are a few key skin consultation questions you can use as a jumping off point:
We all want to have skin that’s radiant, smooth, and blemish-free. But how quickly this can be achieved depends on the current condition of your skin. Ultimately, the goal should be healthy skin.
For example, it might take a few months to make depressed acne scars go away or be less noticeable. Your consultation is your chance to discuss what can realistically be accomplished within a specific timeframe.
Are you experiencing acne breakouts? Is your skin too dry or oily? Ask your aesthetician what could be causing your current skin condition.
This is also the time to share what medications or supplements you’re taking. Some prescription drugs, such as steroids and thyroid medications, can trigger acne flare-ups and other skin problems.
Also, inform your aesthetician about your sleeping habits, diet, and water intake, as all these play a significant role in determining what could be causing your skin issues. At this point, you might also be asked to fill out a skin consultation form or questionnaire asking you about these details.
Because we all have different skin types and there are several ways to achieve certain skin goals, it’s important that your aesthetic treatment is tailored to your specific needs. Ask your aesthetician for a detailed plan on how your skin goals can be achieved.
Being open during your first visit will help your aesthetician find the best way to proceed. Understanding what you will get out of the treatment your practitioner plans to do and being realistic about the results will help confirm if you’re both on the same page.
Skincare specialists use different products to perform certain treatments. For example, if you’re going to have a facial, the procedure includes steaming, exfoliation, and extraction.
Your specialist will use products such as medical grade cleansers, masks, peels, moisturizers, and more, on your skin. It’s important to know the complete list of the products and brands they are using on you—including ingredient information— to identify any allergies or sensitivities.
Just like the products and brands, you should also ask what tools your aesthetician will use on you. This is especially important for tools that involve electric currents or anything that may cause mild discomfort.
Not all treatments have side effects, but it’s best to confirm the possibility of any with your aesthetician.
For instance, dermal fillers might cause some swelling, bruising, and redness immediately after the procedure. Knowing the potential side effects of your treatment and how long they last will set your expectations and help prevent unnecessary worry.
Your aesthetician should be able to tell you during the consultation what you need to do before and after the treatment.
If you’ve been advised a Botox treatment, for example, you will be asked to stop consuming alcohol a week before the procedure. Proper preparation and aftercare ensures the effectiveness of the treatment and avoids complications following it.
Unless administered regularly, aesthetic treatments don’t last forever. Ultherapy usually lasts for two years. Depending on the strength of the peel, chemical peels generally last anywhere from two to six months.
Your aesthetician should be able to inform you how long your own treatment will last and how often it should be repeated for maximum results.
One of the best questions to ask during skin analysis with your aesthetician is the best regimen and products to use for your skin type.
You might be experiencing issues because you’re using the wrong products or you’re not using them correctly or often enough. Having the right skin regimen will also help prolong the effects of your treatment.
Your skin is the largest organ of the body—so it’s important to only put it in the care of professionals who can answer all your skin consultation questions
Located in Ontario, APT Medical Aesthetics is a full-service medical spa encompassing injectables, laser, skin tightening, peels, and other skincare treatments.
Request a free skin consultation from our skin experts!
BACK TO ALL ARTICLES10 Questions Every Esthetician Should Ask Clients During the First Consult
New Client Questions You Should Never Skip
Our advice? Read our list, take some notes, and make these questions YOUR OWN. Only you can know what’s absolutely crucial to ask every client, so consider these bad boys a lovely little jumping off point to get your own list going.
And, of course, we’ll tell you why (duh).
Don’t know where to start? We’ve got you covered. We’ve laid down a few of the need-to-know, must-ask, gotta-have-these-answered questions that no first consult should go without.
With a trusty little list of must-ask questions that you always bring to the table for the first consult.
Look, we get it. Consults are phenomenal, but they’re often supposed to be all-encompassing, and let’s face it, skincare is a broad spectrum. How can you zero in with the first consult and expedite your client’s path to skincare success?
If you’re anything like us, you probably love what a first consult represents–possibilities, opportunities, a whole spectrum of amazing skincare just waiting to be opened up! But, again, if you’re anything like us, you probably get mega-overwhelmed on the first consult, too.
These must-ask questions are just the start. Make these your guiding light as you develop your own list of custom questions to bring to every client’s first consult.
Preface this question with a little disclaimer–there’s no wrong answer, especially if they’re just diving into skincare.
This question is not meant to judge them or their routine, it’s to get a feel for their knowledge base, where they’re at, and what might benefit them.
Let your clients know that skincare isn’t about some super elaborate routine, it’s about narrowing down what works best for them.
Make sure they’re aware that even if their current skincare routine is simple and streamlined, it might still work just fine!
Even if there’s no semblance of a routine, your clients are still probably using something on their skin–even if it’s not consistent enough to qualify for a routine.
Have your clients explain what they use (even if it’s only every now and again) to get a feel for their products, what might be contributing to their skin concerns, and what you could keep and swap out for a new routine.
The skin sensitivity question is huge to get out of the way. Why? Because even if a client can’t tell you exactly what they’re sensitive to, they can drop the names of products or topicals that they’ve had trouble with.
Then, with your skincare knowledge, you can backtrack and try to trace out what might cause their sensitivity. Then, you’ll know what to stay away from.
This is a must on your list of questions. This inquiry is going to give you a much closer look at what your clients know about sun exposure, skincare, and how to maximize protection.
If the answer is zero, that’s OK–learning late is better than never learning at all. Make sure you use this consult to offer your clients options for sunscreen you approve of.
The last thing you want to do is set your client up for failure–and if you don’t ask them about their allergies, you could be putting them in harm’s way.
Maybe there’s an ingredient in your favorite product they’re allergic to. Maybe their response will change your entire skincare strategy you’ve been planning.
Whatever the case, you need to know if certain allergies exist–not only could this be terrible for your client, but it could be a liability issue for you, too.
Maybe you can already tell what the issues are, but hearing your clients discuss what they’re struggling with is the real key.
You can’t always know what someone’s dealing with and you can’t always assume the issue–have them tell you so you can understand, from their perspective, what the issue really is.
This isn’t an opportunity to, like, judge the way your clients eat (don’t be a weirdo, OK).
What this is is a fabulous opportunity to take a peek at how certain foods and nutrition groups could be contributing to whatever complaints they have or issues they want to correct.