Clients today are far more informed about skin care and product ingredients – particularly the ones they don’t want in their skin care – and they are looking for the best possible results without noticeable irritation and downtime. The downside of this is that many of your clients have tried some DIY facials or cocktailed together products that didn’t give them results they wanted which results in dry, sensitive and blotchy skin. As a skin care professional, it’s always best to learn as much about your client’s home regimen, lifestyle, and diet to get them on the right path.
Here are the 7 client consultation questions you should ask before the 7-Point Skin Care Analysis. It will help you recommend products, facials or peels. After reading this, you should have a better understanding for how you should prepare for a client consultation. If you want amazing blogs like this delivered to your inbox each month, be sure to subscribe to Meevo Inspo today so you never miss out!
1) What are your skin goals?
Everyone wants celebrity skin – smooth, radiant, even and firm. However, this comes with focused attention to a skin regimen, regular treatments, the perfect foundation and sometimes just good genes. As aestheticians, we can help improve the look of the skin for a smoother, firmer, hydrated and more youthful appearance, but the truth is that these results take time. If the skin has major scarring from acne and the client wants smooth, even-toned skin, it may not be something that an aesthetician can “fix” six weeks before a wedding. You must understand the client’s goals and then relay realistic expectations. Continue reading to understand the types of habit and skincare questions you should be asking clients.
2) Are you taking any medications, supplements, or vitamins?
Yes, this is a deeply personal question. Some clients may not want to share. However, you can soothe their apprehension by sharing that some medication can trigger acne breakouts and other skin issues. If the client has recently experienced acne flare-ups, dryness or sensitivity after changes in birth control, taking steroids for asthma or starting thyroid, anti-seizure, immunosuppressant and some depression medications, their skin condition could be linked to the prescription drug. Ask your client if they have consulted their doctor about any possible skin-related side effects. Also, if your client has been taking B vitamins or any other dietary supplements, it may be taking a toll on their sebum production. If so, recommend a more aggressive long-term skin regimen.
3) Tell me about your diet and your water intake.
If your client isn’t intaking enough water throughout the day, signs of aging may start to appear sooner than expected. Loving your skin from the inside out helps your clients get the results they want. We’ve all heard of the model diets that are high in water, low in sugar, caffeine, carbs and bans fruits and vegetables that can exacerbate inflammation. These diets – though usually highly unsustainable – are meant to increase water intake and feed your body the nutrients it needs to be healthy. Glowing, hydrated, healthier-looking skin is the byproduct of a healthy diet and adequate hydration. Asking about water and hydration habits can also be beneficial for deciding what cleanser is best for aging clients.
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4) Tell me about your current regimen.
Your client may be experiencing skin issues because they are not using the right products. Your client may also not see results because they are not using the products correctly or frequently enough. Ask your clients how often they wash their face. Do they wash their face in the morning, evening and after workouts? Do they moisturize twice a day? (It may help with oiliness.) Are they applying their serums too often? (The skin may need a break.) Are they using sunscreen properly, especially after facials? These small tweaks can majorly impact their skin goals.
5) What’s your skin complexion? Do you have freckles?
This is very important to ask if a client wants to book a treatment over the phone. The Fitzpatrick Scale will help determine what to do before a facial appointment and whether a peel or facial may be appropriate for your client.
6) Is your skin usually oily, dry or normal?
There is a variety of reason that the skin may appear oily. Aestheticians can usually determine sebaceous activity by the size of the sebaceous follicle. “Oily skin tends to have follicles that appear more open,” said Ryan Christopher, the global education director for COSMEDIX. Considering the sebaceous activity of the skin can help determine the scope of work involved in a facial or peel. “The oilier the skin, the more has to be done to break through that protective layer,” Christopher said. “Conversely, if the skin is dry, you have to recreate the protective layer on freshly exfoliated skin so it remains healthy.”
7) Does your skin get red after exfoliation? When does that redness go away?
In skin care, vascularity measures how easily the skin brings circulation to the surface of the skin. “Hypervascular skin tends to flush very easily, stay flush throughout the day and heal faster than normal skin,” Christopher explained. “Hypovascular skin is the exact opposite. It is less reactive to exfoliation and heals slower than normal skin.” Aesthetician must take special care with hypovascular skin because it doesn’t have the same visual or sensational reaction to peels as normal or hypervascular skin does.
Taking the Guesswork Out of Skincare
Overall, it’s the aesthetician’s goal to take the guesswork out of skin care. Each COSMEDIX professional partner has been trained to perform a 7-Point Skin Analysis as part of their consultation to identify factors that may be contributing to skin issues beyond the naked eye. This analysis helps measure oil, hydration, depth of pigmentation, skin thickness, vascularity, photodamage and Fitzpatrick type – all factors that ensure that peels, facials, and home care products are effective and help clients get the results they’ve been waiting for. Simply, the more you know about your client, the more effective your treatments will be for your client’s skin.
