There may not be a step more important in a skin care treatment than a thorough consultation. As an instructor, there is never a treatment done in our student clinic, whether on a client or another student, without a full and complete consultation every time. How can professionals possibly know how to safely and correctly work on a client without one? How can they recommend homecare, specific and safe modalities, future treatment recommendations, or contraindications without an in-depth understanding of the client they are working with? There is no way that clients can receive the best and most accurate results without first completing a consultation.  

Building habits early in your education and training is key so that when you enter your first treatment room it becomes second nature. Goal one should be for clients to understand why the questions you ask are important and necessary. When you explain the why to clients, it allows them to understand the importance of why they need to fill out a consultation form to start with. However, a consultation is more than just filling out a piece of paper; there are details that need to be gone over carefully and accurately, and you often must read between the lines to help clients understand what is really going on with their skin. 

It is crucial to remember that you are asking clients to divulge personal and confidential information about their health history. Confidence, compassion, and nonjudgement need to be displayed to the client if you are expecting them to be up front and honest with their health history and medications. 

Andrea Gregaydis is a licensed aesthetician and international CIDESCO diplomat. She holds multiple additional licenses as a New York state instructor and nail technician, as well as a certified laser technician. Gregaydis is the lead instructor at the Aesthetic Science Institute and has over 10 years of experience as a practitioner, team coordinator, and role model for hundreds of future skin care professionals. She is contributing author to top industry trade magazines, as well as a speaker at various aesthetics conferences across the United States. She is also a CIDESCO International Examiner.