To truly maintain a high standard of ethics, you will need to get more specific to create guidelines for the types of situations you may encounter on a daily basis. These are specific codes of conduct that are written down and sewn into the fabric of your business. When creating a code of ethics, you will be defining policies and procedures that will guide how you interact with clients to give them the best possible experience at your place of business. Ethics can have an impact on your aesthetic practice when it comes to client-provider relationships. Follow these steps to build your own code of ethics for your business.

Trust, Privacy and Confidentiality
Clients want to feel secure in your care. They want to have faith in your skills and abilities, but it goes beyond that. Clients want to feel comfortable around you – comfortable enough to talk about skin issues that may be very personal or even embarrassing to discuss outside your treatment room. If clients do not feel totally comfortable, they may not disclose some of the medications they are taking, or they may not talk about certain illnesses or infections that can cause contraindications. This can have a direct impact on their treatment.
The first step in establishing a strong level of trust and comfort is to make sure your clients know that their privacy is of the utmost importance. Let your clients know that they are able to share their skin care or anti-aging concerns with you without any worries. Reiterate that you are not there to judge them – you are there to help them – and everything they share with you will be kept in confidence and only used for the purpose of providing the best service possible.
Additionally, have a privacy policy stated on your intake forms to help ease any fears they may have. To ensure your client’s safety, these forms must be filled out openly and honestly, but if clients are not sure that their privacy is being protected, they may be inclined to not fill out the forms in their entirety.
Once you present this information to your clients, be sure that you follow through. Take all of the necessary steps to keep their information safe and secure. Whether you are a solo aesthetician or you work in a salon or spa, keep track of your paperwork and make sure that your files are kept in a space that is protected and cannot be easily accessed by others.
When it comes to privacy, it is also important to remember that during treatment, some clients may share information about their personal life. Any personal information shared with aesthetics professionals should be kept private and confidential – whether it is treatment related or not. Information should never be discussed with a third party without the client’s consent.

Knowing When to Say No
After establishing trust, give them any information that can help them reach their skin care goals. At times, this can mean suggesting additional services to complement a primary procedure, but at other times, it can mean advising a client against getting a certain treatment.
While most people do not like to hear the word no, it can help your business in the long run. If you perform a service that is not right for the client, the client will likely be unhappy. When you tell a client that you will not perform a certain procedure and explain your reasoning, clients may be a little disappointed at first; however, more often than not, they are thankful that you are being honest with them. This saves them time and money – and most importantly – any damage that the wrong procedure may cause. Plus, it shows your clients that you consider their safety the top priority.

Creating a Standard of Ethics
It is a good idea to create a set of standards. These standards need to be carefully thought out and written down. The main goal of your standard of ethics is to preserve the integrity of your business and consistently give your clients the best possible service. Your code of ethics does not have to be a long, drawn-out document. It can even be a list of short bullet points that briefly list what is expected of yourself or your employees.

It can include items like:

• Providing an amazing experience to our clients is our number one priority.
• Clients are treated with the utmost respect at all times.
• We will only perform treatments that we feel will provide the desired benefits.
• All aspects of a client’s treatment and any discussions had will remain confidential.
• We will treat each client as an individual and tailor a treatment plan that fits his or her needs.

When you create a business culture that people feel good about, people want to work with you and customers feel good about doing business with you! Building a warm, inviting non-judgmental atmosphere helps clients feel calm and comfortable in your care. Outlining what is expected of you and those with whom you work can take the guesswork out of many potentially problematic situations and help your business grow and thrive.