Had a client's skin react badly and finally realized my mistake

A regular client came in for a hydrafacial last month and her cheeks got super red and stayed that way for days. I was using the same Glymed Plus calming serum I always do, but I finally asked her what she used that morning and she said 'that apricot scrub from the drugstore'. I'd never been asking about at-home physical exfoliation before a treatment. Has anyone else run into this and how do you handle the intake questions now?

3 comments

3 Comments

troyreed1mo ago

Feel for you, that's a rough lesson to learn. Good call on updating your questions, gotta cover all the bases.

graygonzalez1mo ago

I mean, that's a good catch but I'd say the real mistake is not asking about all actives. A client could have used a strong retinol or acid the night before with the same result. My intake form now has a checklist for the 48 hours before their visit.

troyreed1mo ago

You're totally right, a checklist is the way to go. I learned that the hard way after a client showed up with a face full of irritation from a DIY peel. My old form just asked about "recent treatments" and I got burned, literally. Now I list every possible active and make them initial next to each one. It feels a bit over the top but saves so many headaches.