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That time a client had a bad reaction to a peel in my old Austin studio
I was about five years into my own place, and this regular came in for a light glycolic treatment. We'd done it before, no problem. Halfway through, her face started getting these bright red patches, like a rash, and she said it felt like fire. My heart just dropped. I stopped right away, rinsed her face with cool water for a good ten minutes, and used a calming gel mask I kept in the fridge. I stayed with her, kept checking, and gave her a sample of a super gentle moisturizer to take home. She was really nice about it, but I felt awful. It turned out she'd started a new prescription cream from her doctor and didn't think to tell me. Ever since then, my intake form has a big red box asking about any new meds or topicals in the last month. Has anyone else had a client forget to mention something major like that?
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lunakim1mo ago
Honestly, that sounds so scary for both of you. Tbh, people forget to mention stuff all the time, not out of bad intent, they just don't connect the dots. I had a client once who didn't tell me they'd just gotten back from a beach vacation, so their skin was way more sensitive than usual for a wax. The intake form is key, but you still gotta ask them point blank right before you start. "Anything new at all, even a new face wash?" It's the only way to catch it.
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the_tessa1mo ago
Yeah, the "connect the dots" thing is so real. My friend's doctor asked if she was on any new meds, and she forgot about her allergy pills until halfway through the appointment. It's like our brains just blank on command sometimes.
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rubyschmidt27d ago
Point blank asking right before you start is the only way to catch half this stuff, since people's brains just shut off the second they sit in the chair. Do you have a specific script you use to jog their memory?
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