Top Tips for Expert Consultations and Record-Keeping

Winter months are an ideal time for new and returning clients to pursue laser hair removal services. The new year is also a great time to provide other laser-based services to a clientele looking to put their best face forward. In this month’s clinical notes, we’ll discuss certain consultation/record-keeping practices to help assure greater professional results and client trust.  

• Measure in enough time to do a proper client consultation and check in before each visit.  

As described in your LaserSmart training, it is crucial to conduct a proper consultation before you begin treatment. This pre-treatment consultation will give you enough time to properly conduct a thorough assessment, communicate realistic expectations and timelines to your client, and perform a complete patch test. This patch test is crucial to determine the appropriate treatments, treatment settings, and avoid any potential damage due to unintended negligence. Be sure to take a picture of your patch test, both before and after. Always keep a file handy with each client’s consultation notes and before-and-after images.  

Establishing an unrushed consultation session gives you enough time to determine each client’s personalized treatment plan; providing bespoke aesthetic treatments is an in-demand service. Your clients will have time to ask proper questions, consider any additional treatment add-ons, and establish greater trust in your services.  

• Consider the environment in which you bring your clients to conduct the consultations. 

A private area, proper seating, and a professional as well as personable setup will create a better atmosphere, while relaxing your client. A hurried consultation, done wherever, conveys a lack of care – and can also promote confusion in the minds of your clients. Demonstrate the quality care you put into each stage of your client experience.  

This set-up does not need to be expensive; through strategic thinking, you can accomplish this with a smaller budget so that you can invest your money in other resources. However, this does require attention and some investment. This also provides you with space to passively promote other services through quality branding and materials.  

• Be mindful when determining skin type and conducting a patch test to ask clarifying questions and reword them as needed.  

When asking your clients questions, consider how words can be interpreted by different clients in different ways. A study conducted in 2020 highlights how not accounting for this factor can cause subpar assessments. When asking questions about how a client’s skin reacts to the sun, consider asking questions like:  

1. Do you experience skin irritation after spending time in the sun? 
2. Do you experience skin tenderness or itching after spending time in the sun? 

Check your LaserSmart Manual for more tips.  

When conducting a skin type assessment, consider that many people with mixed ethnic backgrounds may not fit neatly into ethnicity categories. This is especially the case with skin of color, which requires more care when making a skin typing assessment. There can be considerable variance even within skin types determined as V or VI. However, when in doubt between two levels, select the higher level to err on the side of caution. Darker skin is more prone to burning and pigmentation with improper selection.  

• Assure you keep all documentation, signed documents, and BNAs handy.  

Proper documentation is key to assuring you have all the relevant information handy in case you, your staff, or your clients have any questions. Consider digitizing these files for easier recovery. A pro tip is to take photos to document each client’s treatment success after each session; not only will you have a collection of BNAs, but your client can have a record of the changes over time in case questions arise. Be sure to get signed permission to obtain and showcase any BNAs.  

By assuring best practices when conducting consultations and recording client information, you can build greater rapport with your clients, experience greater ease, and truly master better treatment results. It’s also key that everyone on your team is aware of these best practices and maintains them with each client. By explaining the significance of each practice, you can better assure your team and clients have a positive experience during one of the most crucial factors of treatment success!