Red Flags You Need To LEAVE The Treatment Room.
Our faces mark our identities. It’s the first thing about us that people see. It’s how we’re identified in a crowded room. We spend endless amounts of time decorating ourselves with makeup to tell a story or accentuate an image we envision, while gazing at mirrors and pictures to check that all is “as it should be”. We adjust routines to schedule appointments so we can correct, enhance, and take care of our skin because we want to put our best face forward.
Which is why putting your beautiful mug in the hands of a new skincare provider can be scary. It can be hard to trust a new person when we are relying on them to care for something so important to us.
As estheticians, it’s essential to recognize a nervous client and to build and maintain trust even after we’ve seen them for months or years. Being an esthetician is not just about treating the skin; it involves being trusted with the secrets of our clients’ insecurities, being a cheerleader when they are on their journey to self-confidence, and looking out for their best interests when they aren’t sure where to start - and not taking advantage of that.
Believe it or not, beauty is still a business. Like with any industry, you’ll run into honest and ethical providers, and those looking to make a quick buck by cutting corners.
While most providers enter the beauty industry intending to help others, it’s important to be able to identify red flags when meeting a new esthie.
Here’s a short list of “Red Flags” to look for. I hope that it will help you ask the right questions and narrow down what you want in a provider so you’ll know when you’ve found the one.
🚩 Being pushy with specific treatments and not explaining your options.
My first question at any client’s initial appointment is the same every time. “Are you here because you would like to correct your skin, or are you here to maintain your skin?” These are two very different kinds of services, and they sit at very different price points.
I offer very effective aesthetic treatments to help my clients overcome issues such as loose skin, pigmentation, acne, and acne scarring. These advanced treatments require time and financial commitment from my clients.
The fact of the matter is, not everyone is a candidate for microneedling or deep chemical peels, and it’s part of my job as a provider to recognize that and give those clients options better suited for their skin.
If it’s clear that a client does not want or need a treatment that requires multiple services or extensive homecare routines, it’s an absolute disservice to push them in that direction. Sometimes, recommending a cleanser and moisturizer and sending them on their way is the best way to help, and that’s perfectly okay.
🚩 Recommending a deep chemical peel on the first appointment without prepping your skin or going over your homecare routine.
This doesn’t necessarily mean a skincare provider is “out to get you” or wants to push treatments on you that you don’t need. Sometimes it’s more of an issue with proper education or understanding of how the skin works. If your provider hasn’t taken the time to provide a thorough skincare analysis or review your current skincare at home, please do not let them proceed with putting chemicals on your skin.
🚩 Quality of products used in the treatment room, and correlating price points.
Now this one could be one of two issues:
Here’s the first scenario - the provider's service menu is adequately priced in comparison to other providers in the area, but the products used are of lower quality. In this case, we are looking at an issue of cutting corners in order to increase profits.
The second scenario - a provider is using lower-quality products while charging half the price of their competitors. While you might not be dealing with an unethical provider, you may want to consider the ingredients being used during your service. If you’re investing in your skin, don’t you want the absolute best possible ingredients and practices being used?
Here’s a post-pandemic analogy: If you’ve paid a higher amount for Charmin Ultra Soft toilet paper, but you receive an off-brand single-ply, you won’t be satisfied with your product or your end result.
If you’ve paid for low-quality toilet paper but had to use double the amount to ‘get the job done,’ wouldn’t it have made more sense to stick with the quality TP?
The same concept goes for your skincare treatments. It is okay to ask what products are being used and why they chose those products when you are vetting a provider.
🚩 A multi-employee company with a bad vibe.
Sometimes, a ‘less than great’ skincare experience isn’t caused by the provider; it can, sadly, come from above. When dealing with an employee-owned business, it’s important to feel out the ENTIRE staff. Unfortunately, in too many cases, the provider may WANT to help you but is required to work within the guidelines of an employer who has never worked with skin.
VIBE CHECK! Are the staff happy? Do they seem to be allowed to make decisions regarding your skin? Are they quick to rattle off a script without authenticity behind it? Do they seem to really believe what they say themselves?
Unfortunately, many talented estheticians are hindered by less-than-great bosses. I know from personal experience on both ends of the spectrum.
As a former employee of a pretty toxic work environment, I learned a lot about what I needed to thrive. Now, as the boss of an employee-based studio myself, I know how important it is to give my staff a voice and make sure they feel empowered to treat my business as their own. It makes a world of difference in client experience.
🚩 Not discussing how to take care of your skin between treatments.
If your provider acts as though the 15-60 minutes spent with you once a month is enough to tackle your journey to healthier skin, then one of two things is usually going on.
Either the provider is not educated enough to know how to enhance the results of their treatments, or they are scared to seem like a pushy salesperson.
It is a common misconception that an esthetician is just selling you products to make more money. Many new estheticians are scared of appearing this way. Realistically, as estheticians, we know that 80% of your results come from what you do at home. You sought us out to ask us for help with your skin. If home care products aren’t being discussed, then we are not properly helping you.
Finding a great esthetician can be one of the most rewarding and empowering things you can do. I have worked with so many clients who were scared, nervous, or doubtful when stepping into my treatment room. Some of them had prior bad experiences, others just did not know what to expect.
I believe in being upfront and honest right off the bat. Giving my clients the option of whether or not they are ready to work with me has liberated me from having bad experiences for both of us. It is so important for us to be on the same page.
If you’re reading this and I’m your esthetician, then I am so glad that we found each other! If you came across this while Googling “skincare near me”, I hope it helps you find the best (trustworthy) esthie just for you.
Time for a facial? Let’s get you scheduled!
