Why So Much Paperwork?
Hello Everyone and a Beautiful April to you All...
One of the most recent re-occurring questions that we get asked is "Why so much Paperwork, I'm only getting a facial?" My answer is simple, YouTube, Over the Counter Products and the fact that we are LICENSED professionals working in a medically supervised facility is why there is so much initial paperwork to be filled out. But let me break that down a little without sounding Aloof! You see, while we have all been to the doctor's office and grumbled when we were handed numerous sheets of forms to fill out, we also may agree that the information you are writing on forms is a pertinent part of successful client care. Implementing client intake forms in my business HOPEFULLY gives clients a feeling of safety and security and establishes me, my practice, and those who are working with me in the client minds, as a professional business/individual they can trust.
The consensus among our clients is that once we treat them, they are confident to continue coming to us with issues that they have not been able to resolve and they need my professional opinion. A better Metaphor is baking a cake for the first time without the recipe and just randomly pinching and throwing ingredients into a bowl, throwing the mixture into an oven at some undetermined temperature and hoping for the best. That may be ok and sadly common at some of our competition or many of the corporate environments that offer "step-by-step facials", but the facial process is so much more then an "appointment" to us. We strive to make it more of an experience in education and treatment that we hope sets the bar for other appointments that you are going to for skincare. There are 10 questions that your "paperwork" helps is to answer: 1.) What are your expectations from your treatment today? 2.) Are you using Glycolic Acid, Retinols, Retin-A, Accutane or topical prescription
medication? 3.) Are you current on any medications that may affect your treatment?
4.) Are you current under a doctor's care or have medical conditions we should be aware
of? 5.) What are you currently using on your skin? 6.) What is your level of Sun Exposure?
7.) Do you have a special diet and what is your water intake? 8.) What are your current exfoliation habits? 9.) Are you aware of the pros/cons of the treatment you have selected? 10.) Who do we contact in case of Emergency? Most of the above questions are answered in our forms in more then once instance because it also helps to receive education about a treatment where YouTube, DIY/Instagram or a Friend's advice may have left something out. The most important on the forms is that we have your consent and have given you the opportunity to communicate with us your needs and expectations.
Are Clients Totally Truthful?
One of the saddest realities of the medical aesthetics world is the fact that people are so focused on the end result that they don't understand why it is IMPORTANT to be truthful with your aesthetician. We are here to offer a treatment. The products and treatments that we offer in treatment are just that...TREATMENT BASED. We use and are compelled by the Arizona State Board of Cosmetology to use, professional grade products. You will not have a DIY scrub used on your skin, but a product that is formulated to help achieve the desired results most clients want and need.
There have been times when we have refused service to people based on what their forms say because we know that they have told us is not conducive to the treatment that a client wants to receive. We also want clients to achieve at-least 60 to 75% of their goal and achieve direction when it comes to their wants and needs. I never understand why clients feel that hiding what might be very important and potentially hazardous to your health/skin health is to their benefit.
Medically back Facility Means Protocols and Insurance This year we have taken our practice to a whole new level and hired a Medical Director. Unbeknownst to many clients, we are not just your run of the mill Day Spa that offers facials, maybe massage and body wraps as well as lash extensions. What this means is that we complete treatments that our State Requires "medical direction" for. With medical direction comes the need for our Doctor to know we are following protocols and working with clients ethically and not just to make a buck. There are protocols we must follow, just as if we were in a medical clinic. We also carry Malpractice insurance and insurance on the products we use. Our insurance dictates that we operate in a "clinical" sense with high emphasis on sanitation, and cleanliness as well as the same emphasis on such things as Blood Borne Pathogen awareness and hypocratic mindfulness missing is the many massage or facial establishments that surround us in a five (5) mile radius. An element of the hypocritical day-to-day operations is the fact that we have our clients complete forms and a record of treatment is kept for up to 3 years beyond first treatments with us. Many of these forms are also a requirement of inspection by the Arizona Laser Board and Arizona Health Department. We also operate under strict HIPPA guidelines. Let me just say, there is A LOT that goes on in our little treatment area that our clients don't consider when it comes to their treatments. But our clients are worth it and this is the reason we operate the way we do.
In the End....
The forms that we ask our clients to fill out are meant for YOUR protection as well as ours. We also believe they prove to our clients that we do skin as a passion and not just something to make money from. This is our livelihood and we are very glad to have you as a part of our success...
^j^
