Questions about a skin treatment?

What skin treatments include

Skin treatments is a broad label. At most med spas it covers four kinds of service: facials, chemical peels, microneedling, and light-based skin treatments. Each one works on the skin's surface or just below it, and each comes in many versions.

A facial usually means cleansing, exfoliation, a mask and sometimes extraction. A chemical peel is a solution applied to the skin for a set time, in strengths that run from light to deeper. Microneedling uses a device with very fine needles to make tiny punctures in the outer layer. Light-based treatments use devices that send light energy into the skin.

Which of these, if any, suits you is a decision for a licensed provider at a consultation.

A short checklist for the provider's side

When you sit down for a skin consultation, expect the licensed provider to work through a quiet checklist. Skin type and tone. Current concerns. Health conditions, especially anything affecting the skin or healing. Medicines and supplements. Pregnancy or breastfeeding. Recent sun or tanning. Past treatments and any reactions.

From that, they decide which treatments are reasonable to discuss, which to rule out, and which to leave for later. You can ask to hear their reasoning. If something on the list does not apply to you, say so. If something worries you, ask before agreeing to anything.

The week before a skin consultation

A consultation on its own usually involves no treatment, though some providers can treat at the same visit if you both agree. If that is possible, a few things are worth asking about ahead of time:

• whether to pause strong exfoliants or vitamin A creams beforehand
• whether to avoid tanning, sunburn and self-tanner
• whether to skip waxing or threading on the area
• whether to arrive without makeup

Ask the provider or their office rather than guessing. Never stop a prescribed medicine without checking with whoever prescribed it.

Questions about skin treatments

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