What is one of the first things you do when a new client comes to see you? You have a consultation, and then you have them sign a consent form! Never ever pass up this important step. I have been fortunate enough to have been in this business for 37 years and never even come close to someone suing me. Having that consent form signed is your first line of defense. Your second one is to listen to your gut. You know that saying, “I had a gut feeling?” Somehow our guts know the truth. We tend to not listen to it at times because our heads get in the way.
There’s a couple of stories that have come to my attention. If these aestheticians had listened to their gut, they wouldn’t be in the predicament they’re in.
HINDSIGHT
Story number one: An esty is being sued by a client that said an LED treatment caused her to get a detached retina. (I feel badly that this client is having this medical issue, but I don’t think an LED treatment caused this.) There are two things this professional did not do. She was given a heads up by the client’s family members that this client could be difficult. That’s important information coming from a family member. Secondly, the aesthetician did not have her sign a consent form. This is a big issue! After speaking with this aesthetician, she told me she had a gut feeling not to work on this client but pushed it aside. Unfortunately, I never did get informed about the end results of the lawsuit.
HISTORY REPEATS
Story number two: A client had a reaction around one eye after receiving a light exfoliation treatment and a flash glycolic peel. Concerned, she went to her physician to have it checked out. This client had a history of sensitivity around her eyes from another product years ago, so the aesthetician already knew this area was delicate.
She originally planned to do only the light exfoliation but at the last minute, decided to add the peel – despite her gut telling her not to. Now, she’s worried about the possibility of being sued, and I spent quite a bit of time on the phone calming her down.
Had she listened to her gut, this could have all been avoided!
UPDATE NEEDED
Here is my one and only close call from my long career. Nothing came of it, but it’s a good lesson for all of us. I was so excited to see a client who had been a regular for years, but I had not seen her in quite some time. We were having so much fun chatting away and catching up. I did her usual treatment that included microcurrent. The client was so happy to be back and loved her treatment. We hugged and off she went. About an hour later, she calls in a bit of a panic and says, “I forgot to tell you that I had a pacemaker put in since the last time I saw you.” My first thought was, “How in the world do you forget something so big?” We both had a moment of panic, but after calling her physician, he said not to worry about it this one time. I did not do this treatment again. What a close call! This was a big lesson learned.
We don’t need to have our clients sign a completely new consent form each time they come in, but we do need to take a moment to ask if anything has changed (a medical condition, medications, or reaction to something done in between treatments) since their last appointment. Do this every single time you see them. Something that they feel is insignificant may be just the opposite. Do our guts know? You bet they do! Take the time to stop and listen.
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