Your client is in the chair and just told you she started Accutane. Now what? This episode covers the esthetician contraindications that catch you off guard, the pre-treatment advice that prevents them, and the exact word-for-word verbiage to reschedule a client without losing her trust.
Every esthetician has been there: the client is in the chair, her jacket's off, she took a half day off work — and then she mentions the medication, the filler, the sunburn, the retinol she never stopped. And you've got about four seconds to decide whether you're going to say the hard thing.
This episode is about being the esthetician who says it — and having the words ready so it doesn't cost you the client.
We're covering the difference between absolute and relative contraindications (and why that distinction changes how you talk to clients), the contraindications that ambush you most often in the treatment room, and the pre-treatment advice and pre-care texts that stop the ambush before it ever starts. Then we get into the part nobody teaches you in esthetics school: the actual verbiage. Word-for-word reschedule scripts for five real scenarios — the Accutane client, the fresh filler, the client who didn't stop her retinol, the cold sore, and the sunburn.
Because "I can't help you" and "I can't help you today, and here's when I can" are two completely different sentences — and clients can hear the difference.
In this episode:
- Absolute vs. relative contraindications, and why almost every conversation you're dreading is a relative one
- Isotretinoin (Accutane): where the research actually stands, why you should still hold the conservative line, and what to do about written clearance
- The two-week rule for neurotoxin and filler — and why clients never think to tell you about injectables
- Retinoids, recent sun exposure, cold sores, pregnancy, blood thinners, and the honorable-mention contraindications that get missed
- How to write an intake form that gets honest answers (hint: ask by name)
- The exact pre-care text to automate 48–72 hours before every appointment
- Five word-for-word scripts for rescheduling a client due to a contraindication
- The one sentence to keep in your back pocket for any contraindication conversation
- Why documentation protects your license — and why turning a client away is the best referral engine you have
This episode is professional education for licensed estheticians, not medical advice. Always follow your state board's scope of practice, your insurance carrier's requirements, and your product manufacturer's protocols.
Every esthetician has been there: the client is in the chair, her jacket's off, she took a half day off work — and then she mentions the medication, the filler, the sunburn, the retinol she never stopped. And you've got about four seconds to decide whether you're going to say the hard thing.
This episode is about being the esthetician who says it — and having the words ready so it doesn't cost you the client.
We're covering the difference between absolute and relative contraindications (and why that distinction changes how you talk to clients), the contraindications that ambush you most often in the treatment room, and the pre-treatment advice and pre-care texts that stop the ambush before it ever starts. Then we get into the part nobody teaches you in esthetics school: the actual verbiage. Word-for-word reschedule scripts for five real scenarios — the Accutane client, the fresh filler, the client who didn't stop her retinol, the cold sore, and the sunburn.
Because "I can't help you" and "I can't help you today, and here's when I can" are two completely different sentences — and clients can hear the difference.
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