Had a client's face turn bright red from a new peel last Tuesday

I was doing a light glycolic peel in my treatment room, something I've done a hundred times. About five minutes after I put it on, the client's skin started to get really red, way more than normal. It was patchy and hot to the touch. My heart just dropped. I rinsed it off right away with cool water and used a calming aloe gel I keep on hand. I stayed calm and told her we were stopping the treatment and focusing on soothing her skin. It turned out she had started a new retinol cream two days before and didn't think to tell me. Her skin calmed down after about twenty minutes with a cold compress. Has anyone else had a reaction pop up because a client forgot to mention a new product?

2 comments

2 Comments

sethc1221d ago

Two days before a peel and she starts a new retinol? That is a huge detail to leave out. I always ask about actives during the consultation but people just forget or downplay it. You must have been so stressed watching that redness spread. Good call on the aloe and the cold compress, that's the exact right move. It's a solid reminder to double check everything, even stuff you asked about last week.

angela_coleman20d ago

You know, I used to just trust the intake forms. But after reading stuff from @sethc12, I double-check everything verbally now. People really do forget what they put on their face.