Our Dermal Clinician Chrys Discusses the Importance of Consultation

I get daily enquiries about treatments and patients wanting treatments asap. As life gets busier, and we take on more responsibilities, I’m finding that patients want to forgo the consultation process and jump straight into a treatment. Or, as a concession have the consultation right before a treatment. This is fine if you are having a completely non-invasive treatment with no downtime such as Dermaplaning (Epiblade). However, when it comes to more invasive treatments such as Microneedling, and Profractional then a consultation is a must. You need to be able to make an informed decision about whether the treatment is right for you, and take into account any downtime, the risks and benefits before making a decision to proceed.

Ideally, you should come in for a consultation where I can go through all the risk and benefits, the procedure, downtime, as well as, pre and post care. You should then go home and read all the extra information I have given you to make an informed decision. Many people believe non-surgical means non-invasive and caries minimal risk therefore, are happy to proceed with minimal information. They put their trust into the operator without asking the relevant questions. Some treatments such as BBL are non-invasive in that they do not break the surface of the skin in the way Microneedling does but may require prepping prior to treatment. This includes avoiding Vitamin A for a week prior and applying pigment inhibitors to help prevent hyperpigmentation for some skin tones. BBL also has downtime especially if it is used to treat hyperpigmentation therefore, it’s best to plan these treatments in advance.

Other treatments such as Ultherapy and Coolsculpting take a while to see results. Many patients are unaware that the treatments don’t work straight away and are in a hurry to have the procedure for an event. Again, this is where a thorough consultation is paramount. You wouldn’t consider having surgery without a consultation so why would you risk any adverse effects on your face and body without finding out all the information first?

Finally, taking a thorough medical history is an important part of the consultation.  Some medications and vitamins can have an adverse effect on the treatment. For example, fish oils can cause more bruising for treatments such as Coolsculpting and Ultherapy. Antibiotics and some medications can make you more photosensitive therefore, more reactive to BBL treatments. Without a comprehensive consultation you are denying yourself the opportunity to be properly informed about your treatment and, as a result, minimise any surprises post treatment. At Silkwood we ALWAYS have a consultation prior to treatment. Though we understand you may be coming from far away (we get many patients from interstate) it is worthwhile marking out the time to have a consultation first so that the treatment that it best suited to your concern and lifestyle is chosen.  I can answer some initial questions through email and phone conversations but a face to face consultation is necessary prior to treatment.

If you would like to have a consultation where I can address your concerns and put together a treatment plan for you please call 02 9387 3900 to make an appointment. Consultations take 30-45minutes depending on your concerns.