All beauty treatments come with mild to moderate risks. Mostly, that means anyone could have an allergic reaction or another relatively rare complication. However, these potential problems mean your clients must understand and agree to those risks. That’s where a facial consent form comes in. Our templates are professionally created, so you don’t have to worry about missing anything important.
Running or working at a beauty business means dealing with many potential allergens and clients with pre-existing conditions. Discussing these things and ensuring you don’t accidentally cause an avoidable adverse health reaction is essential. In this article, you’ll learn everything you need to know about facial consent forms, how they work, what they’re suitable for, and other vital questions.
What Is a Facial Consent Form?
A facial consent form is a document facial clients sign to show they understand any potential risk related to the treatment they are about to receive and their aftercare responsibilities. By disclosing their allergies and certain relevant health information and signing their agreement, it protects the business and technician from false claims that they weren’t given the necessary information. These simple, effective documents show that the technician and client have both consented to the facial.
Why is a Facial Consent Form Important?
A facial consent form is important for the client, the technician, and the business. First, it is essential for the client because it gives you a way to discuss potential complications and risks with them. Doing this type of client education helps empower the people who want skincare to have a safe, comfortable experience.
Secondly, a facial consent form is essential for the technician because it shows they did their part to ensure clients are educated and able to express their needs in a way that helps the tech offer better service. Having this document shows who did the work and what they discussed with the client. It offers some protection in case of a bad or absent-minded client who failed to disclose essential information for a safe experience and shows that the tech made every reasonable attempt to offer safe services.
Finally, the facial consent form is important to the whole business. The business can better serve its needs when clients sign their consent and disclose anything that could cause problems in advance. Moreover, it protects the business from false claims and lawsuits related to its services.
Are Facials Risky
Facials are not particularly risky. The skin on your face is delicate, and many nerve endings exist in this area of your body. Moreover, it is prone to getting dirty, acne, wind chapping, sunburn, and allergies. Hence, while there’s relatively little risk of complications due to using a simple facial treatment, it can technically happen. For example, the risk is much higher if a client fails to disclose something important, like an allergy to one of the ingredients you commonly use or recent facial damage and surgery.
Typically you don’t need to worry about giving or receiving a facial. However, honest dialogue and the right elements on a facial consent form can mitigate most of the minimal risks. Moreover, it also protects the technician and business.
Essential Elements of a Facial Consent Form
The essential elements of a facial consent form are more extensive than you might expect if you’ve never had to issue or sign one. There are numerous health-related questions that you must ask every client. Additionally, some questions only apply to female clients because of their specific biology. Below is an outline of all the essential elements of a facial consent form and where they go on the page.
- Logo or business name
- Title showing what the form is intended for
- The date
- The client’s name, birthdate, and contact information
- Any questions about how the client found your business or who referred them
- Medical history, including relevant questions about medications, facial procedures, and any damage or surgeries.
- Allergies
- Stress level and whether the client experiences claustrophobia
- Questions about the clients’ skincare and skincare concerns, including products they use
- Other relevant health questions like hair removal, recent treatments, and any related medical devices or implants
- Female client questions, including those about birth control, pregnancy, and breastfeeding
- Statement of acknowledgment showing the client understands your practices and the risks and that they have read everything and consent to the treatment
- Notes about post-facial asking care and possible temporary (normal) irritation.
Preparing Your Clients Before a Facial
When you do the initial consultation with a client, sit down and discuss why there are so many health questions on the form. Answer any questions about why they must disclose medical information for a facial. This is also a great time to mention some basic, common-sense tips. Below are a few things to recommend for their comfort and a better facial experience.
- Wear loose, comfortable clothing you can sit in for long periods.
- People should avoid eating and drinking right before their appointments, if possible, so they won’t need to use the washroom during their appointment.
- Discuss the company policy on walk-ins and people who are late for appointments.
- Tell the client how long the treatment should take and any normal discomfort they may experience.
- Explain why it is not a good idea to bring a phone or tablet as this can cause them to move around during the treatment. If the facial is extensive, you can recommend listening to music or books on tape instead.
- Talk with your client about avoiding stimulants like coffee and soda, which can cause involuntary facial movement.
Pro Tip: Health issues are not always what you’d expect based on appearances. You may need to word things differently to be inclusive. Regardless of your beliefs, inclusive wording will prevent accidental liability. Using the term AFAB, or Assigned Female At Birth can help get the right information out of some clients who may be male or appear masculine but share some biological features with women. These conditions were once thought to be incredibly rare. However, science shows that our understanding of genetics was limited in the past and human anatomy is far more nuanced and complex than previously believed, which can and does impact skincare practices. New information comes out all the time. Moreover, as science progresses, we will likely see male versions of birth control pills. It behooves you to keep up with the current science and terminology to serve a broader, better-understood client base’s skincare needs.
FAQS
Consent forms can be online. A legal adult can agree by adding a digital signature on the bottom of a form that is as binding and valid as the handwritten version. In general, electronic consent forms must include some reasonable mechanism to verify who the person giving consent is a form with the relevant information, and a way for them to ‘sign’ or type and hit send in this case. Identity verification can be as simple as personally emailing the form in question to a client you have met or spoken to via phone or video call and then receiving it back from them with the digital signature. However, in some cases, more is necessary, such as taking a digital or physical copy of the client’s identification card.
The materials list below covers all the basic materials for a facial. This list is not exhaustive, and professionals may have access to additional materials.
ᐅ Clean hands
ᐅ A hair band, if needed
ᐅ Washcloths and towels
ᐅ Face cleaner because you should always start with clean skin
ᐅ An exfoliant to remove dead skin
ᐅ A face mask
ᐅ Toner
ᐅ Moisturizer
The steps below are used for most facials. It is essential not to skip steps for a complete treatment.
ᐅ Clean your hands and face
ᐅ Get hair out of the way
ᐅ Remove any dirt or existing products like makeup
ᐅ Exfoliate the surface of the skin
ᐅ Do a mask treatment
ᐅ Use a toner and then moisturizer
Final Thoughts
Having a facial should be relaxing and make the client’s skin look and feel nicer. You can provide the best possible service and results by having them sign a facial consent form. It is important to discuss health and any possible allergens or complications with the people you give facial treatments to avoid damaging the skin or even getting sued for bad practices. Using a professional, premade form helps prevent you from missing anything important.
