A client's reaction to a new peel had me scrambling for my emergency kit

This past Friday, a regular came in for a gentle lactic acid peel, something she's done before with no issues. About ten minutes after I finished, her face got really red and started to feel hot, way more than normal. I had to grab the aloe gel and cool compress from my emergency kit right away. It turned out she had started a new prescription retinoid three days prior and didn't think to tell me. The whole thing stressed me out, even though it calmed down after about twenty minutes. How do you guys handle intake forms to catch medication changes between appointments?

3 comments

3 Comments

gavin_reed2mo ago

Ugh that's the worst. I make them verbally confirm nothing's changed right before I start, every single time. Had a guy forget to mention antibiotics once and we almost had the same situation.

wade_perez2mo ago

Yeah, I make them list everything out loud.

amybarnes1mo ago

I see what you're saying, but honestly I kinda feel like that's putting too much trust in someone's memory. People forget stuff all the time, even when they mean well. I'd rather just review the chart or list myself before anything starts, it gives me more control. Plus if something goes wrong later, it's harder to blame me if I caught my own mistake instead of relying on them. How do you handle it when someone swears nothing changed but something clearly did?