What to Expect at Your First Skin Treatment

Booking a first facial, peel or laser course can feel like stepping into a world with its own vocabulary. The appointment itself is straightforward. Here is how it usually runs, so nothing on the day is a surprise.

Before you book: the consultation

Most good therapists and clinics start with a consultation, either as a separate appointment or as the first part of your treatment. You fill in a form about your skin, your medical history and your medication, and the practitioner looks at your skin, often under a magnifying lamp or a skin scanner.

Be thorough. Some things change what is safe to do:

• prescription retinoids and acne treatments, which make the skin more fragile;
• pregnancy and breastfeeding, which rule out some acids and devices;
• a history of cold sores, which a peel or laser can trigger;
• recent sun exposure or a fresh tan, which matters a great deal for laser;
• skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis or rosacea.

The consultation is also your chance to say what you want to improve and what you are prepared to keep up. A good practitioner will tell you honestly what a treatment can and cannot do, and will not sell you a course you do not need.

The patch test

For peels, laser, IPL and many professional products, expect a patch test: a small area treated a day or two before, or a week before in the case of laser, to check how your skin reacts. It is standard good practice, and a therapist or clinic that skips it is cutting a corner.

Preparing for the day

Your practitioner will give you specific instructions, but the usual ones are:

• stop exfoliating and using retinoids a few days before a peel or microneedling;
• avoid sunbeds, fake tan and strong sun for the weeks before laser, and shave the area the day before;
• arrive without make-up if you can, or allow time to remove it;
• for laser and electrolysis, avoid waxing or plucking the area in the weeks before, as the hair root needs to be there.

In the room

For a facial you lie on a couch with your hair tied back and a towel or gown over your clothes or underwear. The therapist cleanses, exfoliates and works through the treatment, usually in near silence unless you want to talk.

For a peel you will feel tingling or warmth for a few minutes; tell the practitioner if it becomes uncomfortable and they will neutralise it. For microneedling a numbing cream goes on twenty to thirty minutes beforehand. For laser and IPL you wear protective eyewear, and each pulse feels like a quick snap against the skin.

Throughout, you are in charge. If something hurts more than you were told it would, say so straight away.

Afterwards

Most skin treatments leave the skin a little pink for a few hours; peels and microneedling can leave it red or flaky for a day or several. The aftercare you are given is part of the treatment:

• wear a high-factor sunscreen every day, because treated skin burns more easily;
• skip make-up, exfoliants and active ingredients for as long as you are told;
• do not pick at flaking skin;
• avoid hot baths, saunas and intense exercise for the first day or two.

How many sessions?

A facial or a HydraFacial gives a visible result the same day. Peels, microneedling, LED and laser work over a course — typically three to eight sessions a few weeks apart — with maintenance afterwards. Ask at the consultation how many sessions you are likely to need and what the whole course costs, not just the first visit.