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We totally get you. Running a busy skincare clinic can sometimes feel like a whirlwind, and it’s easy for things like remembering to get your intake forms completed and signed to slip through the cracks. Right?
But skipping this step can lead to headaches – poor documentation practices can compromise patient safety and the ability to legally defend your business.
Facial client intake forms are used to collect information like the client’s skin type and condition, any allergies they have, or other concerns they want to address.
Estheticians require these facial client intake forms so:
- They’re aware of the client’s medical history
- Understand the clients goals and desired outcomes
- They have documented consent for the treatment
In this blog, you’ll find valuable information on everything a facial client intake form needs to include. As a bonus, we’ve included a free template for a facial intake form you can download and use in your practice!
Key elements of a facial client intake form (+ questions to ask)
A well-designed facial client intake form is your clinic’s first step in ensuring personalized, safe, and effective treatments for your clients.
Let’s look at the main elements you should include.
Client personal information
The first section of the facial client intake form should be client information. It must be accurate and detailed, and include:
- The client’s full name
- Date of birth
- Gender
- Contact details such as phone number, home address and email
Medical history
Estheticians must know their client’s medical history to ensure safe and effective treatments. So, you want to collect info on allergies, skin conditions, medications, or surgeries, which can help avoid treatment complications and personalize care.
Here is what you should consider asking in this section:
- Do you have any known allergies, especially to medications or skincare products?
- Are you currently taking any medications?
- Do you have chronic skin conditions (e.g., eczema, rosacea)?
- Have you had any recent surgeries or cosmetic treatments?
Skin type and concerns
After gathering your client’s personal information, you can proceed with questions about their largest organ — their skin.
Every skin type requires a different approach, and concerns like acne, hyperpigmentation, or sensitivity can dramatically influence the products and methods used during treatment.
Here are some common questions asked in this section:
- What is your skin type: Is it oily, dry, a combination of both, or normal?
- Do you have any current skin concerns?
- Are you prone to breakouts or blackheads?
- Do you experience excessive dryness or oiliness?
Current skincare routine
Gathering details about a client’s current skincare regime is key before performing the facial treatment. This is one way to ensure that the treatment you’ll provide is compatible with the products they’re using at home.
Include questions concerning what they apply daily and whether the skincare includes several steps, such as cleansers, moisturizers, exfoliants, serums, sunscreen, or any active ingredients like retinoids or acids.
Common questions in this section include:
- What skincare products are you currently using?
- How frequently do you use each product?
- Are you using any exfoliants, acids, or treatments with active ingredients?
- Do you experience any sensitivity or irritation from your current products?
Lifestyle and environmental factors
Lifestyle factors like diet, hydration, stress, and habits such as smoking or alcohol consumption can significantly impact skin health and aging.
A study on women aged 18-75 found that non-smokers and those who drink moderately tend to age slower. Nothing surprising there, really, but it’s good to know so that you can advise on results and the benefits of stopping smoking!
Collecting this kind of information in the client’s intake form will help you provide clients with the best treatment – and ensure realistic treatment outcomes.
In other words, ask questions about:
- Smoking, alcohol and drug habits: Smokers often need higher doses of vitamin C, as smoking depletes essential nutrients, causing dryness and premature aging. That makes it harder for the skin to recover and glow after a facial.
- Diet and hydration: Collect information about your patients’ daily dietary intake, including whether they’re following a specific regime or follow a vegan/vegetarian diet. For example, some gluten-free diets might suggest sensitivity issues that affect skin reactions to certain products.
- Exercise: You want to inform clients who exercise regularly that they should avoid working out on the day of the facial (and for a few days after that). Sweat might irritate the skin and postpone healing.
Previous treatments and reactions
You risk a lot if you don’t have insight into your client’s history of facials and treatments, including any adverse reactions.
Let’s say a client comes in for a chemical peel. If you don’t do you due diligence and gather information about how their skin reacted to it previously, and they then have a really bad response due to their skin type or because they’re allergic to AHAs or BHA acids, you could really be in trouble.
The moral of the story is that documenting clients’ previous treatments and reactions means you can tailor their sessions to their skin tolerance.
Ask questions like:
- Have you had any facials or skincare treatments before?
- How did your skin react to these treatments?
- Have you ever experienced any irritation, allergic reactions, or sensitivities from professional treatments?
- Are you currently using any medications or undergoing treatments that may affect your skin (e.g., Accutane, steroids)?
Consent to treatment and photography
In medical practices, patient images serve various purposes — from tracking progress, as a visual reminder for the practitioner, and for marketing.
However, not everyone is comfortable being photographed during facials. And even if they consent to the treatment and being photographed, there might be discomfort with regard to who has access to their photographs.
One study found that 99.5% of patients wanted their digital images accessible only to their treating physician. That’s why obtaining client consent for photos is crucial. There’s also the point about marketing. You must have separate consent to use images for marketing purposes i.e. on your website and social media.
Typical questions in this section include:
- Do you agree to have before-and-after photos taken for medical records?
- Do you consent to using your photos for marketing purposes, such as social media or promotional materials?
Emergency contact information
Even though facials are generally low-risk treatments, unforeseen reactions might sometimes occur. That’s why you must get the contact information of someone close to the client so you can get in touch if they become unwell.
You want to add these questions to the intake form:
- Who should we contact in case of an emergency?
- What is their relationship to you?
- What’s their phone number?
- What’s their email address?
Treatment goals and expectations
Since most patients have different goals and desired outcomes, it’s crucial that you’re on the same page about what they want to achieve.
To prepare for this, you can add a few questions about their expectations and desired outcomes, to ensure that their goals are achievable and realistic. If not, they might not be the client for you. Here are some as an inspiration:
- What’s your motivation for seeking this treatment?
- What’s your ideal outcome from today’s session?
- Do you prefer immediate results or long-term skincare improvements?
Facial intake form template to use
Whether you offer one type of facial treatment or many, a great facial client intake form can be customized to your specific needs.
That’s why we’ve created a comprehensive facial client intake form template that includes all the essential elements we’ve discussed.
Facial intake form
Template for download
Best practices for using the facial client intake form
Intake forms are your first touchpoint with prospective clients, and it’s very important that you get them right.
Here are some best practices for using facial client intake forms to ensure a smooth, safe, and effective treatment.
Provide digital forms for convenience
All clients want a seamless and effective experience when they go for a facial, including filling out the facial intake form. They shouldn’t be bothered by paperwork when they could be lying on the bed and enjoying the treatment.
Here is how digital intake forms win over standard paper intake forms:
⏳Save time: Clients have already completed the form before the treatment, reducing waiting periods, front desk overload, and helping efficiency!
👌User-friendly: Clients are able to fill in their intake forms at home, at their own convenience, which is a more flexible and customer-friendly option.
🛠️Customizable: Forms can be tailored to meet your business needs. Plus, any fields you add to forms will be pulled directly into the client record.
😌Accessible from anywhere: You can retrieve forms from the client record at any time, anywhere, without the need to go rifling around filing cabinets.
🌍Go paper-free: Not only is a paperless system better for the environment, it also saves you on printing costs. Plus, it’s just easier!
With Pabau, you can create digital forms for all the facials you offer. The system offers over 500 different forms. You can also create forms scratch or customize them by adding fields based on the data points you want to capture.
Update forms regularly for returning clients
Updating the facial client intake form is vital because it keeps you informed about changes in the client’s skin. This is important because:
- Clients often change their skincare routines. If a client starts using Retin-A and you’re not informed, applying a chemical peel could cause adverse reactions. Keeping client records updated helps prevent this.
- As a client’s skin ages and changes, their concerns may shift. For example, a client who initially visited for acne treatments may later seek help addressing signs of aging, meaning you must adjust forms based on their current needs.
- A client’s medical information may change. They might start taking a new medication or become pregnant, which can affect the facials they can have.
Discuss informed consent and expectations
Informed consent is necessary for all aesthetic treatments. Facials are no different.
Informed consent is typically something that is discussed during the consultation and it’s where you ensure the client knows exactly what to expect from the treatment in terms of risks, side effects, and alternative treatments.
- Clarity about the nature of the treatment: You need to ensure the patient understands what the treatment’s entails and potential risks and benefits.
- Aligned expectations: Ensure that you and the client are aligned in terms of their desired treatment outcome, and that this is realistic.
Emphasize pre-and post-treatment care
To achieve optimal results and minimize complications, it’s crucial that your clients follow pre- and post-treatment care instructions. With the power of automated pre- and post-care emails, you can highlight important aspects of what they should and shouldn’t do before and after the facial.
- Pre-treatment care should prepare them for the facial, help them understand what to expect, and determine whether they need to prepare their skin for the treatment.
- Post-treatment care is equally important to help them manage the recovery process effectively and minimize possible side effects such as infection, scarring, and itching.
Streamline your facial client intake forms with Pabau
One thing’s for sure.
Your clients come to you for pampering, not to fill out intake forms. That’s why you need to streamline this process and make it as effortless as possible.
What you need is an all-in-one practice management solution to enhance your spa’s client experience. And that’s exactly what Pabau is.
Pabau was designed to help you go paperless, customize forms to suit your needs, and automatically send them before each treatment.
Here are some of the key benefits:
☑️ No more paper forms, saving you valuable storage space
☑️ Clients can fill, sign, and submit their forms anytime, anywhere
☑️ Information from completed forms is automatically pulled into client records
☑️ You can stop having to send out forms manually before appointments
Discover how Pabau can help your practice streamline all of these processes. Book a demo now and see it for yourself!
