Overheard a client say she trusts her esthetician more than her doctor for skincare advice

Sitting in the break room yesterday and one of the nail techs was telling me about a client who said that. It got me thinking - are we crossing a line when clients start relying on us for medical stuff? I get it, we see their skin every month and docs only get 15 mins. But I'm not trained for that. On the other hand, we do catch stuff early sometimes like weird moles. Where's the line between helping and overstepping? How do you guys handle clients asking for medical opinions?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_drew25d ago

You're being too careful. Estheticians see faces up close under bright lights every day for years. A GP glances at your skin for maybe 30 seconds between checking your blood pressure and asking about your bowel movements. That client probably knows her esthetician has caught three suspicious spots that turned out to be something while her doctor told her to just use more sunscreen. If you're not diagnosing or prescribing, you're fine. Pointing out a mole that's changed shape isn't overstepping - it's common sense. The real issue is doctors not taking skincare seriously enough to earn that trust back.

the_nathan25d ago

Tbh @the_drew you're making me feel bad about my own GP visits where I'm pretty sure she's just checking if my skin is still attached to my face. Guess I owe my esthetician an apology for all those times I blamed her for my breakouts.