Words by: James Vivian
There’s a difference between a facial and real skin treatment.
Finding a skincare clinic that’s truly aligned with your needs— whether you’re chasing hydration, acne support, or serious skin health— can be tricky.
While Instagram and glossy clinic websites often paint a perfect picture, James Vivian, nationally recognised Dermal Therapist and founder of James Vivian clinic, says what really matters happens behind the scenes.
Read: James Vivian on What’s Broken in The Aesthetic Industry (and How to Fix It)
From clinics that offer thoughtful aftercare to the ones that know when to refer you elsewhere, these are the 8 tell-tale signs James recommends keeping an eye out for.
1. May not use before and afters
Before and afters can both be advantageous to the clinic/client relationship, and be considered false advertising.
What one client is able to achieve is not necessarily what others can achieve, even when they use the exact same treatment and homecare plans.
2. Openly discusses their follow-up processes
What occurs after a client leaves the clinic is often more important than what occurs at the time of treatment.
Advanced treatments often set in motion a cascade of physical changes in the skin that need to be overseen through post-treatment follow up.
Specific instructions around how a client should follow up with a clinic should also be offered in the case of any post-treatment concerns or effects.
3. Doesn’t say ‘we’re the best’
Clinics that are probably the best at what they do understand how misleading claims such as these are and prefer to demonstrate their abilities quietly and to clients who already think they’re the best without them needing to say so.
Admiration needs to be earnt and then maintained. Plus no one will be ‘the best’ for everyone.
4. Doesn’t speak negatively about other treatments, people or businesses
Not every clinic can be everything to everyone, and our industry is filled with differing perspectives, philosophies and approaches to get the job done.
Clinics who are aware of what’s out there and who share an understanding and appreciation for a free market can help clients make informed decisions about what treatments are suitable beyond their clinic walls.
5. Recommends other services and practitioners
Understanding a clinics strengths and weaknesses and thereby recommending other services and practitioners that can do the work is very important to ensure that a client will not be confined to the offering within a clinic alone.
It often takes a village to get the job done and clinics who offset immodesty with referrals are always in a clients best interest.
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6. Offers comprehensive and ongoing training
Unfortunately, beauty and dermal clinics operate often with little regulation over who can work and what can be offered.
Moreover, new and updated education degrees and courses mean there are a greater number of professional titles such as Dermal Clinician, Dermal Therapist etc. available for use. (FYI, people also call themselves these titles without having completed the necessary education).
Just because someone has a degree doesn’t make them a better therapist.
Do not mistake titles for abilities. In our industry, time in clinic as well as in-clinic and ongoing training are the best markers for a therapist’s abilities.
7. May not offer packs e.g. buy 4 get the 5th free
Now, if you have a treatment that you love to get regularly and you can get 20% off, go for it! But if you’re trying to improve a specific concern and you are greeted with ‘we have a pack of 5 of x treatment’ it might be worth considering if your skin actually needs 5 of them?
- What if you only need 2?
- What if you discover it’s not the right treatment for you?
- What if you needs change?
- What if you have a change of heart about the clinic?
No therapist or clinic has a crystal ball to be able to know how many treatments a client will need to get the job done.
Remaining agile and watching how a skin responds after each and everything should inform what to do next, especially if you’re new to a clinic or starting your skincare journey.
8. May not work with influencers
If you haven’t worked it out yet, an influencers job is to market something in exchange for either a complimentary or discounted service or they may have even been paid to undertake the service and whilst some influencer testimonials are genuine, in this realm you can never be assured.
The best people to talk about their experiences are actual clients as well as the people who work in the business assuming they are speaking factually, free from bias and with education wholly in mind.
Final Thoughts
Skin is personal— and so is care.
At the end of the day, the right skincare clinic will take the time to understand your skin, respect your autonomy, and empower you with real education.
Read: Please Stop Wasting Your Time and Money on Junk.
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