Why Start with a Professional Skin Consultation?
A professional skin consultation is a one-on-one visit where a licensed provider analyzes your skin, reviews your health history, and builds a personalized skincare plan before any treatment begins. At Elase, it’s where every great skin journey starts. The best part? Your skin assessment is complimentary. No pressure. No sales pitch. Just a plan built around your skin, your goals, and how you want to feel when you look in the mirror.
Picture it: you’ve saved a dozen treatment videos, your best friend swears by her laser facial, and your group chat has opinions. It’s a lot. So here’s our honest advice: before you book a treatment, book a conversation.
As Elase Master Medical Aesthetician Andrea Bailey puts it: “We just live in an internet world. We’re all doctor Googling… My friend had this. I saw before and afters on this.” But every person is different, and so is every skin. Your friend’s favorite treatment might not be yours and that’s okay. You’re just in a different season.
What Happens During a Medspa Skin Analysis?
During a medspa skin analysis, your provider evaluates your skin’s tone, texture, hydration, pigmentation, and sensitivity, then asks about your routine, history, and goals. Think of it as reading your skin’s story—sun-soaked summers, stressful seasons, the routine you swear you’ll stick to this time—so nobody’s guessing.
Your provider will ask what’s working, what’s been frustrating you, and which products you use now. There’s no “normal” skin here—only your unique skin and what it needs in this season of life.
Andrea Bailey, OAS, LMA, CLT, is a Master Medical Aesthetician at Elase’s Ponte Vedra Beach and Atlantic Beach, Florida spas. She has worked in aesthetics since 1989, trained directly with dermatologist Dr. Zein Obagi, and has served on the ZO Skin Health advisory board. Her first step with every new client is the same:
“Before any type of corrective treatment, whether it be a chemical peel, a laser, a broadband light device, microneedling—anytime we’re injuring the skin—it is imperative that you have a proper consultation with a very educated and licensed provider so that provider can assess your skin properly and make recommendations specific to your needs.” — Andrea Bailey, OAS, LMA, CLT, Master Medical Aesthetician
Why Do Safety Checks Matter Before Skin Treatments?
Safety checks help your provider choose treatments and settings that suit your skin and your health right now. Before any chemical peel, laser, or injectable, your provider reviews your health history, medications, allergies, recent sun exposure, and past treatments. It’s the unglamorous part and the most important one.
Why does that matter? Some medications and skincare ingredients make skin more sensitive. Some treatments aren’t recommended during pregnancy. A fresh tan can change which laser settings are appropriate. These details shape what’s right for you today and what should wait.
Think of it like your favorite aunt asking, “Now, are you taking anything?” before sharing her go-to recommendation. She’s not being nosy. She’s looking out for you. Our providers bring decades of medical experience and hundreds of hours of continuing education and they’d rather ask one more question than skip one.
What Is Skin Pre-Conditioning, and Why Does It Matter?
Skin pre-conditioning means using a provider-recommended, medical-grade skincare regimen for at least four weeks before a corrective treatment, so your skin is strong, tolerant, and functioning well when treatment begins. Think of it as your skin’s warm-up.
Why does skin need a warm-up? Chemical peels, lasers, microneedling, and radiofrequency microneedling all work by creating a controlled injury that prompts your skin to renew and build collagen. That’s how they work their magic and it’s why your skin needs to be ready for them.
At your skin consultation, your provider recommends a regimen built for your skin, and you’ll use it at home for at least four weeks. The goal is to help your skin cells function at their best, because that’s what healthy skin looks like:
- Strong and tolerant
- Even in tone
- Contour rich
- Hydrated from within
- Free of active skin conditions
“Preconditioning the skin for me is completely non-negotiable when I’m doing corrective treatments, no matter what they are. This ensures that the skin is strong, healthy, tolerant, functioning properly.” — Andrea Bailey
Skipping it, Andrea explains, can mean a higher chance of adverse reactions “or just an underwhelming outcome.” Pre-conditioned skin is better prepared to respond, so you can get the most from every treatment.
And sometimes the regimen itself is a glow-up. These are a few of Andrea’s clients after four weeks on a full ZO Skin Health regimen—no peels or lasers yet. Different skin stories, different personalized skincare plans.
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Results after 4 weeks of a provider-recommended ZO Skin Health regimen. Individual results vary.
As Andrea reminds her clients, “It’s what we do daily to the skin that best determines the health and functionality of the skin.”
How Is a Custom Treatment Plan Built?
A custom treatment plan combines the in-spa treatments and at-home regimen best suited to your skin analysis, goals, budget, and schedule. Sometimes that’s a single treatment. More often, it’s a thoughtful combination—like a BBL or MOXI laser series, a series of chemical peels, and the home regimen that keeps supporting your results between visits.
Your plan also fits your real life: how much downtime you can handle, and that wedding (or reunion, or vacation) on the horizon. Want to start small? Great. Ready to go all in? We’ll pace it so your skin can keep up.
Choosing the right tools is part of the art. For redness and visible capillaries, Andrea often reaches for broadband light (BBL), knowing a MOXI laser can add broader improvement. “It really, really is very provider specific on what is going to bring the best overall and comprehensive improvement for each [client],” she says. That kind of plan doesn’t come from a menu. It comes from really getting to know your skin.
What Results Can You Realistically Expect?
Corrective skin treatments typically improve skin gradually over weeks and a series of sessions, not in a single appointment. Let’s be honest with each other: poreless skin doesn’t exist. Your consultation is where you’ll hear what’s realistic for you—how many sessions you might need, what downtime looks like, and when you may start noticing a difference.
Take a chemical peel. Andrea explains that skin is usually a little pink the day of treatment, flaking typically starts a couple of days later, and it can take about a week for the peeling to finish. The deeper renewal keeps going after that: “It actually takes about 28 days after injury for collagen to begin to remodel. So it’s sort of like the gift that keeps giving.”
Progress over time, not overnight. Clear expectations mean fewer surprises and more little wins to celebrate. Every client’s skin responds differently, and your provider will walk you through what’s realistic for yours—plus exactly how to care for your skin afterward.
What to Expect at Your Skin Consultation
- A relaxed conversation about your goals and concerns
- A close, personalized look at your skin
- A review of your health history and current routine
- A medical-grade home regimen to pre-condition your skin for four weeks
- A custom plan with options, timelines, and investment details
- Time to think it over—no pressure to decide on the spot
Skin Consultation FAQs
Is a skin consultation at Elase free?
Yes. Your skin consultation and skin assessment at Elase are complimentary. You’ll meet one-on-one with a licensed provider, get a personalized skin analysis, and leave with a custom treatment plan—with no obligation to book a treatment.
Do I need a consultation before a chemical peel, laser, or microneedling?
Yes. Elase providers recommend a professional consultation before any corrective treatment, including chemical peels, lasers, BBL, microneedling, and radiofrequency microneedling. A licensed provider can assess your skin, review your health history, and recommend what’s right for you.
How long should I pre-condition my skin before a treatment?
Every provider is different, but Andrea Bailey recommends at least four weeks on a provider-recommended, medical-grade skincare regimen before a corrective treatment. Pre-conditioning helps your skin become strong, tolerant, and well-functioning, which supports better outcomes and lowers the risk of adverse reactions.
What does healthy skin look like?
At Elase, healthy skin is strong and tolerant, even in tone, contour rich, hydrated from within, and free of active skin conditions. Pre-conditioning with a medical-grade regimen is designed to help your skin reach that state before corrective treatments.
What’s the difference between a skin consultation and a facial?
A skin consultation is an assessment and planning visit: your provider analyzes your skin, checks your health history, and builds a personalized skincare plan. A facial is a treatment. Your consultation helps determine which facials, peels, or lasers fit your skin.
How long does it take to recover from a chemical peel?
According to Andrea, skin is usually a little pink the day of a chemical peel, flaking starts a few days later, and peeling typically finishes in about a week. Collagen remodeling begins about 28 days after treatment, so results keep developing. Recovery varies by peel depth.
Start with a Free Skin Assessment
Whatever season you’re in—busy, brand-new, or somewhere in between—your skin deserves a thoughtful start. Your skin consultation and assessment are complimentary, at any of our 43 Elase spas across eight states. And if holiday-ready skin is on your wish list, now is a lovely time to begin, since pre-conditioning gives your skin a four-week head start.
Ready to see what your skin really needs? Let’s create your personalized skincare plan together. Schedule your free skin consultation at your nearest Elase spa.
Individual results vary. Treatment availability may vary by location.
