Beauty Tips For Body Care
I’m extremely upset by this latest visit to my usual med spa.Some Background: I’ve been going to one of the best med spas in my city for the past several years. I visit every couple months for their signature facial which includes microdermabrasion/dermaplaning & skin evaluation. Normally, there’s a few great estheticians I regularly book facials with, but they were all booked. So I made an appointment with the owner (my second time seeing her). She’s a 60-something woman who has decades of experience with skin, but evidently that does not translate to good customer service. She has the WORST bedside manner I’ve ever encountered. My first appointment with her, I had pretty good skin so I didn’t encounter any of the snide, negative comments she made about my skin until this latest appointment.The Start of the Appointment:I showed up 30 minutes early, since the esthetician (hereafter referred to as RE=Rude Esthetician) asked if I could (I believe she had a large gap between patients, so she wanted to fill it). Fine. I left work earlier to accommodate her. She makes me wait 20 minutes while she argues on the phone about business issues.Comments RE made during my assessment:“Your skin looks like it’s been hit with shrapnel, which is not good.” Why would you say this to anyone?? Let alone someone in a client-facing role to do with skin. I was so caught off guard by this, I didn’t say anything. My skin was great the past couple years when I was prescribed adapalene 0.3% by my derm, but I had to stop using it because I developed irritation (dermatitis) after each use. I’ve been working on clearing it for the past 6 months, and there have been highs and lows. This was definitely one of my low points, and this was plain mean to say to anyone at any time.“You should be concerned about how your skin looks, especially for someone that doesn’t use makeup.” Also, “Oh. Why don’t you use makeup?” I understand my skin is bad, but makeup is a personal preference & I shouldn’t be pressured into using it because you think my skin is bad. I hated the implication that I don’t understand how bad my skin is & that she thinks I’d be better off using something to cover my blemishes.Said in a condescending tone: “Oh, you don’t want to use birth control? Well, your acne looks hormonal.” And “Do you think it’s easy for fat people to lose weight?” pauses for a response “No. And sometimes they can’t because they’re not willing to do what needs to be done, since they don’t want to. You don’t want to be on birth control or spironolactone so there’s only so much that can be done.” I told RE that my hormonal acne was manageable when I was using adapalene regularly, and was discussing what topicals I could use to help with what looked like general (non-hormonal) acne when she went into this spiel. I can’t put into words how nearly every comment she made was said in a voice that sounded like she was speaking to a 5-year old, but I was shocked into disbelief at this point.After asking a question about suggestions for skin routine, said in a deliberately slow manner: “Let me take 5 minutes to explain this in a way you would understand....” Why the fuck would you speak like this with anyone??? The other estheticians at this medspa are great. We have excellent back & forth about my routine and the active ingredients I’m using or considering. I have a background in biology (though not skincare), and a fair understanding about skincare & the multitude of products I’ve tried. The RE however assumes I’m a mentally challenged skincare newbie with the way she speaks. I was so afraid thinking “this person is in charge of my skin” that I didn’t want to talk to her anymore & was waiting for the appointment to be over.Said in a sarcastic tone: “Here’s some advice I have for you. I’m not sure you’ll listen, but what do I know? I’ve just been working on peoples’ skin for 40 years & have all these skincare certificates” gestures to the wall of certificates After mentioning these comments to my boyfriend after getting home from my facial, he made a relevant point: A lot of these things RE says is completely UNNECESSARY. She tacks on these rude comments and then says whatever skincare advice she has. Why say things like, “I’m not sure you’ll listen but...” and “let me explain this in a way you’d understand” ??? Especially with a snide condescending tone.For the most part, I believe RE is knowledgeable about skincare, but ANYTIME I’d interject with what I KNOW about MY skin & how it’s behaved in the past & commented with what scientific literature I’ve read, she would give me this pitying look & sigh like she can’t believe I’m refuting what she’s saying. As I mentioned, the other estheticians would have CONVERSATIONS with me about my skin. With RE I felt like I was being lectured by a nurse treating me like a patient in a mental institution. I never said the advice she gave me was bad, but anytime I’d respond to one of her skincare comments, RE would be irritated that I didn’t automatically accept that everything I’d been doing with my skin was wrong and she was right.After the facial, she was chatting about what I’ve tried in the past, & I said “I’ve tried dapsone, but stopped using it in conjunction with adapalene at the time. It was about 6 months ago—” She literally cut me off saying “excuse me,” exits the room with the door open & yells backwards “you can get changed now.” What the fuck? Most facialists would say “alright that concludes our appointment. Take your time getting changed. I’ll be waiting at the reception desk.” Or something to that effect. Rude as fuck. So as I’m getting changed, I hear her yell from the reception desk computer, “You’re wrong! What did you say you used? Dapsone is a leprosy medication.” So I head over after getting changed and pull up on my phone “Aczone (dapsone).” She says “you’re wrong, the name is Aczone.” And I tell her “No. that’s the brand name. It’s topical dapsone I was prescribed.” She goes quiet and mumbles, “Oh you’re right.” When I ask if it’s her first time hearing about it, she says, “Of course not. I’m just old. I forgot.”Thank you for reading this far. I’ve been really disheartened by my skin lately & this facial appointment has made me so angry. I sincerely hope none of you ever experience anything like this. It’s horrible to hear such rude comments & get talked down to when I booked & paid $$$$ for an appointment that was supposed to make me feel better about myself. I’m torn because I really like the other estheticians. They provide great advice for the current state of my skin each appointment, but I don’t think I can return knowing I’m supporting someone (the owner) who is the most condescending, rude woman I’ve ever met.
Girls Blog 2015
Submitted by widelenskelp
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