Beautician: how to perform an effective skin diagnosis?

In a beauty salon, skin diagnosis is much more than a mere formality. It is a crucial step in understanding the customer's expectations and offering them truly tailored treatments. A thorough analysis strengthens the relationship of trust, enables targeted prescriptions and helps build customer loyalty.

Thanks to the certified Dr Renaud method, you can perform a tailor-made, accurate and professional skin diagnosis without the need for sophisticated equipment.

Here is a step-by-step guide to performing an effective skin diagnosis as a beautician. 

1. Listening: understand before analysing

The diagnosis begins well before the visual examination. It is a phase of exchange and dialogue. This is when we understand the client's expectations, feelings and habits.

Make your client comfortable, sitting opposite you at the same height. This posture encourages open discussion. Then ask key questions:

•  In your opinion, what is your skin type?

• What makes you say that?

• What would you like to improve about your skin?

• Does your skin shine all day long or only at the end of the day?

• After applying your cream, do you still feel tightness?

  
  

These questions allow you to gauge the customer's perception of her skin, assess the intensity of the signs she perceives and determine whether this is a real concern for her.

Next, identify her beauty priorities: firmness, radiance, redness, discomfort, etc. Note these elements in the order of importance given by the customer, as these concerns will guide your prescription.

Finally, ask her about her current routine: make-up removal, cleansing, serum, cream, sunscreen, etc. Be careful not to judge. A routine may be followed well without actually being suited to her needs.

2. Professional skin diagnosis: observe, feel, analyse

This is where your expertise comes into play. Offer your client a mirror and begin the visual and tactile diagnosis. Always with delicacy and kindness, assess the eight skin conditions on a scale of 1 to 10:

• Shine

Observe the T-zone (forehead, nose, chin), gently touch with your thumb to assess sebum production. Also observe the size of the pores.

• Dehydration

Gently lift the skin with your index finger in different areas. The presence of streaks is a key indicator.

• Dryness

Look for scabs or flakes, touch the skin to feel for roughness or lack of suppleness. Remember: a dry area is always dehydrated.

• Sensitivity

Ask the client if the redness is diffuse, permanent or related to visible blood vessels (telangiectasia, rosacea). These details will guide your choice of treatment.

• Firmness

Pinch the skin around the oval of the face: does it spring back quickly? Repeat near the crow's feet.

• Density

Press gently with your fingertip to assess volume and tone, especially around the eyes.

• Puffiness

Ask the client to lower their chin and look at you. Puffiness under the eyes is often linked to poor lymphatic circulation.

• Pigment uniformity

Look for spots, colour differences and overall uniformity of the complexion. A dull complexion may reveal slight hyperpigmentation.

Note your observations based on the client's feelings. This joint diagnosis process strengthens their involvement and confidence.

3. Personalised recommendations: suggest, don't impose

Once the diagnosis has been made, it is time to propose a personalised skincare programme tailored to the needs expressed and the skin conditions observed.

Start by rephrasing:

"For those of you who mentioned sensitive and dull skin, and after observing signs of dehydration and erythrosis, here is what I recommend... "

Propose a suitable salon treatment, first determining the duration (30-minute Flash Experience or 60-minute Targeted Experience) and then the need (Iris Wrinkle & Firming or Lime Purifying), and complete with a home care routine: cleanser, lotion, serum, cream, mask or occasional exfoliator.

Structure the routine around three key areas:

• Cleanse & remove make-up: face, eyes and décolleté.

• Daily treatment: serums, elixirs, targeted creams (eyes, neck, lips).

• Occasional treatment: exfoliation and masks depending on specific issues.

Remember: this step is not about selling. The goal is to provide professional advice. Offer the customer the opportunity to start her ideal routine:

‘Would you like to treat yourself to this ritual?’

Be prepared for a possible refusal without taking it personally. Your role is to guide, not to force.

Dr Renaud, a rigorous approach to skincare and customer relations

Thanks to Dr Renaud's certified diagnostic method, you have a reliable, structured protocol for performing a comprehensive skin diagnosis. By following the steps – listening, diagnosis, prescription – you reinforce your position as a skin expert.

A good diagnosis is a special moment of exchange, a lever for building loyalty, and the starting point for a real transformation for your customer... and for your business.