Chemical peel consent form: what to include, and the aftercare to send home
A peel is the treatment where the client's choices in the week afterwards decide the result as much as anything you do in the room. They will flake, they will be tempted to pick, and they will walk outside. A good consent form gets ahead of all three before the acid touches the skin.
This exact form is built into SlickChart: send it to your client's phone to sign before the visit, and the aftercare below goes home with them.
Start with what the peel actually is
Clients should know what they are agreeing to. My form opens with a plain description: a professional acid solution removes the outermost layer of dead skin cells to improve tone, texture, breakouts or fine lines, and it is a superficial peel that works on the surface layer only.
That last part sets the ceiling on expectations. The same section covers:
- What they will feel. Tingling, stinging, warmth or itching for a few minutes.
- What to expect after. Redness for a few hours to 2 days, then possible flaking for 3 to 7 days.
- That results build. Most people need a series, and results are gradual and not permanent.
- Other options. No treatment, homecare, gentler exfoliation such as enzymes, or a physician referral for stronger peels, laser or prescription care.
Listing alternatives is what makes consent informed rather than just signed.
List the risks in plain words
Mine names darker patches (more likely in deeper skin tones), lighter patches, redness that lasts longer than expected, a cold sore outbreak for anyone who has had them, allergic or irritant reactions, blistering or crusting, a visible line where the peel ends, temporary breakouts or milia, melasma getting worse, and scarring, which is rare.
Then one line that ties the risks to behaviour: sun exposure, picking at flaking skin and skipping aftercare all raise these risks. That sentence tells the client the outcome is partly in their hands.
Screen contraindications with timeframes, not just topics
A list that just says "retinoids" invites a client to answer no because they stopped last night. Put the window in the item. My peel list asks about Accutane (isotretinoin) in the past 6 months, a prescription retinoid in the past 7 days, retinol, acids, scrubs or benzoyl peroxide in the past 3 days, waxing or electrolysis on the area in the past 7 days, and tanning or long sun exposure in the past 2 weeks. It also asks about pregnancy or nursing, cold sores, aspirin or salicylate allergy, sun-sensitising medication, and slow healing conditions.
The framing above the list matters just as much:
A yes doesn't always mean no peel. We'll talk it through, and I may adjust the treatment, reschedule, or ask for your physician's OK.
If checking a box costs clients their appointment, some stop checking boxes. Telling them a yes starts a conversation keeps the screening honest. The form is a screening tool: deciding what a condition means medically is a physician's job, not ours.
Consent for a series, re-confirmed every visit
Peels are usually booked as a series, so my form says this consent covers the series, and the client re-confirms their health history at each visit. That catches the new prescription or beach holiday in between without a full re-sign every two weeks.
The acknowledgements cover the rest: honest health history, understanding pigment risk, following pre-care and aftercare with SPF 30+ every day, results not guaranteed, the right to stop if it burns or itches too strongly, and the refund policy. Add photo permission choices and a parent or guardian line for minors.
What the client takes home
Aftercare is where a peel succeeds or fails, so it belongs in writing. I lay it out day by day because peeling has a rhythm:
- Today: pinkness and tightness. Lukewarm water, gentle cleanser, moisturiser. No makeup until you say so, no heat or sweating.
- Days 1 and 2: moisturise at least twice a day, SPF 30+ every morning, no hot showers on the face, sauna, swimming or hard workouts.
- Days 3 to 5: peak peeling. Snip loose flakes with clean scissors if they bother them, never pull, and no retinol, acids or waxing.
- Week 2 onward: restart actives once flaking has fully stopped, and no tanning or other treatments until you have checked the skin.
Close with a "call me right away if" list (blisters, oozing, worsening pain, a cold sore, dark patches, any sign of allergic reaction), and that trouble breathing or swelling of the face or throat means calling 911.
Questions to decide for your own practice
- Which acids and strengths will this form cover, and when does a client need a fresh form?
- What is your rule for a contraindication yes: reschedule, adjust, or physician sign-off?
- Where will you record what you used and how long it sat? (Here is what to record in a client chart.)
- What does your state board require? Consent rules and scope of practice vary by state, so check with yours. This post is not legal or medical advice.
Use this form with your clients
SlickChart has this exact peel consent and aftercare built in for esthetician subscribers. The form goes to the client's phone to sign before the visit, or they sign on your device in the room, and any contraindication they check is flagged for you. The aftercare lands in the client's own app, styled with your logo, and it all works alongside the Square account you already have. If that would save you paperwork, try SlickChart.
Prefer paper? The printable chemical peel set, with the consent form, protocol and aftercare, is in my Etsy shop, ready to print or edit in free Canva.