Dermaplaning consent form: what to cover, and the aftercare clients actually need
Every esthetician who offers dermaplaning has heard it: "Won't it grow back thicker?" A good consent form answers that in writing before the client asks, so the first blunt-feeling morning afterwards does not turn into a worried message.
This exact form is built into SlickChart: send it to your client's phone to sign before the visit.
Dermaplaning looks gentle, and mostly it is. That is exactly why the form deserves care. Clients do not expect a blade treatment to carry risks, so the form is where you set honest expectations without scaring anyone off.
Describe it simply, and answer the hair question
My form opens with what the treatment is: a sterile, single-use blade gently lifts dead surface skin and fine "peach fuzz" hair. Naming the blade as sterile and single use answers a hygiene question many clients will not say out loud.
Then what they will feel (light, feathery strokes, and it should not hurt) and what to expect. This line does the heavy lifting:
Hair grows back soft and fine, not thicker or darker.
My aftercare explains why: the blade cuts fine hair at the surface and does not touch the root, so regrowth can feel blunt for a few days because the tip is cut straight. If a client notices coarse or fast-growing facial hair, it can be worth a visit to their doctor, which is why a doctor visit sits among the other options alongside no treatment or an enzyme or gentle peel.
Be honest that small things can happen
The risk list is short and should still be there: small nicks or cuts (uncommon), redness, dryness or stinging for a day or two, breakouts or spread of bacteria over active acne, darker patches more likely in deeper skin tones, a cold sore flare or rarely infection, and more sun sensitivity for about a week.
That sun line is the one clients forget. Writing it into the consent means your SPF reminder later is not news.
The active acne rule belongs on the form
The most practical sentence in my contraindication section is a rule rather than a question:
I never dermaplane over active breakouts; I'll work around them or reschedule.
A client who arrives mid-breakout is then not surprised when you skip an area, and the risk list has already told them why.
The checklist asks about Accutane (isotretinoin) in the past 6 months, a prescription retinoid in the past 14 days, retinol, acids or scrubs in the past 3 days, active acne, cold sore or rash now, sunburn or tanning in the past 2 weeks, a peel, laser or facial waxing in the past 2 weeks, Botox or filler in the past 2 weeks, blood thinners or a bleeding disorder, rosacea, eczema or psoriasis on the face, and diabetes, keloids or slow healing. A yes may mean a doctor's OK first. Our job is to screen and refer, never to diagnose.
Short acknowledgements, signed once for the plan
Dermaplaning is usually a repeat service, so my signature line covers today and future visits in the plan, with the client agreeing to share health or medication changes before each visit. The other acknowledgements are brief: they understand the risks, results vary and hair will grow back, they will follow aftercare and wear SPF 30+ daily, they can ask to stop at any time, and services cannot be refunded once performed. Add photo permission choices and a parent or guardian line for minors.
Aftercare: protect the glow
Freshly dermaplaned skin is extra open to products and sun for about a week. The aftercare is built around that:
- Today: leave on what you applied, rinse tonight with lukewarm water and moisturise. No makeup until the time you gave, no touching, heat, sweat or pools.
- Days 1 and 2: gentle cleanser, moisturiser, SPF 30+ every morning, clean pillowcase. No sauna, steam, swimming, hard workouts, scrubs or facial waxing.
- Days 3 to 7: a small breakout can happen. Restart retinol and acids once nothing stings, usually by day 3 to 5. No picking or tanning.
- Weeks 2 to 4: fine hair grows back the same as before. Rebook about 3 to 4 weeks out, and no home blades or razors on the face unless you have talked about it.
Finish with the "call me if" list: a nick that turns red, warm, swollen or oozing, stinging past day 2, bumps that look infected, a cold sore, new dark patches, or any sign of allergic reaction. Trouble breathing or swelling of the face or throat is a 911 call.
Questions to decide for your own practice
- Will you dermaplane alone, or also before a peel or facial, and does the consent cover both?
- Work around active breakouts, or reschedule?
- How far out will you rebook, and who sends the reminder? (More in solo esthetician rebooking.)
- What is your policy on clients shaving their own faces between visits?
- What does your state board say? Consent rules and scope of practice vary by state, so check with yours. This is not legal or medical advice.
Use this form with your clients
SlickChart has this exact dermaplaning consent and aftercare built in for esthetician subscribers. Clients sign on their phone before the visit, or on your device in the room, and any contraindication they check is flagged for you. The aftercare goes to the client's own app, styled with your logo, and it works alongside the Square account you already have. If that sounds easier than paper, try SlickChart.
Prefer paper? The printable dermaplaning set, with the consent form, protocol and aftercare, is in my Etsy shop, ready to print or edit in free Canva.