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find your dream career! ascpskincare.com/career-toolkits 69 CONSULTATIONS AND TREATMENT PLANS A successful treatment plan starts with a successful consultation. You will need a solid review of your client's health history, your active listening skills, and your powers of observation. The health history form should include a section on the Fitzpatrick scale. The Fitzpatrick scale originated when Dr. Thomas Fitzpatrick, a dermatologist at Harvard University, was researching the eff ects of the sun for a study on skin cancer in white, middle-aged men. The scale has become the gold standard in professional skin care, yet it was not created for skin of color. Getting your client's self-assessment of their skin's reaction to UV radiation is an important piece of data. However, you can't depend entirely on the Fitzpatrick scale when designing a treatment plan; you must investigate beyond the information gathered from it in the consultation. When interviewing your client, reach beyond their reactions to the sun and include questions about sensitivity. Ask about their tendency to develop keloids after an injury, and what happens after an insect bite or a scratch. Ask whether your client has a tendency to develop PIH. ADJUSTING FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS Does your client have any systemic medical conditions that will aff ect the recovery period of potential skin care treatments? Keep in mind that people with darker skin have a higher incidence of diabetes, and wounds heal slower in those with diabetes. Diabetes can also impair nerve function, so people with the condition may respond diff erently to the discomfort of an aggressive chemical peel.5 Clients who have an autoimmune disorder can also have delayed healing. You may have to break their treatment area into two or more zones and treat them in stages, so Fitzpatrick scale