Calm skin is easier to read
Every appointment opens with observation. Anne looks at your skin, listens to your habits, then chooses from the menu. Skin that is rested, neither irritated nor covered, is easier to read. And the protocol chosen suits you more closely.
Nothing demanding is asked of you. It is mostly a matter of not unsettling your skin in the days before, so that it turns up as it is day to day. Unsettled skin tells you about the upset, not about how it really is.
The days before
Keep to your usual routine. This is not the moment to try an unfamiliar product or to stack actives: skin meeting a new formula can react, and that reaction clouds the reading.
Space out firm scrubs and mechanical brushes. Leave the skin alone; it has nothing to prove.
Limit sun exposure and avoid tanning beds. Recently exposed skin is more sensitive, and some options on the menu call for a settled complexion.
If waxing is planned on the area concerned, leave some distance between it and the appointment rather than booking it for the evening before.
The evening before
Keep it simple. A gentle cleanse, a moisturiser, and nothing more. This is not the night for experiments.
Drink as you normally would and go to bed at a reasonable hour. Much of the comfort during the treatment comes down to that, and rested skin sits more easily under the work.
Jot down what you want to mention while you think of it: the products you use, what has been bothering you lately, what you expect from this first visit. It is easily forgotten once you are settled in the treatment room.
On the morning, with or without make-up
Coming without make-up saves time at the observation stage, but it is not a condition. There is no need to rearrange your day for it.
If you arrive wearing make-up, say so as you sit down: it is dealt with at the start of the appointment, before the protocol.
Do avoid applying a heavy layer just before coming, though. A covered complexion hides the texture of the skin, the redness, the drier areas, which is precisely what guides the choice.
Morning sun protection, on the other hand, remains a good habit, even on grey days.
What is worth mentioning
The protocols on the menu work at the surface: they are topical and non-invasive. That does not remove the need for a careful conversation. The more you say, the better judged the choice, and the sooner anything unsuitable is set aside.
- The products you apply, morning and evening, including the ones that seem harmless.
- Anything a doctor has prescribed or advised against, and what you are taking at the moment.
- Your known sensitivities, and any past reactions to a treatment or a formula.
- Recent sun exposure, or recent hair removal on the area.
- Whether you are pregnant or breastfeeding.
- What you are hoping for: comfort, radiance, the texture of the skin, an area that concerns you.
- Your commitments over the coming days, if an occasion is approaching.
What you do not have to do
You do not have to arrive with a list of technologies in mind. The menu is long, the names are technical, and translating what you say into a protocol is exactly what the conversation is for.
Nor do you have to arrive with presentable skin. No one expects you flawless: skin that feels tight, that shines, that flushes, is information, not a failing.
And there is nothing to buy. The appointment ends with advice on looking after your skin, not with a shopping list.
What is worth planning for afterwards
Keep the end of the day loose if you can. An appointment squeezed in straight afterwards makes for a lesser experience, and you will get more from the time.
Heavy make-up, the hammam, the sauna and hard exercise can wait: the skin has just been asked to do some work, so give it the day.
You leave with the steps to keep up at home and the rhythm suggested for what follows. That advice counts as much as the time spent in the treatment room. Sun protection, meanwhile, remains the rule over the following days.
On the day itself
The studio is by appointment only, near Porte Maillot. Allow yourself to arrive a little early: the first conversation is part of the treatment, and there is no making it up later.
And if a doubt remains before you come, a phone call is enough. Better to ask on the telephone than to carry the question into the treatment room.
Publication date: to be provided.