Before your aesthetic consultation, make a simple note of each active skincare product, its strength, how often you use it, when you last used it and any change in comfort. Bring photos of labels if that is easier. Corey uses the product and reaction history alongside an assessment of your skin to discuss whether planning can continue, whether the skin needs more time, or whether another clinician should review it first.
Bring the routine you actually use
You do not need to decode every ingredient or change your routine just to attend. Start with the products that genuinely form part of your week, then add anything new, prescribed or recently stopped.
Corey can use that real history to understand what he is seeing and how your skin feels. The aim is a clearer conversation, not a test of how much skincare terminology you know.
What should your product note include?
Name and strength
Photograph the front and ingredient label, especially for retinoids, acids, acne products and prescription creams.
Frequency and last use
Note how often you use it and when it was last applied. Your usual routine is more useful than an edited version.
What changed recently
Include a new product, stronger strength, increased frequency, peel, facial, laser appointment or medicine change.
What your skin is telling you
Mention new dryness, peeling, stinging, heat, redness, swelling, broken skin or unusual sensitivity.
What does Corey need from your product list?
A product name alone is only the beginning. Bring a short record of:
- the product name and strength;
- how often you use it and when it was last applied;
- whether it was prescribed and who manages it;
- what changed recently and how your skin responded.
Photos of labels can save guesswork. If your skin looked different earlier in the week, a clear, unedited photo and a short timeline may help explain the change.
Keep prescribed skincare under the care of the clinician who prescribed it. Do not stop or alter a prescription simply because an aesthetic appointment is coming up.
Should you stop active skincare before consultation?
The nearby retinol guide looks closely at retinoid questions. This page has a different role: helping you bring a complete active-skincare history into consultation.
Product type, strength, prescription context, skin response and the reason you use it all matter. Corey can discuss timing after seeing the skin and hearing that history, without turning a general online rule into personal advice.
What Corey considers before discussing timing
Corey looks at the skin in front of him, asks what is normal for you and connects any reaction with the timing of product or routine changes. Active skincare can sometimes leave skin dry, peeling, stinging or irritated, as outlined in the NHS acne treatment guidance.
The appointment may still be useful even if your skin is not settled. It can become a conversation about what to document, whether more time would help, whether the original prescriber should be involved or whether a medical skin concern needs another clinician first.
For the broader skin-comfort decision, continue to skin quality and treatment readiness.
Comfortable, reactive or medically unclear?
Bring the list and attend
If your skin feels like its usual self, bring your product note and use the consultation to discuss assessment and timing.
Tell the clinic first
If skin is newly peeling, stinging, sunburnt or unusually sensitive, contact the clinic so the appointment can be planned usefully.
Seek the right clinical care
New pain, spreading redness, swelling, blistering, weeping, crusting, broken skin or eye-area symptoms may need medical review before cosmetic planning.
Should you change your routine just before the visit?
Do not start several new actives, increase exfoliation or use a home peel just to feel prepared. Sudden changes can make your skin less comfortable and make it harder to understand what caused a reaction.
Bring your usual routine instead. If a prescription or medical skin condition is involved, keep its treating clinician informed and bring any relevant instructions or medicine details.
How will Corey use your skincare history at the visit?
Your appointment is a private conversation with Corey about what you use, how your skin feels and what you would like clarified.
Corey reviews your skin, history and routine, then explains whether planning can continue, whether settling time or prescriber input would help, or whether another clinical pathway should come first. Costs and material risks are discussed before any decision.
Bring your routine and leave with clarity
You can use the appointment to understand what matters, what can wait and which next step fits your skin and history.
Is this for you?
Consider booking a consultation if
- Adults who use active skincare and want to prepare product details before aesthetic consultation
- Patients with retinoid, acid, benzoyl peroxide, prescription or recent peel history to disclose
- People deciding whether irritation, sun exposure or barrier comfort should change appointment timing
This may not be for you if
- Diagnosing rash, infection, allergy, dermatitis, acne or medication reactions online
- Prescribing or stopping active skincare without individual advice
- Confirming cosmetic treatment suitability before assessment
Suitability is confirmed at consultation. This list is general guidance, not a substitute for clinical assessment.
Frequently asked questions
Should I stop retinol before an aesthetic consultation?
Do not guess a universal stop date from a website. Tell Corey exactly which retinol, retinal, tretinoin, adapalene or other retinoid you use, how often you use it and whether it has caused dryness, peeling, stinging or sun sensitivity. The consultation can decide whether the skin is calm enough for assessment or whether waiting, simplifying the routine, medical review or no cosmetic treatment is more responsible.
What active skincare should I tell Corey about?
List retinoids, exfoliating acids, salicylic acid, glycolic acid, lactic acid, benzoyl peroxide, prescription creams, steroid creams, pigment products, recent peels, home devices, strong exfoliating cleansers and any new product started in the past few weeks. Product names, strengths, dates and reactions matter more than a general label such as active skincare.
Can acids or exfoliants make assessment harder?
They can if the skin is stinging, warm, peeling, broken, unusually dry or more sensitive than usual. Salicylic acid and exfoliating products can irritate skin when overused or used on already irritated areas, so Corey needs to know what has been applied before deciding whether cosmetic treatment discussion should wait.
Does benzoyl peroxide matter before consultation?
Yes. Benzoyl peroxide can be useful in acne care, but it can also cause dryness, peeling, redness, burning or stinging for some people. If that is happening, the appointment may still be useful for assessment, but same day treatment discussion may need to slow down or wait.
What if my skin is peeling, stinging or sunburnt?
Tell the clinic before the appointment and explain when it started, what products were used and whether there is pain, swelling, blistering, broken skin, weeping, infection concern or eye area involvement. A consultation may become an education, waiting or referral appointment rather than a treatment planning appointment.
Should I start new active skincare to prepare?
No. Starting or increasing retinoids, acids, scrubs, peels or strong acne products just before consultation can make skin comfort and visibility harder to judge. It is usually more useful to arrive with a stable routine history, photos if relevant and a clear list of what has changed.
How is this different from the retinol guide?
The retinol guide focuses on retinol and retinoid timing. This page is broader: it covers the product-disclosure checklist for retinoids, acids, benzoyl peroxide, prescription creams, irritation, sun exposure, barrier comfort and whether active skincare makes assessment or treatment discussion less reliable.
Could treatment be deferred because of active skincare?
Yes. Corey may recommend waiting, simplifying the skincare routine, seeking medical review, checking a prescription medicine issue, allowing irritation to settle, planning a later review or not proceeding. The reason should be explained in the consultation rather than assumed from the product name alone.
What active skincare information should I bring to the appointment?
Bring product names, strengths, how often you use each product, the date you last used strong actives, photos of labels, recent reaction photos if relevant, prescriptions, allergies, pregnancy or breastfeeding questions, recent peels or laser history, current medicines and the main question you want answered.
Is this active skincare page personal medical advice?
No. This is general preparation information for adults considering aesthetic consultation. It cannot diagnose irritation, prescribe skincare, confirm treatment suitability or replace medical care. Individual advice requires assessment by an appropriate practitioner.
Clinical references
- Ahpra guidelines for registered health practitioners who perform non-surgical cosmetic procedures
- Ahpra guidelines for advertising higher risk non-surgical cosmetic procedures
- Ahpra public register of practitioners
- TGA advertising health services and cosmetic injections FAQ
- TGA advertising health services that involve therapeutic goods