Case Clinic: Supporting Compromised, Allergy-Triggered Skin

This week’s case is something we’re seeing a lot with seasonal shifts.

A client comes in dealing with seasonal allergies, and her skin is feeling it. She’s presenting with a lot of dryness, sensitivity, and overall depletion. Her skin feels tight, looks flaky, and just not as resilient as usual.

The under-eye area is especially compromised, dry, a bit cracked, and visibly irritated. She also shared that she’s prone to PIH, so she tends to be cautious with treatments.

Her main goal today is to smooth the skin and get rid of the visible dryness, and she specifically asked for dermaplaning. This brings up a bigger question around how we approach exfoliation when the barrier isn’t in a great place.

Discussion questions:
Would you move forward with dermaplaning in this case? Why or why not?
If not, what would you do instead?
How does her history of PIH influence your decision-making here?
What would your focus be in the treatment room vs. home care?

Curious how you would approach this 👇