A professional skincare consultation starts from a direct assessment of your skin: your Fitzpatrick type, current concerns, barrier condition, and what your skin will respond to. A licensed provider uses that to build a routine matched to you specifically: the right actives, at the right concentrations, introduced in the right order.
That precision is what makes a clinical skincare plan produce consistent and predictable results.
The challenge is that what cleared your friend's acne and what will work for yours are different questions. Her tretinoin might be the right concentration for her skin's tolerance and the type of acne she has. Applied to a different skin barrier or a different acne subtype, the same formula can worsen rather than improve.
Skin varies enough between individuals that the same product can produce opposite results depending on Fitzpatrick type, sebaceous activity, existing sensitivities, hormonal patterns, and what is actually driving the visible concern.
Two patients describing "combination skin with some pigmentation" often have different underlying causes, different depths of involvement, and a different threshold for how much a given active ingredient their skin will tolerate before it reacts.
Online skincare advice operates at the category level. It tells you what a retinoid does in general, what skin types typically tolerate niacinamide, and which ingredients commonly cause purging.
What it cannot do:
Category-level advice applied to individual skin produces inconsistent results. When it worked, it worked despite the generality. When it does not, something specific about your skin was never accounted for.
A professional skincare consultation at a licensed medical practice is a structured skin assessment. A licensed provider evaluates:
The output is an individualized treatment plan: a matched routine, correctly sequenced, with an introduction schedule that accounts for your tolerance.
Generic advice carries the most risk in specific situations.
Active acne. Acne has subtypes: comedonal, inflammatory, cystic, and hormonal. The wrong active can worsen the wrong type. A provider identifies what is present before recommending anything.
Melasma. Melasma is a chronic, hormonally driven condition. UV exposure, certain actives, and even heat can trigger new pigmentation. Treating it without a professional assessment often produces inconsistent results or makes it worse.
Post-procedure skin. After a laser treatment, microneedling session, or chemical peel, the skin is in an altered state. Applying the wrong product in that window can undo the result or cause sensitization.
Rosacea and reactive skin. Many popular actives (AHAs, retinoids, vitamin C) are well-tolerated in stable skin and poorly tolerated in reactive skin. A provider identifies the threshold before recommending anything that could trigger a flare.
Anne Therese Aesthetic Medicine offers professional skincare consultations alongside the clinical treatment menu. Licensed medical providers assess your skin directly, identify the underlying cause of your current concerns, and build an individualized treatment plan matched to your skin type, treatment history, and goals.
Dr. Anne Therese Stubbs, MD, Founder and Medical Director, oversees all clinical protocols at the practice. Dr. Stubbs spent 14 years in emergency medicine before transitioning to aesthetic medicine, a background that informs the assessment standards and safety protocols at the practice.
Anne Therese Aesthetic Medicine has locations in Lewis Center and Gahanna, Ohio, and Cape Coral and Bonita Springs, Florida.
Contact the location nearest you to schedule a skincare consultation.
A licensed provider assesses your skin directly: skin type, current concerns, barrier condition, and any active issues. From there, they build a routine matched to your specific skin, including which medical-grade skincare products are appropriate, how to introduce them, and how they work alongside any in-office treatments you are undergoing.
Yes. A consultation is not only for active concerns. Patients seeking to address early pigmentation, fine lines, or general skin quality benefit from a professional assessment, particularly before introducing clinical-grade actives like retinoids or acids. Prevention is more efficient than correction, though the right approach still depends on the individual.
Yes. A consultation at Anne Therese does not require booking a treatment in advance. Many patients come in with a specific concern and leave with a clear picture of what their skin needs, whether that is a clinical skincare routine, an in-office treatment, or both.
A consultation focuses on assessment and planning. A licensed medical provider evaluates your skin, identifies the source of your concerns, and builds an individualized plan. A facial addresses the skin in a session. Some patients do both in one visit; others start with a consultation to clarify goals before booking any treatment.
