A skin care consultation at Coastal Dermatology + Aesthetics is a thirty-minute cosmetic appointment in which a provider examines the skin, identifies what is causing the concern, ranks the treatment options and gives a cost estimate before anything is booked. It is offered at the San Luis Obispo and Santa Maria offices.
What a consultation actually gets you
Most people arrive having read a lot and decided very little. They know the names of four treatments, they have seen contradictory things about all of them, and what they actually want is someone qualified to look at their face and say which one is the answer.
That is the whole appointment. Thirty minutes, a real look at your skin, and a straight ranking: this first, then this, and this one you have been reading about is not going to do what you want. You get told what it costs before anything is booked, including how many sessions it realistically takes, so the number does not move later.
Nothing gets sold in this room. Sometimes the answer is a treatment. Sometimes it is skin care products and nothing else. Sometimes it is that the thing bothering you is medical rather than cosmetic and belongs in a different kind of appointment. All three of those are a good outcome for thirty minutes.
What you get out of it
- A dermatology provider’s read on what is actually happening with your skin
- A ranked plan rather than a menu, so you know what to do first
- Honest limits: what a treatment will not do, before you have paid for it
- A realistic session count and a cost estimate up front
- The fee credited back toward whatever you go ahead with
- A clear answer on whether what you have is cosmetic or medical
Not a menu. You leave with the options in order, what each one realistically does, and what to do first. Deciding between four treatments you read about online is the problem this appointment exists to solve.
How the appointment runs
You tell us what bothers you
Not what treatment you want, what actually bothers you when you look in the mirror. Those are different, and starting with the second one is how people end up paying for the wrong thing.
We look properly
A provider examines your skin, in good light, and works out what is actually causing what you are seeing. Pigment, vessels, texture, laxity, volume and medical conditions all look similar to a reader and completely different from someone who does this all day long.
You leave with a plan and a number
A ranked recommendation, what each part realistically does, how many sessions it takes, and what it costs. If the honest answer is that nothing here is worth your money right now, that is what you will hear.
The appointment length. Long enough to examine your skin and rank the options properly, and short enough that we can offer it without turning it into an event.
Cosmetic or medical? Which appointment you need
This trips people up constantly, and booking the wrong one costs you a visit. Here is the difference in plain terms.
| What is going on | The appointment | Referral | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| You want to look less tired, softer lines, better skin quality, fewer brown spots | Cosmetic consultation | Not needed | Consultation fee, credited toward treatment |
| A mole that has changed, a rash, acne that needs prescriptions, a growth you want checked | Medical dermatology visit | The practice is currently accepting new medical patients by referral | Billed to your insurance, subject to your plan |
| Hair loss or melasma, which can be either | Start with a cosmetic consultation | Not needed | Same as above |
| You are not sure which one you have | Call us and describe it | We will tell you before you book | Nothing to find out |
The short version: if the goal is how your skin looks, book the cosmetic consultation. If the goal is a diagnosis or a prescription, that is a medical visit and it runs through your insurance. If you genuinely do not know, call the office and describe it. Sorting that out on the phone takes two minutes and saves you a wasted appointment.
For a cosmetic consultation. You can book one yourself, today, without going through anyone else. Medical dermatology visits run differently and the practice is currently accepting new medical patients by referral.
They are so knowledgeable and Tressa is incredible.
The Coastal difference
Nothing gets sold in that room
A free consultation has to be paid for somehow, and it is usually paid for by what you get talked into during it. Ours is not free, and that is deliberate. It buys you thirty minutes of a board-certified dermatology practice’s opinion with nothing riding on the answer.
Which means you get the parts that lose us money. That a treatment you have read about will not do what you want. That your budget is better spent on products than on a device. That what is actually bothering you is medical, and belongs in a different appointment on your insurance rather than on our price list. Those are normal outcomes here, not failed appointments, and they are the reason people send their friends.
Is it right for you?
Book a consultation if:
- Something bothers you when you look in the mirror and you cannot name the treatment for it
- You have shortlisted two or three treatments and want to know which one is right
- You have been quoted elsewhere and want a dermatology practice’s read before committing
- You want to know the real cost and session count before you start, not after
- You are not sure whether what you have is cosmetic or medical
Book something else if:
- You have a mole or growth that has changed, which is a medical visit and should be soon
- You need a prescription refilled or a diagnosis, which insurance covers and this does not
- You already know exactly what you want and have had it here before, in which case just book it
Not sure which of those you are? Call the office and describe it. We will tell you which appointment you need before you pay for one.
What to bring and how to prepare
Nothing invasive happens at a consultation, so there is nothing to recover from. A little preparation makes the thirty minutes go a lot further.
Do
- Come with no makeup, or expect to take it off, because we need to see your skin
- Bring the products you currently use, or photograph the labels
- Bring your medication and supplement list, including anything over the counter
- Bring photos of yourself from a few years ago if the change has been gradual
- Write down what actually bothers you before you arrive
Don’t
- Come straight from a beach day, because a fresh tan changes what we can recommend
- Arrive expecting a treatment on the same day, though sometimes it is possible
- Leave out a medication or supplement because it seemed irrelevant
- Feel obliged to book anything the same day
A consultation is an assessment. It does not commit you to a treatment and it does not guarantee that a particular treatment will be recommended.
What it costs
The cosmetic consultation is $125, paid when you book. It is credited toward your treatment, so if you go ahead with anything, you have effectively paid nothing for the assessment.
What you get for it is a cost estimate on everything discussed, including how many sessions it realistically takes, before anything is scheduled. We do not quote a per-session price for a treatment that needs six of them.
Medical dermatology visits are different and are billed through your insurance rather than at this fee. The comparison above explains which one you need.
Appointment length
30 minutes
Cost
$125, paid at booking and credited toward your treatment
Referral
Not needed for a cosmetic visit
You leave with
A ranked plan and a cost estimate, before anything is booked
Skin care consultation frequently asked questions
San Luis Obispo carries the full range of treatments. Santa Maria offers neuromodulators, fillers and dermatology consultations. We will tell you which one you want before you make the drive rather than after.
Offered at
Ready to start? Request your consultation
Fill out the form below, book online in Santa Maria (opens online scheduler), or give us a call. Cosmetic and aesthetic appointments need no referral. For medical dermatology, we are accepting new patients by referral from your primary care physician; send the referral across and then use the same form.
Cosmetic consultations are $125, paid at booking and credited toward the cost of treatment.
Sources and medical review
Content on this page is for educational purposes and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. The $125 consultation fee, the thirty-minute length and the credit toward treatment are current practice policy and are subject to change. Referral requirements differ between cosmetic and medical dermatology visits, and coverage for a medical visit depends on your insurance. A consultation is an assessment and does not guarantee that any particular treatment will be recommended or that any particular result can be achieved. Individual results may vary.