Supplements and Treatments: What Interacts and What Doesn’t
The Interaction Grading Table
| Class | Examples | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Bleeding-affecting | High-dose fish oil, ginkgo, vitamin E, angelica, turmeric | Disclose pre-treatment — injection bruising risk up; physician decides on pausing |
| Photosensitivity-related | St. John’s wort, some high-dose photosensitizing herbs | Disclose; reinforce sun-protection coaching |
| Hormonally active | High-dose soy isoflavones, evening primrose, “cycle-regulating” supplements | Disclose for pigment/acne-prone clients — baseline skin state may shift |
| No known interaction | Vitamin C (normal dose), collagen peptides, probiotics, multivitamins | Normal use; fine either way as “post-care nutrition” marketing |
Three Marketing Scripts, Checked
- “Take our collagen pre-treatment — double the results”: collagen peptide is harmless protein, but “doubling device results” has no evidence; bundling sales on this is borderline talk.
- “Whitening pills boost laser results”: some oral antioxidants show small adjunct signals at effect sizes far below their price; sunscreen and proper topicals carry the outcome (the whitening myths).
- “Detox enzymes before treatment improve it”: the “detox” frame has no physiological counterpart (the detox analysis).
The Standard Intake Question
Design the supplement item as three checkboxes: fish oil/clotting, herbal/photosensitivity, hormonal — beyond those, don’t itemize every pill (signal-to-noise), but keep an “other” free field.
FAQ
Start collagen after a device session?
Yes — as everyday protein it’s entirely normal; just don’t pay a premium for “boosting the laser”.
Client takes mystery influencer supplements — intervene?
Ask the ingredient list; unknown compositions have unknown margins — suggest registered products. That’s professional advice, not overreach.