Contact DermatitisContact DermatitisAdvanced skin care may include ablative procedures such as chemical peels, ablative skin resurfacing and other Laser based technology. A common, often avoidable complication is contact or irritant dermatitis.
We know how important first impressions can be - on a job interview, on a date but also to a client who is visiting your practice for the first time.
Take a moment every day to survey your entrance, your reception, your exam or treatment rooms and even your private spaces where patients would not enter.
Look closely. Do you see any debris? Disorganized materials? Empty holders for patient education brochures? Any dust or cobwebs? Do countertop signs obscure your staff or other messages or products?
Sit down in your reception seats. Take a look around. Be critical.
I visited a medical spa recently who offered laser based technology aesthetic procedures such as laser hair removal and skin tightening. I noticed things I liked - good lighting, lots of product in a retail area but organized well. Lots of messaging. Good use of texture (tile, wood). Very friendly receptionist. The impression was one of a busy, thriving practice with a nice variety of procedures and product.
What I felt needed correction (and I mentioned to the nurse) was: counter signage was obscuring the receptionist so she could not see us when we sat down. There was a cobweb hanging from a can light in ceiling. The TV over the doorway was primarily showing testimonial videos but the sound was off. It would be better to either have small wireless speakers by the seating (so the message was heard) or switch the video to photo loops which do not require sound.
These are all easy fixes.
If you prefer - have a friend visit your practice and task them to notice anything that seems off. Better you see it and fix it than for a less-than-ideal first impression be made by a new patient. It's nice to know that some things - we can control.
Aesthetic practices should give extra attention to customer service — everything from the reception area to staff interaction with patients.
One area often overlooked is the impression given to patients over the telephone.
Some helpful tips:
- Pick up the phone by the 3rd ring - make this policy clear with all of your staff
- Ask permission before putting caller on hold (and wait to receive that permission)
- Have On-Hold messaging that is up-to-date and details your services and current specials
- Smile when on the phone; it shows in your voice
- Introduce your practice and provide your name, then request the callers name and use it throughout the call
- Remember that the caller cannot see anything about your practice; they can only hear the receptionist's voice and interpret their tone and words
- Ensure the receptionist can answer questions enthusiastically and correctly on services such as laser hair removal, BOTOX, skin tightening, etc.
- Use professional terms (discomfort vs pain, underarm vs armpit)
- Thank the caller at the end of the call and obtain an action (schedule an appointment, request email address to send info, phone number for follow-up)
Providing a positive experience for the caller will help ensure they become (or remain) a patient.
We used a
Multimedia News Release (MNR) for the first time to promote the Pearl Fractional laser for "Eye-Juvenation" -- results and coverage have been impressive.
Rather than
just releasing a press release, our MNR included:
When you prepare media documents to promote your services or a new treatment such as Pearl Fractional for skin resurfacing and dramatic skin rejuvenation, gather up other supporting documents, videos and images to expand your story and make it both dynamic and content-rich. Your efforts will pay off in the long-term!
Let me ask you a few questions.
- Do you have a diverse patient population with all or most skin types and many different ethnicities?
- Are you able to offer aesthetic treatments to all of these patients?
- Do they know you have aesthetic products and treatments for THEM?
In other words - are you doing a good job letting your patients know exactly what you can offer them, and which services are safe and effective for their individual needs? Do you use marketing materials that feature models of different age groups? Different ethnicities? Both male and female models if your clientele is both male and female?
Cutera recognizes this need exists. We offer a way to create customized patient brochures to help our customers reach out to their entire practice. Customers visit
CuteraPatientTools.com, choose the application, then select a brochure cover model(s) who best suits the patient group they are targeting. They can customize the back panel of the brochure with their practice information as well.
For example, if you want to offer customized laser hair removal patient brochures, you can choose from photos of men and women of all ages, from skin types I -VI. A specific example -- create and print a vein treatment brochure that features a woman of Mediterranean heritage or show an older couple who are contemplating fractional skin resurfacing such as Pearl Fractional.
Think about your patient base, what you can do for them and ensure they know it.
Medical Insight, Inc. just released the following news that will positively affect the aesthetic laser equipment industry:
"New skin tightening devices, body shaping devices, dermal fillers and neuromodulators will drive 13.1% compound annual growth, according to the newly released Global Aesthetic Market (GAM) VI market study from Medical Insight, Inc."
Their study details how, "despite a softening economy, new advanced technologies will drive aesthetic industry growth, so that from 2008 to 2012:
- Skin tightening systems will expand by 21.3% per year
- Body shaping devices will rise by 20.1% annually
- Dermal fillers will increase by 15.6% per year
- Neuromodulators will grow by 14.8% annually
GAM VI separates sales of the ten top aesthetic markets into four regions (North America, Europe, Asia, South America) with comprehensive analysis of competitors, market and economic trends in each area. Included are manufacturer sales, number of practitioners, procedure volume and treatment fees for all segments."
For more details on Medical Insight, Inc.'s studies, visit their web site.
Old, tight face lifts are out, more natural-looking rejuvenation is inLaser Based Technology
“I’m not looking for the fountain of youth,” said Jeannie Wright, 60, of Memphis. “I don’t want magic, but just to look the best I can at my age.”
Wright tried Pearl, one of the city’s newest technologies to treat multiple brown spots on her face. Pearl uses a controlled thermal effect to vaporize part of the epidermis. It treats sun damage, hyperpigmentation, uneven textures and fine wrinkles and stimulates collagen production.
Wallace found the results of his surgery could be enhanced by lasers, so two years ago he joined with Mona Sappenfield in a new medi-spa, Mona Spa & Laser Center-Germantown, where Wright was treated with Pearl.
“Combination is where it’s at,” said Sappenfield. One of her most popular treatments is a laser double-punch: Laser Genesis for pores and redness and to jump-start collagen production, and Titan, which goes deeper into the skin and actually tightens it.
Pearl is a more aggressive treatment and may come as a surprise to laser users accustomed to just a few stings and no down-time. To get Pearl, your skin must be numbed with ointment. You’ll spend the next three days with your face slathered in Vaseline to keep it from hurting, and after that come two or three days of peeling.
It was well worth it for Wright, who saw, to her astonishment, nearly all of her spots literally drop off her face. Improvements have continued.
“My skin has gotten smoother and my pores tighter. … I don’t have a wrinkle on my face,” said Wright.
Source: www.aestheticmedicinenews.com
Pearl may be combined with Titan for skin tightening; Limelight for treatment of pigmented lesions; Laser Genesis for tone, texture, pore size.
Potential patients are bombarded with advertisements for Laser Hair Removal, Laser vein treatment, skin tightening and skin rejuvenation. It is important for treatment providers differentiate themselves from the competitors.
Aesthetic Profits Releases the Highly Anticipated How To SeriesAfter great anticipation Aesthetic Profits Inc. is trilled to announce the launch of it’s much awaited How To: Series - Effective Patient Attraction Tools for Aesthetic Physicians. This compilation contains essential strategies aesthetic doctors need to build a reliable database of returning patients, to enhance their presence within their community and see a steady boost in revenues.
Current titles include: ‘How to Differentiate Yourself From All the Others’, ‘How to Make the Most of Your In-House Marketing’, ‘How to Effectively Communicate With Your Patients’, ‘How to Become Famous in Your Community’, ‘How to Conduct a Successful Aesthetic Patient Consultation’, ‘How to Coordinate a Successful Open House’, ‘How to Promote Retail Profitably’, ‘How to Promote Minimally-Invasive Procedures’, ‘How to Build a Word-of-Mouth Practice’ and many more.
Source: International Association for Physicians in Aesthetic Medicine (IAPAM)
Reward you patients with the
VIP (Very Important Patient) Promotion.
Promotions can be for Laser Hair removal, Laser Vein treatment, skin tightening, skin rejuvenation, chemical peels or advanced skin care products. How to Develop a Very Loyal FollowingWe all know your best aesthetic patient is the referred patient. They are not as price conscious and are already pre-sold on you. You do not want to take these referrals lightly. Every aesthetic practice or medical spa has their group of cheerleaders and you do too.
Source: International Association for Physicians in Aesthetic Medicine
There are many things to research and learn about starting an Aesthetic practice. The physician may want to offer skin rejuvenation with chemical peels and Laser based technology or a more advanced skin care practice with Laser hair removal, vein treatments or skin tightening.
Physician Aesthetic Medicine Certification Training Aesthetic Practice Startup Workshop Ensures Adding Aesthetic Medicine is a Profitable OptionAfter completing this workshop, participants will leave with a comprehensive business plan for their aesthetic medicine practice. This program will cover all aspects of creating a business plan for a profitable medical spa, including:
• Financing options for physicians;
• Target demographics for tailored aesthetic procedures;
• Developing a menu of treatments and pricing strategies;
• Establishing aesthetic practice protocols and HR for aesthetic practitioners;
• Creating an effective marketing plan;
• Finding the right location;
• Staffing;
• Federal and state legal and regulatory issues; and
• Startup costs and reading financials.
Souce: International Association for Physicians in Aesthetic Medicine (IAPAM)
Record number of patients seek laser based technology for laser hair removal, laser vein treatment, skin tightening and skin rejuvenation.
RECORD NUMBER OF PATIENTS SEEK LASER TREATMENTS
I came across Dr. Fairfield's
article on writing copy in an Advance for Healthy Aging web site. He highlights many excellent points.
When creating any kind of advertisement, remember you must ask yourself this "what does my patient want to know" and "why should they care?".
Dr. Fairfield feels that mentioning brands of lasers is unimportant. I disagree -- if the branded laser has received great media coverage, then you should leverage that visibility in your ad (i.e. Pearl Laser as seen on TV show, The Doctors or Titan as seen on Access Hollywood or Extra!). Consumers want to look like stars and have treatments that celebrities may have experienced.
Advertise what you can offer patients and why they should come to you for those procedures (injectibles, permanent hair removal, skin rejuvenation, vascular treatments, fractional skin resurfacing or skin tightening) with copy that appeals to them.
"The obsession of Americans to look young drives demand for cosmetic surgery products. US cosmetic surgery products market is projected to reach $3.07 billion by 2012, while the cosmetic surgery procedures market is projected to reach $15.13 billion by 2012"
This press release has great information for our industry's growth over the next few years. I was very pleased to read it.
I know that the media is full of doom and gloom; creating a self-fulfilling prophecy of dismal events however, a few nuggets of
positive news are surfacing that show that in order to stay competitive in the job-market today, consumers are still embracing fillers, injectibles, skin resurfacing and cosmetic surgery procedures. Advance for Healthy Aging has a good article on this entitled "
Tall in Tough Times".
Skin rejuvenation with Laser Genesis and skin tightening with Titan is achieved by heating the dermis to stimulate fibroblast production of collagen.
Collagen SynthesisCollagen is created by fibroblasts, which are specialized skin cells located in the dermis.
Collagen synthesis occurs continuously throughout our lives to repair and replace damaged collagen tissue or build new cellular structures. The degradation and recycling of old or damaged collagen is a healthy, natural process used to create protein fragments needed to build new cellular structures, such as in the healing process. With age, collagen levels drop off due to a decrease in production and an increase in degradation.
Skin Care ScienceSource: Nu Skin
www.NuSkin.comDecreased Collagen Production in Chronologically Aged Skin James Varani*, Michael K. Dame*, Laure Rittie
, Suzanne E.G. Fligiel*, Sewon Kang, Gary J. Fisher and John J. Voorhees
Source: American Journal of Pathology
Sun damage is a primary cause of wrinkles
Premature aging of the skin is most often the product of years of unprotected sun exposure combined with your genetic makeup. The process of aging causes the skin to thin, become less elastic and more fragile. Your body also produces less natural protective oils, which makes the skin drier. In addition, the fat located in the deeper layers of the skin, that gives your skin a plump appearance, starts to diminish over time. The combination of these factors causes loose, saggy and wrinkly.
It is very important that to protect the skin from sun exposure. Skin Rejuvenation with Laser based technology can address pigmented lesions, facial veins and Skin Tightening. Lasers are part of advanced skin care but most importantly the skin has to be protected from further damage that causes the pigmented lesions, facial veins and skin laxity.
Sun Care
Skin Care Treatment and Skin Rejuvenation
Do you have fantastic patient results with great before and after photos?
Subject to HIPAA and patient permissions of course, you may be able to tell a compelling story to your patients and potential patients on your web site.
Take a look (and scroll down) at what Dr. Grant Stevens of Marina Plastic Surgery in Southern California did with one of his patients - an exciting case study on her great outcome.
Definitely show off your best before and after patient photos on your website and in your waiting and exam rooms but consider also listing testimonials, case studies, patient diaries and other information that shows your patients what you can do and how you do it.
Let your website visitors know that now is a great time to start working on summer-worthy legs (leg vein treatments) or permanent hair reduction packages. New Years resolutions often include diets - let your clientele know about Titan and that skin tightening procedures can help with lax skin. Are you an expert in fractional skin resurfacing with Pearl Fractional? Do you combine Pearl full face epidermal resurfacing with Pearl Fractional for deeper imperfections? Use lasers with fillers and injectibles such as Radiesse and BOTOX? Talk up those combination treatments and brag a little, both online and in your practice!
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