FACIALAESTHETICS
simplest and safest products to train with are the hyaluronic acid based products such as Restylane, Perlane, Juverderm, Succeev or Teosyal. Hyaluronic acid is a natural substance found in the body. It is often used on the lips and to fill the nasolabical folds. The results last for between four and eight months, depend on the amount of product used, the type of wrinkle and the actual product. Once again training is often provided by a lot of the companies supplying these products and this is where I would begin. Following education in-house, other filler training courses can be found, but I often think that gaining basic training in-house to begin with is beneficial. Then - dependant on your experience - an open course on different fillers not related to the company may be good. Remember, facial anatomy is essential to review prior to any training or treatment, this should be provided as part of the overall training programme. A comforting, welcoming environment is vitally important in promoting good aesthetics would say they are the better. I believe that any Botox or filler course needs to provide mentoring. How? With computer technology, telemedicine and Skype, simple. You just need an understanding tutor and mentor at the end of the line. Courses that are regularly advertised are: Wigmore Medical; Bob Khanna; Cosmetic Course; and Code Training Courses. I would look at the USPs of all of the above and then make a decision. Ask friends and reps for recommendations. You should be able to inject after your first course. But remember, practice makes perfect. Invest time and products on staff to begin with, watch and video your results. I utilise a great camera called the ‘Flip Video’ which I use to record all my treatments. The patients love them, they are so easy to use, and can be placed in the patient’s computerised records or online.
FILLERS Injectable soft tissue fillers are becoming a mainstay of aesthetic medicine. The
MICRODERMABRASION Microdermabrasion involves tiny particles under negative or positive pressure being abraded against the skin, to mechanically remove the superficial epidermal layers. The treatment is a great introduction to skin enhancement, can be completed by a beautician (NVQ3) or correctly trained practitioner. In my practice, my dental nurses were trained and provided these treatments. You can purchase the equipment for as little as £300 on eBay. We did and the results are exactly the same as with a £5,000 machine we purchased five years ago. Microdermabrasion may be combined with different peeling agents and skincare, it is a great treatment to market to all of your patients who simply want a facial that exhibits results. Average cost is around £60, with treatments taking 30 minutes.
CHEMICAL PEELS Remember, not all peels are equal and I can imagine the image you have - a woman with a red burnt face leaving your surgery, skin dropping off. Well, that isn’t the case. Peels can be separated into all strengths, I would simply begin with the superficial
ones based with glycolycic, salicylic or alpha hydroxy. From my practice’s experience, once a patient has experienced a peel, felt the smoothness and softness delivered, and of course the luminosity and radiance of the skin, it is an easy way to get them asking for more. Chemical peel training is very difficult to access in the UK. One of the best three day courses I have attended is through the IAPAM in Los Angeles. The course was less than $1,000 and it covered Botox, fillers, skin, ageing and peels. It is one I still regularly recommend, even if you have to pay for a flight.
PLAN FOR GREAT PERFORMANCE If you fail to plan, then plan to fail! I’m not saying create great business plans, but let us simply think about how we are going to start. As a dentist I found this easy; I had thousands of patients on a database so I did some simple invertising (advertising internally). All I did was let my patients know by word of mouth, email and in-practice promotion on what we planned to do. It’s worth remembering this was seven years ago, when Botox and treatments were relatively unknown and expensive. If your practice is a traditional one, dedicate a room to your aesthetic centre, set the ambience – some literature, clean, calm and almost not looking like a clinical dentist room.
Planning A simple swot analysis will give you all direction. Try this:
Strengths
WeaknessES
Good patient database
No marketing experience
Good location
Nurse not interested
Established credit
Staff not used to aesthetics
Opportunities Threats New service/new treatment
Early mistakes
Staff morale
Competition nearby
Improve cash flow
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