Nobody’s Got Time for That

What your Patient is thinking:

I did my homework, and I wrote down my questions. I made an appointment and now I’m in my initial consultation for the newest hottest trend in skincare as described by (insert Celebrity of the week). I’m stoked that this will give me perfectly glowing skin. This is going to be great!

Then you drop a few truth bombs on him/her. You inform your patient that results vary by person, and no guarantees can be made, and oh by the way, you will look like a face full of road rash for at least a week. Say what now? A week of downtime? Your excited patient suddenly feels like all of the wind has been taken out of his/her sails. They then begin to explain (as though its negotiable) that they can’t take a week away from life to recover, they have a job, and a family, and obligations!

The Reality of Downtime After Treatment

Our industry recognizes the need for less downtime and more visible results in treatment. We hear you! You are busy and your time is valuable. We have so many fun and effective tools, but the really exciting stuff almost always comes with a good bit of downtime. Nobody’s got time for that…NOBODY! The hard fact is, with technology where it is, big corrective skin procedures require time to heal. Sometimes your patient’s expectations of time, cost, discomfort, and outcome are not reasonable through no fault of their own. Internet, social media, magazines and celebrities and influencers tend to paint a really rosy picture of what it takes to get the results you want. It never fails, one celeb mention of a procedure brings droves of inquiries about it when often it is not a good fit for the patient. All skin is different and there are lots of considerations for each individuals’ unique needs. The famed “Vampire Facial” touted by Kim Kardashian will not do your patient any good whatsoever if they are 62 and used to lay in the sun with baby oil and iodine slathered on their body for hours getting a “healthy tan.” Assert yourself as the expert you are and make customized recommendations. Providers should see things differently than their patients do. When we look at a face, we see it in sections and layers. We know that in order to give a good result, we may need to address herniated fat pads and structural elastin fibers. We know that just building collagen won’t be enough, but we need to teach our patients so that they understand that too. Being honest, up front and realistic in the consultation room will make for a better experience from patient and provider perspectives.

A Real Life Example

I’ll tell you a story. A few years ago, four to be exact, I saw a patient who brought a magazine article about Chelsea Handler and the Pro Fractional laser treatment she had. Accompanying the article was a picture of Handler on the red carpet looking stunning! Her skin was absolute perfection (so was her camera-ready makeup). I took a deep breath and began asking questions. As it turns out, the patient (52 years old) is a smoker, has a history of acne and presents with a good deal of scarring, she was a sun worshiper and has only ever had one facial in her life. She doesn’t have a skincare routine because she is “just not high maintenance like that” she washes her face with Dove soap, and sometimes uses a drug store brand moisturizer that she has had for several years and isn’t sure if it’s still good. FYI…It’s not. Throw it out. This patient also made it clear that she has no ability to weather any downtime. Let me be clear, there is no procedure or device on the planet that will make up for the years and years of neglect and abuse this patient has shown her skin without some level of downtime and changes in lifestyle. Furthermore, if I had just done the pro fractional laser treatment that she was so gung-ho for, she would have had a minimum of 4 days down time and little visible result. This patient needed to start by prepping her skin for a long road of treatments. She needed to get a good skincare routine and be consistent with it. She needed some professional skin treatment to thoroughly clean, exfoliate, nourish, and protect her skin. Then and only then, should she be considering corrective high energy treatments. When I explained all of this, the patient opted to get another opinion. I completely respect that!  Unfortunately, her second opinion caved to her request for the Chelsea Handler pro fractional procedure, and she walked away looking pretty much the same but with $2500.00 less in her bank account and a week of downtime. She was back in my office about 6 months after her initial consultation to tell me about her experience, and to tell me that she is ready to start at the beginning and work toward her skin goals the right way. Today, she has smooth beautiful skin that looks better and better every time I see her. Four years later and her total investment in her skin is roughly 5200.00. That’s $1300 per year or $108 per month. Remember that she spent 2500.00 for one treatment that did nothing but take up precious time. My point in telling this story is to impress upon you that sometimes the slow route is the better way. It takes time to build up damage and it will take time to repair it. Sometimes, if its truly a priority, patients will need to take the time.

Having said all of that, we are entering an exciting time for aesthetics as new technologies are being brought to market daily! We are seeing so many more options, and guess what? Most of them are focusing on less downtime and greater efficacy. Laser is more elegant than ever, but there are other energy-based therapies becoming the hot trend in medical aesthetics too. Devices that utilize radio frequency in new innovative delivery methods are popping up all over. These devices can do everything from curing acne (yes, I said “curing”), to destroying small herniated pockets of fat, to giving a true non-surgical face lift by contracting connective tissues that give your face structure. Plasma is another exciting development in our industry that produces game-changing results with minimal down time. It addresses skin laxity, tone, texture, vascularity, pore size, and fine lines and wrinkles…what more could you ask for!

Med-Surg Academy in Phoenix: Educating Medical Aesthicians to Educate their Patients

It’s so important to respect your patient’s time and know that they have a whole world outside of skincare that they can’t just take a break from without planning, but also know that we can’t rush a process that takes time and patience. You want to cultivate a lifetime client that trusts you implicitly, so you’ll have to be transparent about downtime and expectations. You may need to advise your patient to postpone a treatment until the timing is better (assuring them that you know there’s never a good time) but if that’s what will get them the best possible outcome, that is what you should suggest…even if they don’t have time for that.