How do you know if your aesthetics practitioner is being honest & ethical?
In this field of aesthetic medicine lacking any regulation, which incredibly allows almost anyone to inject BOTOX, fillers, IV fluids and many more, it is a absolute minefield out there. So here I give you some insight into what goes into a successful, ethical and honest consultation and treatment, so you can better understand why I think this is so important.
I always emphasize transparency in my practice, so hopefully this will be useful, educational and provide a little insight into the methodology of running my successful clinic, and help you identify a clinician that you feel safe with.
Consulting patients - listening and understanding my patients needs is absolutely vital.
1) CONSULTATION IS KEY
The consultation I have with my patients are the number 1 key thing that leads to a successful treatment. And I really mean that.
What does this involve?
Building rapport- getting to know my patients is important. Are you looking for a complete re-fresh? Are you newly single and want to look more sassy? Or are you struggling to face the signs of ageing but don’t want your partner to know. There are so many reasons why people seek out cosmetic treatments - and by gathering this information, I understand YOU better and therefore what we need to achieve together.
Listening - what do you actually want? Fuller lips? Smoother frown line? Better skin? To look fresher and rejuvenated. I must understand this and hear exactly what you are trying to achieve
Explaining - It is vital for me to demonstrate to you as an individual what your anatomy is showing and whether or not your goals are achievable. This is highly personable to an individual and I like people to understand what I am suggesting, as it means you will better understand what treatment I propose.
Treatment plan - This is a key step - presenting to you a plan. A menu of treatment options. These are tailored to you, and don’t all need to be tackled at once. And as I always tell people, I won’t recommend something which isn’t needed. My goal is to help you look balanced, refreshed and quite simply, a better looking version - so I am certainly not going to recommend you have cheek filler if you already have big full cheeks! But I will point out the subtle areas of ageing that can be improved.
These steps should not be skipped or rushed - and I’ve heard many times patients saying they went into a clinic, had treatment, got charged X amount and didn’t know what they had done or why, and therefore didn’t like the experience. Those clinics certainly make a lot of money, but they aren’t the sort of clinic you will want to go to as a nervous first timer, or someone wanting to get a very personalised anti-ageing journey.
Discussing Profhilo and Skincare products
Let’s talk prices!
So the next key thing is to discuss with you what the costs are, and again it is important I am upfront and honest about these.
Obviously, everyone’s budget is completely different, but what I propose is a menu of possible treatments and often tell my patient to choose what is the most important thing to tackle first for them.
This leaves my patients with the power of choice and also they know that they can later re-visit some of the other options.
There should be no hidden costs and its also good to understand how often you will need treatment, ie BOTOX is every 3-4 months as this must be factored into your annual budget also!
Finally on the subject of prices, there are clinics charging low prices which often reflect either very little training experience and cheap products, very high prices which often reflect a premium clinic environment, city centre location, and perhaps celebrity clients. Skinphinity lies in the middle. We offer the best award winning premium products with a competitive price.
Am I being oversold treatments though?
Well, the better you understand your treatment plan, the more you will know whether you are being oversold. For example, when I talk my patient through the 5 areas of volume loss which would require perhaps a 3ml treatment with dermal filler, by actually pointing out where the anatomical areas of volume loss have occurred, they can understand why these 3mls are “appropriate” and not me trying to oversell.
Taking a quick look at a patient’s face and saying “that’ll be 5 mls costing £1000 “ - YOU as a patient have no idea if that is necessary or just a complete oversell.
So your doctor should discuss what you need, but more importantly why. And if you don’t fully understand, then ask! Don’t be afraid to go through things several times until you understand. Anatomy and beauty are complex and is not always easy to grasp.
Obviously once you find a doctor you can trust, after several treatments, then often you may wish to just leave it in their hands. At my aesthetics clinics I have my regular patients who may just say “tell me what I need, I trust you!”
Making a plan and follow up
So once the treatment is complete, often there will be a plan to repeat treatment in X number of months, or review as needed. Follow up should be offered if needed, and as I always tell patients, I am on the end of the phone for any issues, and will always see people for any rare complications should they occur (and they are extremely rare). There are stories of dodgy practitioners just turning off their phones if there is a complication - what a nightmare this must be for the poor patient!
So ensure your practitioner is available if needed, careful safety net and aftercare advice is given.
Summary
So what I have highlighted here is that there are several stages and things you should be aware of as a patient. You don’t need to be consciously aware of all these things during your clinic visit, but having some knowledge at them at the back of your mind may help to reassure you, or warn you either way, if, that is, you are a discerning patient looking for safe, quality treatments!
Dr Adam Cheong.
Dr Adam is a qualified GP, GMC registered doctor and specialist in non-surgical facial aesthetics.
