110 March 2011 PPD

People often ask me: what exactly do you need to set up as an aesthetic practitioner? Let’s keep this basic and, as

I do start at the beginning.A good aesthetic practitioner with a good

practice needs a ‘great tool bag’ in order to make an aesthetic practice work.

So, first of all let’s decide who and what you want to be. Then we can determine what tools you need. For me this was very simple; my main aim was to educate myself, team and staff, but above all, to do as I had done in dentistry and ‘do no harm’ with a minimal outlay.

I would recommend this standard to begin with, it must be applied to all the people in the practice who touch, interact with and educate the patient. In aesthetic medicine, I have learned that you have to do lots of good. Under promise, over deliver and most of all make the patient feel and look better - this is ‘emotive beauty’.

I am a true believer that you can begin a practice with minimal outgoings. If we keep it simple I would suggest that the three key areas you look at are what I call:• Canvas - skin• Lines - static or dynamic• Volume - volume/fat loss in the face.

If we are going to look at the above, we would need to learn about:• Botox• Fillers• Chemical peels/microdermabrasion• Skin - its effects.

Let’s leave the lasers, lights, fat-busting technology to those that are big risk takers, have huge amounts of money to spend and who want to play with the big guys.

BOtOX Botox will basically relax lines and wrinkles caused by animation in the forehead, around the eyes and also in advanced users around the mouth.

At present there are four main types of Botox on the market:• Botox – Allergan• Azzalure – Galderma• Dysport• Bocoture.

They all basically work in the same way.

They all claim to be either cheaper, last longer or are easier to use. In my experience, I simply buy on the basis of cost and education. Some companies contact me and my team weekly, while others I simply do not see - and they expect me to sell their product?

All I can say is call them all to visit you, ask them what education, support and business planning they can provide. Choose the one that you believe is the better and review sales and support after six months. They need you more than you need them.

With regards to the courses that I have been on, most are paid for but some are free and I

In her second article for aspiring aesthetic practitioners, Tracey Bell examines what you need in your tool bag

FacIaL aestHetIcsGETTING ‘TOOLED UP’

FacIaLaestHetIcs

PRODucts useD

Botox Allergan

Azzalure Galderma

Dysport Ipsen Biopharm

Bocoture Merz Pharma

Restylane QMed

Perlane QMed

Juverderm Juverderm

Succeev Sanofi-Synthelabo

Teosyal Teoxane

cOuRses By

Wigmore Medical

Bob Khanna

Code Training Courses

Tracey Bell at work

Tracey Bell, BDS (Hons) Manchester, has aesthetic centres in the Isle of Man and Liverpool, which specialise in facial aesthetics and cosmetic dentistry. www.traceybell.co.uk

PPD March 2011 111

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.

FILLeRsInjectable soft tissue fillers are becoming a mainstay of aesthetic medicine. The

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.

MIcRODeRMaBRasIOnMicrodermabrasion 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 PeeLsRemember, 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 PeRFORManceIf 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.

PLannInGA simple SWOT analysis will give you all direction. Try this:

CONT

A comforting, welcoming environment is vitally important in promoting good aesthetics

FacIaLaestHetIcs

stRenGtHs

Good patient database

Good location

Established credit

OPPORtunItIes

New service/new treatment

Staff morale

Improve cash flow

Weaknesses

No marketing experience

Nurse not interested

Staff not used to aesthetics

tHReats

Early mistakes

Competition nearby

112 March 2011 PPD

Now what you need to do is simply set a goal. If you have no goal, you’ll get lost. The goal simply needs to be:• Time phased - set an annual or six-

monthly goal.• Monetary - track Progress, simply look at

costs, profits and how to contain expenses. Believe me, expenses you need to contain.

• Realistic - be realistic, don’t set goals too high. Two patients per week is a good goal to begin with.

• Bought into - goals will never be achieved alone. Your team needs to understand your goal.

A SWOT analysis is a great way to brainstorm with your staff and makes them feel a part of the ‘tools’, which I think is essential. From the SWOT analysis, everyone can see exactly how a strategy can be exercised in order to bring those clients through the doors.

A couple of extra items for the tool bag worth explaining are insurance and IHAS registration. The correct insurance is important in this litigating society. It is vital that regulations and rules are followed

and that they are understood by your team and staff. The main insurers at present who insure for malpractice are: Hamilton Fraser, Towergate and Ceart. It is important to compare all companies for pricing, procedures covered and excess premiums.

The IHAS (Independent Healthcare Advisory Services) is a group that provides a quality assurance framework for practices to follow. This has been recently introduced and one which I have signed my clinics to. There has been much press about this network which at present offers the only reassurance a patient may look to to ensure that clinical standards are maintained. It is a framework of quality assurance and protocols that my team can work from. www.treatmentsyoucantrust.co.uk.

tHe key InGReDIentA tool bag can be as simple or as comprehensive as you wish. The main, key ingredient however is education and knowledge. I was lucky to begin with, as I ensured that in order to gain knowledge, I worked with plastic surgeons, dermatologists

and watched other cosmetic practitioners work - simply because I was interested. I asked and they kindly agreed to share their ideas, knowledge and experiences with me. Take my advice and simply ask. It was from plastic surgeons that I learnt about procedures and from dermatologists that I learnt all about the skin. Yes, we can all read a book, but I believe that telling, showing, doing or educating, watching and knowing what to do are vitally important to understanding an ageing face, as you will see in the next article.

Great reception staff are imperative

A great team, good consumer focus and interaction

External promotion and good staff are important ppd

To ask a question or comment on this article please send an email to: comments@ppdentistry.com

FacIaLaestHetIcs

aestHetIcs tOOL BaG cHeckLIst

Education of staff and practitioner

A room for completing procedures – with the correct ambience

Botox - educational materials / injections / products / sharp bins / gauze / good before and after images

Fillers - educational materials / products / sharp bins / good before and after images / patient aftercare advice

Peels - and a microdermabrasion

Skin care - do not invest heavily if you are not confident to begin with

Team - a team who believes, loves and understands facial aesthetics

Follow up - constant contact

Relationships with reps and suppliers are extremely important; they can help with education, marketing and planning

Insurance

IHAS registration

A good injecting technique and patient trust is crucial