As a practitioner of aesthetic, cosmetic, or other medical procedures your practice has clients that it serves – who are your business. You, as a professional, rely on these clients. Treating them is how you make a living. They also rely on you to look and feel their best. In this way you have a symbiotic relationship. And here is the trick to any symbiotic relationship – you can do more for each other.
While only you can decide what the right add-ons are for your practice, we at TSLMS have a few ideas that we have seen successfully implemented around the country.
Tea Bars
Whether or not you personally subscribe to the idea that there are serious health and skin benefits that come with drinking tea, there is plenty of evidence suggesting that it might. People also tend to really like tea. Green and Oolong teas in particular have caught the attention of dermatologists and scientists alike, who have filled up the pages of magazines and scientific journals espousing their potential benefits.
Take for example the article, Green Tea Shows Promise In Skin Treatment (Dermatology Times), in which the benefits of the active ingredient are explained at clearing up genital warts:
Green tea is made by taking freshly picked C. sinensis leaves and rapidly heating them to avoid wilting and oxidation. Some combination of wilting, oxidizing and fermenting can lead to white, oolong, black and post-fermented tea variations…But what about its effects on the skin? This a fascinating story, with an amazing dichotomy. Let us begin on the drug side. Drugs, you say? Caffeine is what you might be thinking, and that’s certainly a component of tea. However, caffeine is not the compound that brought a FDA-approved green tea sludge product to market. That drug, Sinecatechins Ointment, (Veregen, Fougera), is novel. Unlike virtually every other drug FDA approves that is a single molecule or an enantiomer, this product is an ointment containing 15% sinecatechins, a brown-green aqueous extract of C. sinensis that is used to treat genital warts.
What is sinecatechins extract? Sinecatechins extract is not a single active chemical; rather, it is a soup with many potential beneficial ingredients. Sinecatechins extract is composed mostly of catechins, a great part of which is epigallocatechin gallate.There has been some serious research on epigallocatechin gallate and its utility in treating HPV-related disease. The manufacturer of Sinecatechins Ointment shows data from their trials claiming complete clearance of external genital and perianal warts in most patients (53.6% vs. 35.3% for vehicle), with a high rate (93.2%) of sustained clearance at 12 weeks for patients who achieve complete clearance (vs. 94.2% for vehicle).
The anti-inflammatory properties of teas (Source), as well as other benefits such as relaxation, are enticing to people seeking out treatments for skin ailments or just looking to be more beautiful. These are your clients. Offering tea for sale by the cup at your office, or offering it complementary to clients, will go over well and might just help to grow your business.
Add On More Weight Loss Procedures
Granted, this requires additional training on the part of your staff, as well as an investment in tools and technology, but expanding what you offer will bring you more clients and more sales. Weight loss, for instance, is one of the biggest things on many people’s minds. In 2017 the Weight Loss Industry was worth more than $66 Billion (Source). Since then it has only expanded.
We are not saying that you need to convert your business model to become just a weight loss clinic, if you do not already offer this, but we are suggesting that having a combination of weight- loss procedures available, along-side diet and exercise counseling services can help you grow your business and do more for your clients who are concerned with their weight. Some of these might include:
- Bariatric surgeries, such as gastric bypass, sleeve gastrectomy, adjustable gastric band, and Biliopancreatic Diversion with Duodenal Switch (BPD/DS). (Source).
- Prescription services for weight loss. (Source).
- CoolSculpting and SculpSure. (Source).
- Liposuction. (Source).
There are plenty of ways that your practice can get into the weight loss business without changing its current focus. Whether you make a small investment, or go all in, the benefits to you and your clients will be great.
Upgrade Your Office
One of the easiest things you can do to make an immediate impact on your practice, and the satisfaction of your clients, is to remodel your office and add on to the comfort and decor. Some offices are already on their game – and walking into them is awesome. For others that are still operating their business in a setting that feels sterile and clinical, there are a lot of opportunities.
If you are not a designer, we get that too. Few of us are. However, there is a really easy way to get inspired – browse Pinterest, which has, for instance, a whole slew of ideas for Surgeons Offices and Waiting Rooms and Reception Spaces. Spend a few minutes browsing and get inspired! Your clients will love you for it.
