botox patients Archives

So you’ve decided you want to set up in aesthetics, and are busy researching Botox courses. Great choice. But if you really want to be successful in the aesthetics industry, your training is just the start.

To thrive as a Botox practitioner, it’s important to know how your patients and prospective patients feel about treatment. Get inside their minds and understand not only their hopes, but also their concerns – and any barriers that may be holding them back.

After all, if you know what’s stopping them, you’ll know how to reassure them.

There are plenty of misconceptions about Botox, and being able to address them with your patients is vital. Unfortunately, this isn’t usually covered during most Botox courses.

So to give you something to think about, here are 4 of the most persistent concerns, along with some guidelines for what to say to your patients.

> Botox is unsafe

Despite its popularity and widespread use, some people are still unconvinced about the safety of Botox. They believe that, because it’s a toxin, it has the potential to be harmful when injected.

But as practitioners, we know that Botulinum toxin is extremely safe when administered in the right dose by a qualified medical professional. So stress that to your patients.

You can also tell them that Botox has been safely used for many years in a medical context, to treat migraines, bladder problems, etc, which should help allay their fears.

> I’ll look frozen and odd

Ah, the dreaded ‘frozen face’. It’s a very real fear for some people that their face will be rendered blank and immobile by Botox. They might have seen unflattering pictures of celebrities and be terrified of having the same outcome.

So for those patients, let them know you’ll take a conservative approach. You can always top up at a later date if needed. Stress that you believe in achieving the most natural results rather than the most dramatic – and if that means erring on the side of caution, so be it.

> Botox is indulgent/only for vain/rich/famous people

Like most aesthetic pursuits, the early adopters for Botox were celebrities. But it’s now grown in popularity so much that it’s now the world’s favourite non-surgical treatment.

And as it’s grown in popularity it’s become more affordable and accessible. So the chances are that everyone knows someone, or knows of someone, who’s had it.

So let your patients know that far from being something famous/rich/vain people do, it’s something that at least some of their neighbours, friends and colleagues are likely to have done!

> Botox is scary and painful

Needles and injections can strike terror into the hardest of hearts. And here’s where your powers of reassurance need to be at their best.

Let them know exactly what they’ll feel. A slight pinching sensation that will be over in a matter of seconds. Tell them people often compare it to a mosquito bite, so if they’ve ever had one of those, they’ll know they can deal with it.

Stressing that the treatment doesn’t require anaesthetic should also help reassure them that any discomfort is likely to be minimal.

Find out more about our Botox courses

Cosmetic Courses are the UK’s most established Botox training provider. We offer scheduled and bespoke Botox courses to medical professionals at fully equipped training centres throughout the UK. For information about our Botox courses, or to book, call us on 01844 318317 or email [email protected].

Dealing with Unhappy Customers

Dear Cosmetic Courses,

Please help: I recently treated two patients (friends of mine) with Botox and they both left happy. 5 weeks later they called me wanting a top up. I would usually review up to 3 weeks after but I’d like your advice on this: should I just give them a top-up to keep them happy? Did I do something wrong initially?

Keep Calm and Carry On

Here at Cosmetic Courses, of course we always train our delegates to the very highest standards and, in a perfect world, everybody would always be happy and you’d never make any mistakes. Unfortunately, however, sometimes even when you’ve done everything absolutely right you’ll find you just can’t please every patient 100% of the time.

It is always difficult when people leave happy but return later with some element of dissatisfaction.

You can help lessen the likelihood of this happening, however, by making it absolutely clear during an initial consultation before each and every treatment what they should expect or what the limitations of our medicines are.

Our Trainer, Registered Aesthetic Nurse Libby Stewart, always tries to explain to patients that the duration of efficacy of Botox is designed to be twelve weeks. The initial response isn’t seen for three to five days with the best effect being at two weeks. This is why we arrange the review appointment at two weeks and usually give a window of up to the three week date to allow for holidays, sickness, etc. to perform the perfecting treatment.

We explain to the patient that this protocol is there to protect them from potentially developing anti-bodies to the toxin that may prevent a positive response to the medicine in the future, whether it is used for cosmetic or medical purpose. Libby says, “I usually make a little joke and say something like – if you need this medicine in the future for an incompetent bladder, you won’t thank me for having over- treated a little wrinkle!”

By emphasising to patients that the medicines’ efficacy is designed to last 12 weeks, they should understand that it is perfectly possible to see a slight return of movement from the six week period as the chemical denervation of the muscle starts to decrease and the original neurone mechanism is restored. It will be a gradual process to the return of full movement. If your patients understand the method of action of the medicine right from the start you are less likely to get this sort of query.

The most difficult thing for you is if the patients are friends. Sometimes with friends we miss out as thorough a consultation as we might give to a patient who we know less well. But it is your responsibility as an Aesthetic Practitioner to make sure that they are as informed and documented as thoroughly as any of your regular patients.

You will have to be firm as your patients probably will want you to add more product but don’t be swayed.

Stand by your professional instinct and instead use this as a good learning experience:

Was your muscle placement as good as it could have been?
Was your depth correct?
Was your product fresh, correctly diluted, and had it been stored at the correct temperature?
Had you diluted your product slowly causing no bubbles?
Had you chosen the right dosage to still the muscle movement?

I’m sure that in your case the answer to all these questions is “yes” but going through these things in your mind will help you evidence the actions of your treatment and know that you have followed best practice. This will make it easier to stand your professional ground with your patients.

We hope that helps a bit. Let us know how things pan out. We are always interested in how our delegates are getting on.

For more help and advice from the Cosmetic Courses team, please do not hesitate to contact us on 01845 230 4110 or [email protected] . Details of all our leading medical aesthetic training courses for registered doctors, dentists and nurses can be found at www.cosmeticcourses.co.uk .