Bridging Aesthetics to Medical

After close to two decades in the aesthetics industry, working with both medical practitioners and aestheticians, I have discovered that there are things that need to be improved. I love my industry, and the work that we do, so I am happy to lead the way in making changes to improve our industry and our working relationships with medical practitioners.

If we all get on the same page, we can make things far better for the client/patient that we are all trying to help!

Now, I am by no means saying that dermatologists should perform facials and aestheticians should diagnose life-threatening conditions. However, I am saying that as a skin-centric practicing corneotherapist (a skin focused aesthetician) it is my professional obligation to know my scope of practice and refer when necessary, to support my clients with the resources they need, especially if they are unaware that resources are required.

It is also my responsibility to show my depth of knowledge to the physicians, dermatologists, functional medicine practitioners, naturopathic doctors, nurses, and nutritionists. The way I prefer to accomplish that is to simply:

●     Share what I do with those whom I have immediate contact.

●     Refer with written requests.

●     Demonstrate the results that I have accomplished.

●     Asking for help, including how the professionals in my community like to receive referrals and through which channels (ie, the dermatologist would prefer my client to go to their primary health care provider who will then refer the patient - my client - to the dermatologist)

 Most medical professionals I know like to keep their schedules open for medical matters. In my hometown, our dermatologist (before he retired, and has not been replaced) referred his patients to our clinic for treatment of conditions like acne, and rosacea so he could keep his focus on helping his patients with skin cancer and other chronic skin diseases. We created a win-win relationship that came about after diligently proving that we knew and understood our scope of practice, always referred when we did not know or were uncertain, and never assumed we knew if lesions were harmless or not and practiced skin care with caution always inviting the medical sign off to proceed.

What do I see a lot of in the industry today: Competition! It is entirely unnecessary in my opinion because I am sure, as stated above, that we can work in great harmony in a field that yes, inevitably overlaps a little bit. I often wonder why that is and the, in my opinion, it is because we don't communicate with each other well enough, and yes, we have a challenge that the benchmark for base training is not the same in every province and every state in North America. Yes, some of us live in a place that has become over-regulated, and I do believe an aesthetician is perfectly capable of doing extractions (for example) and most doctors I know don't have the desire to remove open comedones for their clients. Over time, a distrust has developed but can be overcome, and I see many examples of this daily.

 On the other hand, I also see complete under-regulation resulting in basement or garage-based businesses using high-end technology by unqualified individuals putting client safety at risk.

 So, what is the answer? I don't think there is a perfect answer, but I do encourage my clients to build a strong network of amazing professionals they can refer to and do so without concern that a client will be 'stolen' by a cosmetic physician you might refer him/her to. Seriously, there is plenty of room under the sun for all, and if your client has a service or two with a cosmetic physician, nurse, or other skin care professional, they will make their choice. Did you give them the most professional experience when they did visit you? I have honestly gained more clients by working in collaboration with other skin care professionals around me and at the end of the day, I know my clients always get the best help they need for the concern they have at the time they need it. 

 My clients obtaining the best results is my ultimate goal, what is yours?

 With that, happy reffering!

 René Serbon - Skin Expert

*** Did you know***

 You can work with me in one of 3 ways:

1. Skin Stuff!

 Dermaviduals? is the skin care line of choice; hence, I made a move into the world of distribution almost ten years ago. 

2. Diagnostic Stuff!

 I have always been a firm believer in utilizing diagnostic devices to help communicate your findings to your clients. Diagnostic devices can also be super helpful when you are referring to the medical community and can provide imaging or measurements. Hence again, I decided to distribute my favorite tools. 

3. Business Stuff!

 Before skin, I studied business, and it has served me well. I am gifted with systems and processes and more importantly TIME MANAGEMENT of clinic owners. Hence business owners have commissioned me over the years to help them set up systems and procedures and help them understand how to manage time, the one commodity that is not endless. You can visit my website if you want to learn more.

** This article was first featured on www.reneserbon.com **