The realm of non-surgical aesthetic treatments has expanded dramatically, offering diverse options like lasers, light therapy, focused ultrasound, radio-frequency micro-needling, and injectables. While surgical options may offer more dramatic results, the appeal of non-surgical treatments lies in their lower risk and reduced downtime. For medical professionals in this field, understanding and managing patient expectations is as crucial as the treatment itself.
Misconceptions and Realistic Outcomes:
Patient misconceptions often clash with realistic outcomes, especially when comparing non-surgical and surgical procedures. Bridging this gap in understanding is essential for practitioners, as it ensures patients have clear and realistic expectations of their prescribed aesthetic treatments.
- A common misconception among patients is equating non-surgical treatments with surgical results but at a lower cost. The higher the treatment or program cost often leads to heightened expectations, underscoring the need for transparent communication about what these treatments can realistically achieve. Patients should expect a refreshed and brighter look, not a reversal of decades
- Another mistaken understanding is that results are permanent.? It's essential to communicate that while these treatments can significantly improve appearance – reducing pigmented lesions, vascular malformations, and smoothing lines, minimizing laxity – they do not halt the aging process. Both surgical and non-surgical solutions require ongoing maintenance.
- Additionally, it’s commonly thought that non-surgical procedures have little to no risks. While non-surgical treatments are generally safer, they are not without risks such as burns, blisters, scars or hyperpigmentation. Reviewing the risks is an imperative part of the consultation and consent for treatment process so patients enter the treatments or program fully aware of the associated risks and benefits.
- A last false impression is that there is no downtime or discomfort associated with non-surgical treatments.? Some treatments may require longer social downtime which, if unexpected, can lead to lower patient satisfaction.? Often patients believe that the non-surgical nature of these treatments will result in little to no discomfort peri and post treatment. There is some discomfort that accompanies most aesthetic treatments which can be managed, but not eliminated, by using comfort techniques that include topical numbing, oral sedation, nerve block, air chiller, contact cooling and distraction tools. Advances in pre, peri and post treatment care have contributed to elevating the patient experience by reducing downtime and post treatment sensations like itch, heat, erythema and oedema.
Clear communication about what these treatments or programs can realistically achieve helps prevent disappointment and fosters a more positive treatment experience. By setting realistic goals, practitioners can align treatment outcomes more closely with patient expectations, enhancing the perceived value and effectiveness of the procedure. Moreover, managing expectations is key in maintaining the integrity and reputation of the aesthetic medicine field, as it helps to build long-term patient relationships based on transparency and realistic results.
- A thorough consultation is key. Discussing realistic outcomes, maintenance requirements, and potential risks sets a clear framework for patient expectations. The consultation process, including reviewing similar case photos, is vital in setting realistic goals.
- The use of your own practices before-and-after photos are vital tools in the consultation process to align your patient’s goals with realistic outcomes.?
- Patient feedback throughout a treatment program is essential to assess the patients satisfaction as treatments progress and provides an opportunity to alter the program as required, to meet the aesthetic goal.
- Continuous patient education throughout the treatment journey ensures informed and satisfied patients. Spend time during each treatment to further explain the changes your patient is undergoing with each treatment.
- Take photos throughout the treatment program to demonstrate the physical evolution your patient is undergoing to ensure they notice the changes that occur and that are building from treatment to treatment.
- Recent advancements have reduced downtime and enhanced outcomes. Products like Hale Derma hypochlorous acid and Benev exosomes, play a significant role in improving recovery and results thus increasing the patient experience leading to greater satisfaction.
Influential Factors in Success:
The success of patient treatments is influenced by a confluence of factors, including the treatment provider's expertise, the patients’ health and lifestyle, program duration, and maintaining results for outcome longevity.
- The provider's skill in selecting and administering treatments is pivotal. Each patient's unique characteristics, such as their skin type and condition, must guide the choice of modalities to achieve the best results and avoid using a cookie cutter approach with patients.
- Factors like diet, smoking, and sun exposure significantly impact treatment outcomes. Ensure that if your patient has one of these lifestyle situations you review carefully with them how their lifestyle will impact their results (and downtime / healing)
- Timelines are important to be very clear about.? Often patients may be pleased with the results but the overall time it took to see the results did not meet their expectation and this leads to overall low satisfaction.? Discuss when the patient will see early results, when can they anticipate a peak in visible results and how long the results will continue to evolve for prior to embarking on a maintenance program.
- Explaining the necessity of ongoing maintenance is crucial. Patients can become dissatisfied as they see their aesthetic results diminishing over time.? It’s advisable to bring patients back before they begin to see the results diminish to ensure they continue to look their best and avoid having to restart a series of treatments.
Handling Unmet Expectations:
Addressing unmet patient expectations in aesthetic medicine is a delicate yet crucial aspect of patient care. It involves navigating the complex terrain of disappointment and misaligned outcomes, where open communication and empathy become key. This underscores the importance of understanding the reasons behind these unmet expectations, whether they stem from miscommunication, unrealistic goals, or procedural limitations. Exploring effective strategies to manage and rectify these situations not only helps in salvaging patient trust but also enhances the overall standard of care in practice.
- In cases where results fall short of expectations, it's important to review the treatment plan that was administered, reassess the chosen modalities, and ensure that patient expectations were appropriately managed from the start.
- Often programs with multiple modalities produce greater satisfaction as they can address multiple concerns. Single modality treatments sometimes result in “non-responders”. In a multi-modality program the likelihood of the patient being a non-responder to all of the chosen modalities is very unlikely so adopting this approach will reduce the occurrence of “non-responders”, increase the indications that can be addressed and safeguard patient satisfaction.
- Providing patients with complimentary treatments might not be the best solution if the initial choice of modalities was incorrect, the patient's lifestyle compromised the results, or if there are other undisclosed medical factors at play. A notable example is seen in patients receiving treatments for laxity and wrinkles while on semaglutide. In such cases, additional treatments are unlikely to yield improved results until the patient has finished their medication course and the washout period is complete. This scenario highlights the importance of considering external factors that can influence treatment outcomes..
- If the patient was under-treated due to poor choice parameters, then it will be necessary to offer a series of treatments at the practices cost.? Retraining of the technician will need to be a priority going forward to ensure this doesn't reoccur.
- If patient expectations were not adequately managed, leading to dissatisfaction, it's vital to explore strategies to maintain the patient-provider relationship and consider re-educating the consultant to minimize future occurrences. Sometimes, patient expectations may shift during the course of treatment, necessitating the reinforcement of steps 3-6 from the "managing expectations" section to ensure their expectations remain realistic and aligned with the treatment's potential outcomes.
For practitioners in the non-surgical aesthetic field, balancing patient expectations with realistic outcomes is a nuanced but critical aspect of patient care. By embracing patient education and maintaining open communication, we can guide our patients towards satisfying results that enhance the patients’ appearance and confidence while boosting our reputation as an aesthetic authority in the community.
Founder @ PEMF-devices.com, Researcher, Writer & Manager @ NaturalHealthScience.com DrStephenSimpson.com & More.
11 个月Great article, thanks for the insight Traci!