The practice of aesthetic medicine is a relatively new field. But unless you’ve come into the field fresh from school in the last couple of years, there’s a good chance your medical background looks very different. Our students come from a wide variety of medical experience, from Emergency Departments and Operating Rooms to school nurse positions. Many, unfortunately, have had little chance to build relationships with their patients. Wherever they come from, we constantly remind them: your customer relationship in aesthetic medicine will be nothing like you’ve experienced so far. 

How the interactions differ 

You might wonder how different these interactions could possibly be. After all, you’re still a medical professional with an M.D., N.D., N.P, R.N., or P.A. attached to your name. But, of course, you’re still providing medical treatments. However, the nature of the procedures leads to a different rapport and emotional connection that you develop with your clients. 

Aesthetic medicine doesn’t attract the same type of behavior or customer. After all, they’re not coming to you with appendicitis or chest pains. They’re coming to you for something about their appearance that is distracting to them or causing self-esteem or self-worth questions. At its core, aesthetic medicine is about wants rather than actual needs. This ends up changing the entire tone of your interactions.

Building strong customer relationships in aesthetic medicine

So, how do we get our patients in the door, let them know they are beautiful just as they are, and still provide the services they crave? For us, it’s one of the best parts of the job. We focus on positive interactions and strong relationships from the get-go. We encourage every client who sits in our chair to find something beautiful about themselves and embrace that every day. Maybe it’s eye color, their smile, her ankles, or his abs. Whatever it is, if you as a provider help them see that, you will have a client (and genuine relationship) for life. From there, we can focus on why they came––the “11s” between the brow that makes them look tired or the sagging cheeks that age them. With a solid provider-patient relationship, we can help them feel comfortable about the experience while giving them the freshest version of themselves.  

Using these relationships for good

There’s a certain power that comes with aesthetic medicine training. We can use our understanding of facial anatomy, extensive training, and medical background to manipulate appearances. But, of course, we must use this power for good, not evil. That’s where relationships come into play again.  When we establish a genuine connection with our patients and truly listen to their needs, it’s a better experience all around.

We’ve all seen the overdone, of course. While your reputation is on the line here, so is your patients’ appearance and self-confidence. We always tell our clients: “once I put a needle in your face, it is like signing a work of art, and I don’t want my name on bad art.” Just like any relationship, we have to know when to say no or gently lead a patient in another direction. We’re here to provide a service. But we’re also here to listen to our training and deal with human beings in the kindest, most truthful way possible.

Aesthetic medicine for the long-run

Many of us on both the trainer and trainee side of our programs have had decades of experience in the more fast-paced side of the medical field. While that portion of our career has its benefits and relationships, there also never seemed to be enough time to give our patients the assurance and interaction they needed. The world of aesthetic medicine provides us with that time to build relationships and have truly gratifying experiences. If this sounds like your next step, we’d love to hear from you.