Finding a medical aesthetics practitioner you can trust is perhaps the most stressful step to finally committing to your unique aesthetic goals. It can be tough to know what to look for in a treatment provider and oftentimes, appointments may feel rushed or you may feel out of place asking what you worry may be a silly question. By their very nature, medical aesthetics consultations are vulnerable moments. Find the right aesthetics provider and a treatment plan that you’ll absolutely love by using the following tips to ensure all of your questions, concerns, and fears, regardless of how big or small they may seem, are adequately addressed.
Confirm the Practitioner Properly Understands Your Concerns
Often in consultation and treatment appointments, it may feel as if there is a gap between the concerns you are expressing as a prospective patient and the answers your practitioner is offering as a resolution. If there appears to be a break in communication, take the time to clarify your concerns. Experienced practitioners will often use a method called active listening to ensure they are interpreting patients’ concerns correctly. Using this method, the practitioner may reiterate your concerns in their own words to confirm their understanding, seeking confirmation or correction before asking further questions or offering their opinion. This is the kind of exchange to look for in a skilled aesthetics practitioner.
Take Your Time to Talk About Everything
It is a very common mistake that many practitioners talk too much during the initial consultation. Even if you’re not much of a talker, you should expect to chat a lot at least during the first half of your appointment. During this time, your aesthetics provider will likely ask about what brought you in, your top aesthetics concerns and goals, your lifestyle habits and medical history as it pertains to the treatment, and maybe even a little about yourself, so they can establish a better connection. Now is your chance to open up and be honest. At this time, you should also feel comfortable to ask plenty of questions. Generally speaking, the practitioner’s education, experience, expertise, and all the nitty gritty details of your suggested treatment plan are up for conversation. If you’re worried about missing anything, arrive with a list of notes or ask for information on how you might reach out if you find you have further questions after your initial consultation.
Consider Crossing off Clinics with Free Consultations
It might be appealing to book a free consultation but in some instances, opting for a clinic that charges for the consultation or uses the consultation fee as a credit towards your treatment plan may be a better option. In most cases, clinics that charge for a consultation are doing so to ensure they can spend an adequate amount of time with you, uninterrupted and unrushed, to focus on your questions and concerns and craft a thoughtful custom treatment plan. These clinics are less concerned about a loss of profits on free consultations and may be less likely to push you to commit to a plan when you leave because there has been a fair exchange of payment for their time, knowledge, and recommendations. In other words, paying a consultation fee can really pay off in terms of ensuring your questions, concerns, and fears are properly addressed without rush.
Request Brochures or Visuals If Needed
Sometimes medical aesthetics concepts and terminology can be a little difficult to follow. If you’re someone who learns more effectively with visual tools, ask the practitioner if they have a brochure, model, or other graphic that might better communicate the details to you. For frequently asked technical questions, a practitioner may refer to a brochure they’ll later send you home with to refer back to as needed. Resources such as videos may also be used to help better explain the treatment process. As well, asking to see before-and-after images that allow you to better visualize the potential results you could see from your custom aesthetics treatment plan should be a request for which your provider is well prepared. A good aesthetics practitioner will be able to share previous results with you, pointing out any areas in which results may differ or any pre- and post-treatment tips the patients used to improve their results, helping you to better see the potential for your own results.
Pressure Is a Red Flag
One key sign that an aesthetics provider may not be the right match for you is if you leave with more questions than you came in with and still feel pressured to say “yes.” Quarterly quotas or special offers if you purchase a treatment plan by the end of the consultation shouldn’t play into the equation. These are hard sell tactics that signal a red flag. Instead, take your time to make a decision and place your trust in providers who are happy to reassure your concerns or help you work through your fears with logic, allowing you to arrive at an answer that feels right for you, whether it’s a yes or no at this time.
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