In this article, I will give you several tips and tools to evaluate your laser centers culture and operations, so you can successfully navigate any economic downturn… And live to sell another day when the inevitable upturn comes around.

What is the Passion and Purpose of Your Medical Spa?

You reap what you sew. When you engage proactively and passionately in your business you will undoubtedly be successful and see your practice expand. It helps to articulate your passion for your medical spa.

At Assara Laser, our passion is to “help clients look and feel great, not fake.”

Why the Recession Drastically Affects Your Laser Clinics Bottom Line

You’ve probably noticed that generating revenue is not as easy as it once was. There are myriad reasons for this; from the decline in disposable income, to unemployment hitting record highs and tanking real estate valuations. As if these facts were not bleak enough, credit markets are virtually frozen so business owners are finding it nearly impossible to obtain small business loans and lines of credit. Refinancing current loans has become difficult for small businesses.

In short, we’re operating in the perfect storm.

Accepting Reality and Responsibility Today

The easy way out is to close up shop and blame the recession. This will not help you going forward, it will not pay your devoted employees their wages, and most of all, it will not help your clients “look and feel great, not fake.” So, accept responsibility.

The hardships of the recession create a fact-pattern, problem to be solved; not a reason for failure. To paraphrase Michael Jackson, start, first, with the man in the mirror. Think about the following questions. And pay attention – there will be homework at the end of this article!

Finding Your Medspas Winning Competitive Difference?

Let’s be honest. The quality of your laser clinc’s treatments are probably not drastically better than that of your competitors. The proprietary equipment and IPL or laser systems (Thermage, Fraxel, Titan) that you use are, for the most part, available to the competitive skin clinic market at large.

You may believe (and tell clients) that your microdermabrasion treatments are better because you use a diamond-tipped wand or aluminum oxide crystals. You may think that your IPLs or laser hair removal treatments are better because you use cryo-cooling or because you use chilled air cooling, or because you use a diode laser or because you use alexandrite lasers . . .

BUT . . .

Step in to your clients’ shoes. To them, the bells and whistles of your Thermage or Fraxel device don’t matter. Your clients already expect expert advice and cutting edge cosmetic lasers, IPLs and skin tighening equipment, so merely meeting this fundamental requirement is not a winning competitive difference.

What does matter to your clients are presentation, client interaction, customer service, reliability and consistency. Consider this carefully.

What is each of your medspas clients worth?

At Assara Laser, one of the most popular packages is our $449 per month Unlimited Laser Hair Removal Program. On average, a client that signs up for this program will remain a member of the Program for 7 months, depending on the results they wish to achieve. How much is a single unlimited client worth to us?  A client in the program for 7 months, making a monthly payment of $449 is worth $3,143. For many laser clinic owners, a single laser hair removal client is worth more than a home mortgage payment!

Do you treat every single potential laser treatment client that contacts your laser clinic as if they’re worth $3,000?

What is your time and effort worth?

Before my partners and I built Assara Laser, I was an attorney. I still practice corporate law as a labor of love, when a friend or business contact has an exciting deal. I normally discount my rate to about $400 per hour, as law isn’t my primary source of income.

Assume an hour of your time is worth $400.  Assume further that, every time your customers complain, you are willing to give a discount, or a free treatment and that, collectively, free and discounted treatments account for a 20% loss in your revenue. To make up for this lost revenue, how much more work do you have to do?

Well, let’s add 20% to your 10 hour day, which now makes it a 12 hour day. If annual sales are $1,000,000 per year, you’ve lost $200,000. This translates into 500 hours more of work you must do to bring your revenue back to status quo!

Is there a big difference between a day that starts at 9:00 a.m. and ends at 7:00 p.m. versus ending at 9:00 p.m.  You betcha there is!  Is there a big difference between a loss of $200,000 and a loss of zero. You betcha there is!  And these differences drastically affect your quality of life.

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Laser Clinic Operations

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The Advanced Medical Spa Esthetics Training Course & Study Guide is a two part learning cirriculum for non-physicians.

With 165 pages of quality content, this course is delivered in two parts that include a text book and a study guide. Use this course to train your staff and give them the information they need to make your medical spa a success.

Medical Esthetician Training Manual & Study Guide – $247

Medical Spa MD training manuals and ebooks are excellent resources for laser clinics, skin clinics, laser centers, and medspas.

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Laser Clinic Training

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Medical Spa MD is now publishing training manuals and books for laser clinics, plastic surgery centers and dermatology clinics.

These medical spa training eBooks are designed specifically for medical estheticians, cosmetic laser and IPL technicians and front desk staff, to provide a consistent environment for new hires and keep the staff informed the latest cosmetic treatments.

It's part of an evolving plan to be able to monetize the huge community of plastic surgeons, dermatologists, laser clinics and medical spas that are part of the community at Medical Spa MD. There are more than 4,000 physician members running laser clinics, medical spas, and skin clinics, and around a million and a half targeted page views, most of which are from physicians (although non-physician numbers are growing).

Medical Spa MD is a community that was started a few years ago and I think it demonstrates how effective you can be if you have information that is not generally available, and know how to build and motivate an online community. Medical Spa MD will never make me rich, but it's an asset that accrues increasing value over time and more than pays for itself with new opportunities.

Medical Spa RX is the sister site to Medical Spa MD and allows these same dermatologists, plastic surgeons and laser clinics to buy wholesale Botox, Juvederm, Restylane and Dysport from Canada and distribute it world wide.

But perhaps the greatest value of Medical Spa MD is simply the trust and goodwill we've grown among physicians. Medical Spa MD's influence and reach is very long, as attested to the numerous leagal threats, phone calls from lawyers, and cease and desist letters we've received.

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Medical Spa Training Manuals & Books for Medical Estheticians & Laser Clinic Staff

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Looking for a medical spa? Finding A Non-Surgical Specialist

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Although this chapter from the Advanced Medical Aesthetics Training Manual wasn’t actually requested in the training manual I wrote for the academy students, I felt it was extremely important for the entire medical spa staff, especially for medical estheticians, to know the difference amongst the various treatments used to alleviate the appearance of wrinkles and folds, and the difference between dynamic and static lines.

Medical estheticians have the most “face time” with clients, examining it with magnifying lenses, treating it with exfolliants, moisturizers, galvanic current, high frequency, various acids, etc. They understand the realm of fine lines and wrinkles and know what can be alleviated with topical treatments such as facials, peels, microdermabrasion and laser resurfacing, and what cannot.

I cannot tell you how many patients call or come into our office with no knowledge of the difference between paralyzing agents such as Botox and Dysport, and dermal fillers. We take it for granted that we know the difference, but injectable products can be very confusing to the lay person. Because the aesthetician works with the client’s skin, they should be well versed in the differences in the two categories of injectables and the products that lie within. Estheticians become your most powerful education source for your clients which ultimately leads to an upsell for them (with possible commission).

Many people think all fillers products are the same, nor do they care to understand the difference between hyaluronic acid or calcium hydroxylapetite. All they truly care about is “how long will it last” and will the “results look fake”. Only with proper education can the medical esthetician effectively and intelligently discuss the differences in the filler products, educate the patient about the effects and lasting results, and help lead the patient to the right product, or combination of products, for their expected outcome.

This information in this chapter is very important for your medical spa front desk/phone people as well!

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Medical Esthetician Training from Medical Spa MD

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What happened in medical spas, skin clinics and laser treatment centers in 2009?

Cosmetic enhancements circa 2009 can be divided into three basic categories. Non Invasive includes wash and wear injections and resurfacing treatments such as IPL & laser treatments and chemical peels, and clinical skin care. Minimally invasive falls somewhere in between surgery with visible scars, and the non invasive category, and can be performed in a doctor’s office. Invasive procedures involve surgery done to reshape or refine parts of the face and body, typically involving an office or hospital setting and anesthesia. Most common are breast augmentation, liposuction, mini face lifts and pretty much anything that involves a scalpel.

In the overall scheme of things, there is no ideal time frame to jump on the Botox bandwagon, although the trend is certainly towards doing things earlier as a preemptive strike for maintenance and to forestall the day when everything goes south. But there will come a time when creams stop doing enough to make you content with the way you are aging, and you start to wonder what else is out there. You don’t have to take it lying down (although lying down does make sagging disappear – try holding a mirror above your head).

The next logical step from wrinkle creams and sunscreen are chemical peels, laser treatments, and intense pulsed light treatments (IPL) that can even out skin tone and improve texture.

Botox is brilliant for lines around the eyes, forehead and mouth. Dermal fillers such as Restylane, Evolence and Radiesse are de rigeur for plumping furrows, creases and deeper folds. Brown spots and sun damage can be helped with a course of Fraxel or Pearl. For slack skin, tightening devices such as Thermage and Titan can deliver a subtle lifting effect on droopy brows and necks. The final stage before considering surgery tends to be a combination of several of these to maximize the anti-aging results.

Of course, when the non invasive treatments stop delivering what you really want in terms of sagging, sinking and bulges, you might consider a short scar face or neck lift and some minor eye rejuvenation surgery to reduce excess skin and fat deposits.

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Medicals Spas & Laser Clinics in 2009

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