By Sarah Hudson, a renowned Sydney aesthetic practitioner and educator, and founder of Clinic Skin by Sarah Hudson.
The medical aesthetic industry is biting at our heels and the beauty industry is evolving and shifting. With technology and scientific skincare leading the way, it is now more important than ever for businesses to move with the industry and focus on anti-ageing.
With over 25 years’ experience as an aesthetic practitioner, I have loved embracing the many changes our industry has undergone. When I first opened my business Skin by Sarah Hudson, I provided a multi-service salon specialising in skin services. After a very short time, I realised my clients were drawn to the medical aesthetic market for specialty anti-ageing services. To retain my clientele, I set about changing the direction of my business and my qualifications to ensure I could provide cosmeceutical skincare, medical peels, laser skin rejuvenation, and speciality IPL and laser services.
Every year I spend months researching skincare and technology, reinvesting time and money into my business to maintain relevance to my clients and building my skill set to ensure continued growth for my business.
I also continue to introduce new technologies and skincare into my business on a 6 to 12 month basis. This has allowed clients and industry members to turn to my business for the latest innovation.
Some best practice tips I have incorporated in shifting my business into the aesthetic anti-ageing industry include:
1. Adopting a Comprehensive Skin Consultation and Skin Program
Builds rapport with my clients, helps me to understand their concerns and limitations. This also allows me to continue to establish realistic Treatment Programs.
2. Medical Grade Technology / Treatments / Skin Care
It is important when offering and investing in medical grade technology, treatment and skincare that the business owner and therapist understand the responsibility it brings. Some responsibilities include:
- a) Ensuring clients receive comprehensive consultations
- b) Detailed explanations are provided to clients on how the treatment works
- c) Ensuring you provide realistic results
- d) Making sure you document and do a follow up service.
3. Commitment to Diverse Education: in-clinic training, seminars, webinars and conferences
As a specialist it is essential that I know what I am talking about when I perform a consultation or prescribe treatments or skincare. To ensure I maintain high levels of expertise I live and breathe training and education.
I share my practice with Medical professionals and I have respected referrals from plastic surgeons. It is essential I ensure I apply the correct techniques with safety and integrity.
4. Investment in Technology
Every year I invest in a substantial piece of quality equipment, that delivers targeted specific results.
With so many Anti-Ageing and aesthetic options available in the market, and every manufacture or distributor telling you their product is the most effective – it can be quiet overwhelming to know what is the correct technology or skincare application available to your business.
Key factors to take into consideration when looking to take the next step to grow your Aesthetic business include:
Cosmeceutical and Medical skincare:
Ingredients, technical specifications, published clinical data. These should be available and backed by independent data, substantiating the results that can be achieved.
Equipment and technology:
Understand the difference between a manufacturer and a distributor. A manufacturer produces and engineers the product / equipment. A distributor sells on behalf of the manufacturer. Some key questions you should ask include:
- What are the level of warranties provided – you may also be able to negotiate this as part of your final package.
- Where is the servicing performed? In the clinic or an outside location.
- Is there replacement equipment provided? If not what is the time frame the business will be without the equipment?
- What level of on-going education and training is provided? Lease options on high-end technology is often 5 years, will the manufacturer provide training / advanced techniques for multiple staff over this period – get this in writing.
Working Relationships
Having good working relationships are very important factors when partnering with companies. When looking to partner with a new company, it is important to ask what the company’s credibility is in the market place. I always do my research and speak to trusted colleagues, or I ask that a contact number can be provided of a clinic using the equipment or skincare. This ensures the results promised by the company are correct.
Make sure you are careful in aligning yourself to one company – its great for the company but is it best for your business and bottom line!!
Time for Research
Every week I allocate a number of hours to research: reading reputable industry magazines, medical journal articles, products, technology plus researching and ensuring I have the education and qualifications required to implement the services into my business.
Research has assisted me in developing a trusted network of experts and educators – both Nationally and Internationally which are an essential part of my personal and business growth and have helped in my development and understanding the current trends in the market.
If you would like to find out more about these topics I will be presenting at the Sydney Beauty Expo August 26-27th 2017.
Sarah Hudson is a renowned Sydney aesthetic practitioner and educator. Known for her 20-plus years expertise in providing aesthetic skin services, Sarah is highly respected in the field of clinical skin treatments. She offers an uncompromising level of client service and has a policy of complete discretion.
If you’d like to learn more about Sarah Hudson and her clinic practices, click here to visit her website.
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