The UK medical aesthetic market has grown rapidly in recent years. Throughout 2023 and 2024, there has been a surge in new customers and that growth isn’t anticipated to stop anytime soon. Rare:[Group] estimates that 13.9 million people are considering an aesthetic treatment in the next 12 months, of which 6 million have never had an aesthetic treatment before. McKinsey estimates that globally, the aesthetic market is set to grow by 12% annually until 2026. The expansion of the UK and global aesthetic markets holds a significant business growth opportunity for aesthetic clinics and practitioners.
As the market expands, so has the number of new treatments and products available. Clinics and practitioners are constantly evolving with the market and diversifying their treatment menus to keep up with customer demand. In 2023, over 50% of the CQC-registered Aesthetics clinics offered seven or more treatments, demonstrating the patient demand for supplementary treatments.
With the increase in market size and expansion of treatments offered, creating personalised aesthetic treatment plans for patients allows practitioners to provide a holistic approach to achieving desired outcomes, especially with the developments in treatments such as skin boosters, polynucleotides, exosomes, and PRP promoting overall skin health and luminosity.
What Is a Personalised Aesthetic Treatment Plan?
An aesthetic treatment plan details your patient’s short- and long-term goals, mapping out future treatments for maximum benefit and results. Following a comprehensive initial consultation, review of medical history, and facial analysis, a treatment plan is created in line with your patient’s lifestyle, budget, concerns, and expectations.
The Importance of a Personalised Approach
Every patient is unique, and your treatment plans should reflect this. Numerous factors can influence their treatment journey, such as age, skin type, skin health, medical history, lifestyle, budget, and goals.
Patients differ in their understanding of aesthetic treatment options. While some may be knowledgeable, often they may not be aware of the range of treatment options available to them or the results can be achieved through complementary treatments. This presents an opportunity to share the treatments and products available to help achieve their desired outcomes.
A crucial factor that will vary between patients will be their finances. It’s important to talk to your patient about their budget, outlining the cost of any procedures. By being forthcoming with questions about budget and being transparent about costs, you build trust. This then allows you to adapt and adjust their treatment options accordingly, prioritising based on which treatments will help them achieve their outcomes within their budget and timeline.
Working together with your patient to co-develop their treatment plan, you build a relationship based on trust and a clear understanding of their goals and lifestyle. Taking the time to truly listen ensures the plan is personalised and their expectations are well managed.
Don’t forget: A key component of the treatment journey is documenting progress. Take before and after photos so you and your patient can see the results of treatments over time. Achieving and delivering results for your patients will help retain their business.
The Benefits of a Personalised Treatment Plan
For Patients
- Improved Customer Experience: Receiving a personal and personalised approach to their treatment journey makes your patient feel valued and will improve overall customer satisfaction.
- Meet Their Needs: A comprehensive initial consultation gives you time to clearly understand your patients’ needs, resulting in a treatment plan that reflects their lifestyle, outcomes, and budget. This sets the scene for a successful treatment journey and builds trust and rapport.
- Better Results: Understanding lifestyle factors and tailoring their plan to accommodate these can lead to better overall outcomes. For example:
Your client is concerned about the signs of ageing, especially wrinkles in the periocular and upper midface area. They work mostly outdoors but do not currently have a good daily skincare regimen with SPF protection. Helping the client develop a good daily skincare routine with broad-spectrum SPF protection will help prevent further damage. This will enhance the results of any aesthetic treatments outlined in their treatment plan.
For Practitioners:
- Increased Customer Retention: Repeat business is crucial for running a successful aesthetics clinic. It is often said that it costs five times more to generate a new customer than to retain a returning one. Making sure your patients receive the best experience possible is key to getting them to book again.
- Increased Profitability: By increasing your number of repeat patients and helping them achieve results with complementary treatments and products, you will build a high-spending client base.
- Increased Number of Referrals: A satisfied patient is one of your greatest marketing tools, as they are likely to refer their family and friends. According to Nielsen, 92% of consumers trust recommendations from friends and family over all forms of advertising.
Ensuring Long-Term Patient Success
Offering your patients world-class pre-treatment advice and post-treatment care is key to executing the treatment plan successfully. Don’t wait for your patient to reach out to you after their treatment; be proactive and contact them, showing that you care and allowing them to raise any questions or concerns they may have. Schedule follow-up appointments and check-ins to assess progress against their desired outcomes and adjust the plan if needed. Regular follow-ups are crucial for maintaining patient satisfaction and increasing your chances of turning them into a high-spending repeat customer who will give you referral business.
Why Treatment Plans Are Good For Business
Overall, creating a personalised aesthetic plan for your patients provides a clear roadmap for treatment. You can empower them to take an active role in achieving their desired outcomes by providing them with tips and at-home care that will help to improve their skin quality and help achieve optimal results.
Take the first step today and identify complementary treatments and skin care products designed to treat common concerns. From here, you can identify any treatment or product gaps you may have within your clinic and make a plan for training or growing your product range. At Aesthetics Associates, we partner with providers to give our customers access to training opportunities that they can use to enhance their skill set. We have several training opportunities across multiple dates for microneedling, polynucleotides and chemical peels.