How to choose before undergoing an esthetic (Aesthetic) (Cosmetic) treatment: the esthetic clinic boom !

Esthetic (Aesthetic) clinics are trendy and the offer in esthetic treatments has all but exploded: lasers, plastic surgery and even non surgical treatments. As diverse as wine, good ones and less good ones are available, to not say more.

On a global scale, new esthetic clinics have opened their doors. Existing clinics have expanded. How does the consumer choose a quality esthetic treatment ?

The following comments should be considered:

-What result can I expect from an esthetic treatment ?

-How much can I afford ?

-What are the risks that I am willing to take ?

To answer this question, the healthcare provider must have the following attributes:

–Integrity and Ethics: the results and side-effects of a treatment must clearly and fully be explained. The physician (medical doctor) must take into account the sum that the patient has to pay. He must also keep in mind that his decisions are similar to that of physicians with the same level of specialization.

It is therefore logical that a decision taken by a physician that is specialist in Dermatology or Plastic surgery will influence the credibility of the field of Dermatology or Plastic Surgery, even to the potential dismay of specialists who only provide medical care only. More worrying is the fact that a decision that any medical practioner is considered by the public as being that of skin medicine, that is Dermatology or Plastic Surgery.

–Knowledge and Training: it is important that the healthcare provider knows the skin well. Any physician (medical doctor) has the manual skills to do a laser treatment. Because of that, many general practioners do esthetic medicine. The best choice appears therefore to be to choose a specialist in Dermatology or Plastic Surgery. But as a general rule, the best healthcare provider is the one who knows when not to intervene – after having taken into account of all the parameters (risks, benefits of the treatment). One of the paramters to consider here is price, that not being the least thing !

-Lets take into account an extreme example: a physician (medical doctor) encourages a patient to do mesotherapy for antiaging prevention, but it will be costly as many sessions of treatment would be necessary.

-Does the potential benefit of mesotherapy justify the risk ?

-Who benefits from the treatment, the patient, physician of investor in the clinic ?

-What are the medical specialities defending their credibility ?