Skin health is the foundation of aesthetics. Skincare techniques and products not only enhance treatment and help your patients gain better outcomes but can also be an additional revenue stream for your business. Here are four tips for incorporating skincare into your business. 

1. Get educated about skincare

Estheticians and medical aesthetics providers provide skincare services to their patients in unique and helpful ways. Estheticians specialize in minor skin issues and provide external skin management and cleansing treatments, like facials, extractions, steams, and masks. Medical aesthetics providers or healthcare professionals specializing in aesthetic medicine are certified in skin rejuvenation through medical treatments, such as injections, lasers, and chemical peels.

Medical aesthetics providers have years of advanced education and clinical experience, qualifying them to perform these complex procedures. Skin health dramatically affects these cosmetic injections and treatments, so world-class medical aestheticians incorporate skincare into practice.

Injections can change the structure of the face, and these effects can appear more successful when the skin is healthy. When patients see noticeable changes and improvements to their skin, it adds even more personal value.

Studies show that you can improve your outcomes by putting skin health at the center of your practice. A study from the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology combined injections with medical-grade skincare and found that patients had improved skin quality, higher first impressions of esthetic improvement, and higher self-esteem.  

Understanding skincare and how ingredients change the skin allows you to provide highly individualized treatment plans using products that work and give your clients what they're looking for. Portrait Medical Director, Dr. Patrick Blake, mentions the Paula’s Choice website as a great resource where providers can learn more about skincare product ingredients and what they do.  

2. Sell skincare products at your practice

Over-the-counter (OTC) products are typically part of someone's skincare routine before medical-grade skincare is introduced. While OTC products may cleanse and moisturize the skin, they often contain less effective ingredients. They might not be harmful, but they don’t provide the clinical results your patients want. Offering skincare products is one area you can help your patients and create revenue, as patients can only get medical skincare through authorized health professionals.

Medical-grade skincare companies sell their products wholesale, allowing you to distribute them to patients at retail prices, earn good margins, and increase revenue. Many skincare brands also offer an online store you can link with your practice and earn commission from online sales. There are many medical-grade companies, including popular brands like ZO® Skin Health, Alastin® Skincare, and SkinMedica®. Having a mix of brands you sell in your studio can help you personalize your patients' treatment.

ZO^® Skin Health products

ZO^® Skin Health is a line of medical-grade skincare products developed by Dr. Zein Obagi in 2007. Dr. Obagi is a world-renowned dermatologist who created the line to help promote healthy skin rather than just treat disease. The goal is to use nutrients found in the body, like growth factors, to stimulate the skin naturally.

You can recommend ZO® products for daily skin maintenance or use them to prepare the skin before corrective treatments or products. The company offers both individual products and goal-oriented programs that help with daily damage correction, discoloration, skin normalization, skin protection, and prevention.

Alastin® Skincare products

Alastin® Skincare was developed in 2015 and purchased by the pharmaceutical company Galderma. The brand’s products boast a patented blend of botanicals and active peptides called TriHex Technology®, said to recycle, rebuild, and replenish the skin matrix.

Alastin® creators made these products specifically for pre-procedure, post-procedure, and daily maintenance. You can recommend that patients use the treatment enhancing line to prep the skin and accelerate results after cosmetic procedures and injections. Some products also help speed up recovery and soothe the skin after injection, lasers, and chemical peels.  

SkinMedica® products

Dr. Richard Fitzgerald co-founded SkinMedica® in 1999 to create products that slow aging and stimulate healing from within. In 2012, pharmaceutical company Allergan® purchased SkinMedica®.

The brand’s signature ingredient is a patented anti-aging growth factor complex called TNS®, or Tissue Nutrient Solution®. The line also includes retinol and hydroquinone products, which target moderate-to-severe signs of aging and discoloration.  

Some SkinMedica® products are directly part of medical treatments. One example is the Pro-Infusion Serum which works with a microdermabrasion tool called DiamondGlow®.

3. Get certified 

Skincare certification gives you the knowledge to assess and treat your patients’ skin. It also positions your practice as a leader that new and existing patients can trust. ZO® Skin Health has three-day training programs for physicians and medical professionals where you can learn skin conditioning, skin classification, and treatment and complications for different skin conditions. Alastin® and SkinMedica® also offer ongoing product training, educational seminars, and a suite of online education tools. You can learn the best skincare practices for pre and post-procedures and gain technical training without much downtime.

4. Offer HydraFacials®

HydraFacials® are a popular treatment you can use to restore your patients’ skin. These facials are quick and painless with zero downtime and can help exfoliate and renew skin.

What is a HydraFacial®?

A HydraFacial® is a gentle treatment that combines exfoliation with hydrating serums. The process starts with a gentle chemical peel to resurface the skin, then deep-cleanse the skin, unclog the pores and remove debris using suction. Next, the skin is infused with moisturizing, hydrating, or cleansing serums and finished with antioxidants and peptides. The treatment is a mix of microdermabrasion and a spa facial, with advanced clinical products and potent nutrients replacing the needles.

Benefits of a HydraFacial®

A HydraFacial® is ideal for patients who want to restore the skin without using lasers or microdermabrasion that require some recovery and for patients looking for refreshed, glowing skin. You can personalize serums to your patient’s skin to target oily skin, wrinkles, fine lines, discoloration, and acne. Most patients see the best results with monthly maintenance.

Treatments only take about 30 minutes, making it a good choice for lunchtime aesthetics. Some practices offer HydraFacial® subscriptions or membership programs to promote repeat business at a discount.

Get certified in HydraFacials®

Only trained professionals can offer HydraFacial® treatments, making it an exclusive opportunity for providers. HydraFacial® corporate offers two-day training programs where you can learn treatment protocols plus marketing and promotional tips.

Learn more about skin health

If you’re interested in learning more about how to incorporate skincare into your practice, speak to a Portrait specialist today.