Pamela Hill Institute

Non-invasive medical spa treatments are on the rise for both men and women.  In the year 2006 in fact 9,533,980 non-invasive procedures were performed out of a total of almost 11.5 million when both surgical and nonsurgical procedures are combined, according to the American Society for Aesthetic plastic Surgery, ASAPS, the organization that tracks procedures.  Non-invasive procedures in 2006 were 83 percent of the total of all procedures performed.  That is up from 9,297,731 in 2005 through is slightly lower than the figures for 2004, 9,735,029.  It is a significant jump however from ten years ago.  In 1997 only 1,126,377 no-invasive procedures were performed.  This is a 747% increase in non-invasive procedures in the past ten years.

Botox Leads The Pack In Last Year’s Non-Invasive Procedures

The most popular non-invasive procedures in  2006 were varied. Botox injection accounts for 3,181,592 procures.  Hyaluronic acid accounts for 1,593,554.  Laser hair removal 1,475,296.  Microderm abrasion accounts for 993,071 procures, and laser skin resurfacing for 576,509 procedures.  

Women Have More Non-Invasive Procedures Than Men

Women beat men is that they had over 10.5 million total cosmetic procedures, 92 percent of all performed.  Of these on-invasive procedures increased by four percent.  However, as stated above since 1997 non-invasive procedures have increased by an astounding 749 percent.

Men Have Seen A Decrease In The Past Year

Men have actually decreased their numbers of both surgical and non-invasive procedures in the past year, non-invasive having decreased by three percent, while surgical procedures decreased by two percent.  However, overall for the past ten years non-invasive procedures by men have increased by almost as large a percentage as those of women, accounting to an increase of 722%.

Billions Of Dollars Spent Last Year

Americans spent almost $12.2 billion last year on all cosmetic procedures combined with a very large number of these being non-invasive procedures performed by aestheticians.  Aestheticians are well trained and are perfect professionals to perform noninvasive procedures, saving the clients money, making them feel good, making them look good, and saving the time of physicians who are then free to concentrate on the more invasive techniques such as plastic surgery, that aestheticians are not qualified to do and that they are specialists at.

If trends continue then the number of non-invasive procedures performed each year by aestheticians will continue to go up, especially with women, since they provide a need by consumers.

When choosing a great spa treatment bed to use in your aesthetics business there are several factors to consider.  First, how will the bed be used?  Will it be primarily for giving facials, massages or other types of treatments?  Next will it be permanent or portable?  What comfort level do you wish to provide for your clients?  Finally, what price range can you afford and do you wish to invest in.

Let’s look at price first.   The basic rule of thumb with your spa bed, as with any piece of professional business equipment or any tool you use to make your living is, get the best that you can afford.  There’s no reason to totally break your budget on one item putting yourself in a financial bind, but remember that the spa bed will be with you for years to come and will help you earn your livelihood.  Just as a carpenter buys the best hammer than he can afford, and a court reporter buys the best Stenograph machine, an aesthetician should have the best quality bed.  

There are many quality name brands available including  Oakworks, Chattanooga, Stronglite and many others.  Names that are known for quality are probably safe bets.  Check with an aesthetician who has been in the business for a while and get tips on what types of beds other pros in your field are happy with.  It could be that there are used high quality beds available at good prices.  If you can buy a better quality bed and save money then a good used bed could be the way to go.

When it comes to comfort level of the bed, it is much like price: get the best that you can afford.  You want your clients to be comfortable and to have a positive experience with you and your services.  A comfortable, good quality bed will make a good impression for you and enhance the client’s experience.  This will lead to repeat business and to referrals.

Permanent or portable?  This is another good question.  Many aestheticians make house calls or office calls.  If you think that you may consider offering a mobile spa service at some point in the future then a portable bed may be a good choice, unless you want to have a permanent bed in your spa and a portable in your vehicle ready to roll.

Why not visit other aestheticians and try out the beds they use to see if they are a comfortable fit for you, your clients and your budget.  

Medical spa treatments are best left to professionals to perform, both for reasons of quality and safety.  While medical spa treatments are safe when performed by professionals such as aestheticians, nurses and physicians who have knowledge of the procedures and know how to handle individual client problems and potential emergencies, there can be a potential danger if improperly trained technicians give the procedures.  For that reason some states are considering regulation, and many aestheticians are participating on committees and local task forces exploring the idea of medical spa regulation.

The Boston Herald recently ran an article on the explosion of unregulated medical spas offering anti wrinkle injections, chemical peels and laser treatments and how some consumers have reported disfigurement including burns and permanent scarring.  Nancy Achin Aduesse, the Executive Director of the state Board of Registration in Medicine, is head of a Medical Spa Task Force.  

She says “The numbers are growing so fast and there’s such a profit motive for the unscrupulous and unqualified to get into it, we want to prevent harm…” A bill in the state senate formed the task force after State Senator Joan Menard was approached by two of her constituents who suffered burns during laser treatments at unregulated spas.

Dr. Ranella Hirsch, a Cambridge dermatologist and char of the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery points out that the treatments are medical treatments and admonishes those unqualified practitioners who set up shop in shopping malls and shopping centers trying to turn medical spa treatments into impulse purchases.  She says “these are medical treatments. Medical treatments don’t belong in malls.”  

Hannelore Leavy, Executive Director of the International Medical Spa Association says “Consumers need to know it’s a medical procedure and should not be taken lightly even though it’s done in the spa setting.”  Doctors, nurses and aestheticians often serve on the state committees alongside lawmakers developing rules to govern the unregulated clinics. Because the safety of clients is of paramount importance, along with the good name and reputation of the profession of aesthetics, most legitimate medical spa operators and most aestheticians support regulation.  

Many feel that the medical spa industry is new enough in the United States to be at the same point attorneys and physicians were at when they formed professional associations to cooperate with government agencies for regulatory purposes.  For the safety of consumers most aestheticians believe that the time for regulation has come.

Therapeutic touch therapies are well known to provide healing benefits to both body and mind.  At the very least a visit to a spa and treatment by an aesthetician will be relaxing.  Facials, manicures and other treatments provided by aestheticians requiring human to human touch provide a positive experience that most people readily appreciate.  Relaxation and the relief of stress are just two of the benefits provided by the therapeutic aesthetician.  Add to that the increased self-esteem that comes from knowing that one looks good and it is easy to see the benefits that go beyond the body.

A recent Washington Post article concerning acupressure wondered if the benefits provided were as good as those that come from acupuncture?  The idea in the article was how to separate legitimate treatments from those that are not legitimate in the growing field of wellness spas.  This question was answered by Dr. Marc Micozzi, a physician and author of the book Fundamentals of Complementary and Integrative medicine, a textbook used by many medical schools.  Dr. Micozzi points out that rest and relaxation are important.  He says “Just about every medical problem can be improved by rest and relaxation and there is no medical problem that is not made worse by stress.”

Of course aestheticians are not physicians and no competent aesthetician would ever make medical claims about the treatments they provide clients.  It is apparent however, that like many other methods of relaxation there are both mental and physical benefits that come from aesthetic services.   

Dr. Micozzi recommends when looking at alternative treatment methods that more trust be extended to those therapies that have been practiced for long periods of time – sometimes centuries in other cultures.  Acupuncture and herbal treatments are two examples he mentions, both of which are becoming popular menu offerings in today's spas.  He also says that those therapies created and made popular by an individual may well be legitimate.  But, he recommends that those considering using them do their research either in the library or on the Internet. 

While Dr. Micozzi doesn’t specifically name aestheticians in the article, aesthetic services have been accepted into mainstream society and become quite popular for, among other things, the relaxing effect they have on the person receiving the treatment.  Like massage therapists, aestheticians provide stress relief, and stress is a major killer in our society.  No matter what medical malady a person may be suffering from, it is likely that some benefit will come to them from regular aesthetician visits.

Unhappy clients can cause problems for any business, but they are especially hazardous to the spa business.  Aestheticians provide personal professional services and exist on the quality of their reputations.  The goal of all aestheticians to provide the finest in customer service has a positive side effect when done well, in that happy clients tell others who become referrals and then in turn also become happy clients,   The problem with unhappy clients is that the formula just mentioned works in reverse as well, and probably to a larger degree.  

Consider your own life…  

If you visit a restaurant and have good food and good service you may bring it up in conversation the next day and tell a friend.  That referral will probably stick in the mind of your friend and eventually result in a new customer for the restaurant. However, studies show that if you had a negative experience you are more then likely going to tell three friends rather than one, and people tend to remember these negative comments.  You would probably end up costing the restaurants three potential customers through your one negative experience.  That rule is just as true in the spa and aesthetics business as well.  Your business is built on personal service and a dissatisfied, unhappy client who spreads negative publicity about your service can be the kiss of death, with a downward spiraling effect that can hurt you, your business and your income.

We all have unhappy and disgruntled clients from time to time.  The nature of any service business is that in dealing with people not everyone will be a happy camper.  The difference between a successful spa and a bankrupt spa can be how you handle that disgruntled person, and whether or not you are able to turn them around.  This is a case where the old adage “any publicity is good publicity” is not necessarily true.

When you have an unhappy client the first thing to do is remember to keep calm, not take the criticism personally and open a dialogue with the client.  Communicate with them, apologize to them for the negative experience and assure them that you are going to do whatever is necessary to rectify and correct the situation.  It is possible that the client has had a bad day, or may be taking out on you personal problems at home, or professional problems she may be having at her own job.  Lend a sympathetic ear and find out what the problem is.  Their expectations may have been unreasonable, or they may have misinterpreted something that you or another aesthetician said.  If you or one of your employees were wrong, don’t be afraid to admit it.  Make the client feel as though you care about her feelings, and make sure that it is sincere.  Don’t be afraid to offer a free visit the next time the person comes in.  You may give up an hour of aesthetician service time, but you may just make the client happy and gain business for years, and good referrals from her friends.