The Complete Aesthetic Package

Chapter 10. The Complete Aesthetic Package

Renato Saltz, MD, FACS; Omid Adibnazari, BS; Alyssa Lolofie, BS

Modern aesthetic surgery practice offers patients a complete array of noninvasive treatments that will improve the visible signs of aging, with reduced morbidity, swift recovery, and minimal downtime. These services, which are often intended to enhance the results of aesthetic surgery, extend far beyond standard surgical procedures and include topical treatments, neurotoxins, tissue fillers, microdermabrasion, laser treatments, facials, makeup consultations, lymphatic drainage massage (LDM), and various spa services.

Such noninvasive treatments can make up an important portion of an aesthetic surgery practice because they appeal to different patient types:

• For young patients, as a preventive measure to avert the aging process;

• Among all patient ages, to battle photoaging of skin;

• Among aesthetic surgery patients, to enhance and maintain the results of surgical procedures

• For patients who are not ready for surgical procedures or who want to avoid aesthetic surgery.

As cosmetic medicine becomes increasingly competitive, the aesthetic surgeon needs to consider and address all stages of aging. To accommodate this need, the conventional aesthetic surgeon–nurse team must be expanded to include other professionals, such as master aestheticians, certified massage therapists, camouflage makeup specialists, and various business-related personnel.

We call this comprehensive approach to patient care the Complete Aesthetic Package. The ultimate goal is to provide a range of services that accommodates every patient, so that every consultation for rejuvenation results in identification of an appropriate treatment. Obviously, this package may differ immensely between individual practices, depending on the knowledge of the surgeon and the support staff. Incorporation of cosmetic medicine into a practice can help attract a wider assortment of patients, particularly if the variety of treatments and services provided appeals to many different types of patients and patient problems. Moreover, combining multiple treatments allows surgeons to offer patients superior results while improving patient safety and satisfaction.

The components of the Complete Aesthetic Package are as follows:

• Consultation

• Patient evaluation

• Skin care protocol

• Nonsurgical treatments for skin rejuvenation

• Facial rejuvenation and body-contouring surgery

• Lymphatic drainage massage

• Camouflage makeup

• Comprehensive maintenance program

CONSULTATION

Amid the goals of a plastic surgery, consultation is prospective patient education; patients should be informed of all the surgical and nonsurgical options available to them, along with details of the procedure, such as risks and complications, financial costs, and possible psychological issues. The master aesthetician at the practice should perform skin evaluation and preparation during the initial consultation, and should also inform the patient of treatments that will complement any surgery the patient may receive. The entire office staff, from the front desk personnel and office managers to aestheticians and massage therapists, must understand and commit to the philosophy of the Complete Aesthetic Package to ensure its success.

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