At the start of the year a lecture session was held for BDA members in Lytham, providing an introduction to the modalities of non-surgical facial aesthetics (NSFA). The talk, given by facial aesthetics expert Brian Franks, was designed to develop delegates’ understanding of how these procedures can benefit their practices both clinically and commercially.
In 2010 UK cosmetic procedures were worth £2.3bn – by 2015 it is estimated that this will rise to £3.6bn and non-surgical procedures account for as much as 75 per cent of this overall total. Therefore, the commercial benefit to any practice offering these treatments will be quickly realised. Brian said of the treatments: “If you don’t offer them, you can be sure your competitors will - or already do. Your patients are becoming more and more aesthetically aware and, as a result of increased expectations, cosmetic dentistry and consequently facial aesthetics are rapidly developing disciplines within the dental profession.”
The General Dental Council has now added the provision of non-surgical cosmetic injectables to the additional skills section for dentists. However, you can only provide these if you are confident that you have the necessary skills and are appropriately trained and indemnified. Brian was keen to ensure attendees were aware that these procedures require a completely different approach to that of more Facial aesthetics standard areas of dentistry.
He explained “NSFA are ‘wellperson’ procedures. Patients actually want to undertake them, which will present an entirely unique scenario for dentists. A lot of the time your patients wouldn’t choose to be there; they come to you in pain and therefore you have to work in a tougher environment – not to mention their reluctance to pay you.
“Facial aesthetics are treatments that patients actively come to you for, eager to see positive results and change. Most who request NSFA have already researched it at home, know what they want and have decided that if they can have it, then they want to be treated. The top benefit for you offering these treatments therefore, is your increased job satisfaction. It is fulfilling to provide a service that patients actually want.”
The products and techniques employed throughout these procedures are designed to affect the muscles and skin of your patients’ faces in order to create a more relaxed and youthful appearance. In Brian’s experience the most popular of the NSFA treatments is Botulinum Toxin. This is often performed to combat the appearance of facial wrinkles and lines, which can have many different root causes – from genetic make-up, to environmental pollution and patient lifestyle.
The role of such treatments in facial enhancements is to work synergistically with the appearance of patients’ teeth. For instance, a patient who undergoes whitening treatment or orthodontics may then decide that their improved aesthetics would be complemented and further enhanced by a non-surgical facial procedure.
Questions often arise around the safety of these treatments, but Brian said: “All NSFA procedures, when prescribed by appropriately trained and qualified clinicians, are extremely safe. All equipment and chemicals used must also follow strict guidelines, for example, dermal fillers must meet the stringent requirements of the Medical Devices Directive and must be CEmarked.”
Thus it is imperative when offering NSFA to ensure that you have been sufficiently trained and there are many aspects to take into account when deciding on which courses to participate in.
On the subject of training Brian said: “The most important factor to consider when choosing an NSFA training course is to ensure that you will be appropriately tutored to gain the knowledge and skills you require to carry out the treatment effectively and safely. It is vital that the instruction is executed at the appropriate level to that of the course and delegates. This instruction needs to be delivered in a way that you can understand, interpret and actually carry out the procedures confidently and successfully. The most effective way of achieving this is through one-to-one training. Ideally there would not be more than five delegates to a course, so when you inject, you will do so under close supervision.”