A look at one dentist's experience of diversifying into facial aesthetics.
Dentists are uniquely placed to incorporate facial aesthetics into their existing practices. For many, it is a natural step, drawing on exemplary transferable skills in injecting and patient retention to broaden their practical skill set and patient offerings. With so many courses designed to help professionals acquire the expertise they need, for many, it can be a daunting task to find the course that will help give the confidence, practical and business skills that will give them the confidence to start treating immediately.
Rosie Hicks has attended a number of aesthetic courses since diversifying her dental practice to include facial aesthetics in 2018. Here she shares her insights on what works and doesn’t work when taking a step into facial aesthetics:
What sparked your interest in facial aesthetics?
RH: It seemed like a natural progression to expand my skillset into facial aesthetics. I’d attended a number of dental cosmetic courses since graduating, and had successfully incorporated these treatments within my clinic. In 2018 I decided to take what felt like the next, natural step and attended a course on Botox and fillers.
How confident did you feel to offer treatment to patients after attending your first course?
RH: The course I attended had around 20 delegates from a wide range of medical backgrounds; GP’s nurses, pharmacists and paramedics were all in attendance. I think I was the only dentist there. Learning with that many people in a room, with only one or two models shared between us was a challenge to put it mildly. Our everyday work environments seemed vastly different, and it was clear that we were not starting from the same point in our injecting journey. It was difficult to focus on the skills I personally needed to acquire, and the hands-on practical side of the course was minimal at best. The course was an introduction to Botox and fillers and was pretty broad in subject matter with minimal time allocated for honing and perfecting techniques before moving on to the next subject. I left the course competent to practice, but lacking in the confidence to do so.
What other facial aesthetics courses have you been on?
RH: I attended a few; one or two other filler courses after my initial introduction into facial aesthetics. I wanted to build my confidence and skills further and I began offering treatments to patients, and had some good results, but they were a little inconsistent. I felt as though I needed something more tailored to my needs. Something tailored to dentists. I would say it was a turning point in my aesthetics career.
How did you hear about The Aesthetic HUB?
RH: I was fortunate to come across MJ Rowland-Warrmann and The Aesthetic HUB after briefly shadowing MJ at her dental clinic. I was struck by her focus, her professionalism and the ease with which she consulted with and delivered results for her patients. When I learnt she was offering training aimed specifically at dentists and dental therapists I immediately signed up to learn from a fellow dentist.
What was different about the Aesthetic HUB compared with other courses you had attended?
RH: For a start the maximum number of delegates is four, and I was lucky that the course I went on there were fewer than that. Delegates are made up exclusively of dentists and dental therapists, and learning with my peers made such a difference to the flow of the class and meant I felt much more comfortable than course with a different delegate makeup.
Aesthetic HUB was also the only course I have attended that sees you work with the same model from start to finish. I was the one who consulted with, treated, and gave post treatment advise to the model, while all the time under the careful supervision of MJ. Before each step I received training, and after each step, I was given constructive feedback. The experience was really authentic and worthwhile, I learnt so much.
The level of detail and specialism offered was beyond anything else I have experienced. The first course I attended with MJ was for lip treatments. I’d covered lips before in two other training courses, but it was just one treatment of several I was learning on the day, and we had moved on quickly. As a consequence, the results I was achieving with patients was proving to be a little unpredictable, and lacking in consistency. Aesthetic HUB focuses with laser accuracy on specific competencies and treatment area. Delegates leave able to deliver consistent, predictable and impressive results.
How has the course impacted your ability to deliver facial aesthetics?
RH: MJ teaches you not only the practical skills of delivering the treatment, but guides you in ways to consult with patients in a more constructive and ultimately more impactful way. She also is an amazing source of practical hints and tips, from mixing and procuring products, to simple positioning of your body and injecting arms.
It’s made such a difference to my confidence and patient satisfaction at all stages of a treatment, as a result the facial aesthetics side of my business has grown significantly.
Are there any other courses you would like to attend?
RH: I would be hard pressed to want to attend a course that wasn’t designed and delivered in the same way. I have attended two courses to date with at Aesthetic HUB. Both provided a deep dive into a specific treatment skill. I’m planning on attending a masterclass on tear trough treatments in the coming months.
To mark the launch Aesthetic HUB’s new training centre, MJ is conducting a free taster training session to show dentists 'How to grow your aesthetics practice in four simple steps without spending a penny on marketing'.
The free webinar is taking place on Dental Update on April 8, 2021 at 7pm. You can register here: https://view6.workcast.net/register?cpak=8590820812569369
For more information about the Aesthetic HUB visit smileworks-hub.co.uk