A Guide To Providing Aftercare

From the first consultation to the review, you need to provide appropriate support to your patients, and aftercare is a vital part of this. If your patient feels supported and empowered, they’re infinitely more likely to come back to you for other treatments and you can count on a lifelong client allowing you to grow.

Why Should I Provide Aftercare?

There are a myriad of reasons why you should provide aftercare information and services to your patients, the main one being their health and safety. If aftercare isn’t provided, and therefore not followed, you risk your patients experiencing adverse events as a result. Guiding them through this part of their treatment journey means a better experience for them, better reviews for you, and a great rapport built on trust and good outcomes.

When Should I Provide Information?

There are a few points at which it is pertinent or appropriate to provide aftercare information. The first is in-person during consultation with your patient; when you have identified an appropriate treatment, you should explain this to them and provide a summary of aftercare. After this, when your patient has booked their treatment, they should receive a pack of information to take home. This is important from a safety perspective, but also when considering adhering to informed consent regulations.

When your patient attends your practice for treatment, you have an additional opportunity to go over aftercare with them as they sign their consent forms. You can also reinforce the main guidance during and after treatment, prior to them leaving the clinic. At this point, if you want to provide an extra level of service, you can give your patient an aftercare pack; for lip fillers, this may include a small pot of Vaseline; for lasers, a skincare product, etc.

How should I provide information to patients?

You can provide aftercare information verbally, physically, and digitally. Within your consultations and treatments, talk your patients through the steps and guidance they need to follow and allow them to ask questions. You may want to take this opportunity to tailor your advice to individual needs. As an example, a patient interested in lip fillers who has experienced cold sores in the past may require different pre- and post-procedure guidance than those who have not.

Providing detailed written information is important, whether this is a physical pack or a digital copy sent via email. Dr Tapan, in his own private practice at PHI Clinic, ensures all patients are sent digital treatment information and aftercare documents upon booking treatment.

Do I need to see my patients after treatment?

Processes and protocols are the backbone of any business, and aesthetic clinics are no exception. A patient review appointment a few weeks after their treatment offers a number of benefits to everyone involved. This is a great level of service for your patient, and gives them ample opportunity to ask any questions and resolve any issues, especially in cases where they may be unsatisfied with their result.

It also provides an opportunity for you to document their results for before and after photos; whether these are used as social media and website content or not, simply having a record of your patient’s journey that can be used in future consultations with them or as an educational tool for other professionals. This does, of course, depend on your patient’s level of photography consent; another great reason to have comprehensive consent documents!

Find out more

Learn more about the patient experience and practice matters by attending a PHI College training day led by Dr Tapan and his team of doctors. You can also follow Dr Tapan and PHI College on Instagram to keep up with what’s going on here and ask any aesthetic questions you may have!