How to Avoid Patient Confusion by Providing Treatment Timelines

Many patients are confused about their options and recovery times for cosmetic treatments. Giving your patients an accurate timeline for their treatments during their consultation can therefore help to eliminate confusion and will put your patients’ minds at ease, especially if they are planning treatments before an important event. Below is a guide of some of the most popular treatments and their corresponding timelines to share with your patients.

Most patients will need 3 to 6 Kybella™ treatments each spaced about one month apart. The swelling can last for 2 to 4 weeks afterwards. Advise your patients to start their first Kybella treatment at least five months before an important event so they have enough time for three treatments (three months), while still allowing two months for the swelling to diminish.

Microneedling is a popular beauty treatment right now, but many people do not know that it should be started about 14 weeks before a big event. This is because most people will need six treatments spaced 2 to 4 weeks apart. If a patient is planning to get microneedling before going on a trip, allow for 4 weeks of healing time between the last treatment and the day they will be leaving. (this is to prevent issues with sun, dehydration and allergens encountered during travel.) Otherwise, three weeks should be ample time to recover.

If your patient has never had a chemical peel before, advise them to schedule this treatment at least two months before an event in case any reactions occur. Once they know they can tolerate a peel, patients can get them 2 to 4 weeks prior to an event, depending on the strength of the peel. Since deep chemical peels can take months to heal, these should generally be avoided before an event.

Laser hair removal is another treatment that needs to take place in a series, usually consisting of 4 to 10 sessions, depending on the location and size of the treated areas. Each session should be spaced 4 to 6 weeks apart, depending on how thick the hair is. Patients who have never had laser hair removal before should start at least six weeks in advance to make sure they do not have any reactions such as swelling, redness, or blisters. Although polymorphous light eruptions are very uncommon, they can occur after getting laser hair removal.

If this is not your patient’s first laser hair removal treatment, this can be done one week prior to the event, or even the day before. Just make sure your patients are aware of aftercare guidelines, such as staying out of the sun.

Hyaluronic acid fillers should be done at least two weeks before an event, but six weeks is ideal. That way, if a touch-up is needed two weeks after the initial treatment, your patient will still have four weeks for any reactions such as swelling, bruising, or redness to subside before the event.

Patients who have never had a dermaplaning treatment before should schedule their first appointment at least four weeks in advance to “test” it out and make sure they do not break out for the procedure.

Botulinum toxin type A (BTX-A) injections can take 3 to 7 days to kick in, but many people feel that they still have a “frozen” look from days 7 to 14. For this reason, BTX-A injections are best scheduled three weeks prior to an event. Remind your patients that this treatment typically lasts 3 to 6 months, so it is not advisable to get Botox®, Dysport®, or Xeomin® earlier than three months from an event in case they are one of the people who experience shorter effects from BTX-A.

Like many other treatments, Prescription Medical Facials™ should never be done within two weeks of an important event if a patient has never had this treatment before. Once patients know that they do not have any reactions, this facial can be performed the day before an event to make the skin glow.

Regular facials should always be scheduled at least two weeks prior in case of a breakout. However, extractions should not be done within three weeks of an event.

The Candela VBeam laser can help to get rid of facial redness, as well as even skin tone and texture for a smooth, radiant complexion. This can be performed as little as 2 days away from an event.

Giving your patients a timeline in their treatment plan is one of the best ways to help eliminate confusion and ensure they’ll be happy with their results just in time for an important event. If your treatment plan also involves a new skincare regimen, instruct patients to begin using their new products at least two weeks beforehand.

For more tips and recommendations, follow me (Leslie Baumann) on LinkedIn, where I post additional articles, or contact us online to learn more about the Skin Type Solutions Franchise System.