How to perform a consultation for patient asking for Botox®

Author

Dr. Stephen Cosentino

PRESIDENT OF EMPIRE MEDICAL TRAINING In Aesthetics you will find physicians and other health care professionals performing their initial consultation slightly different from each other. This is common not only in aesthetics but in all areas of medicine. There are, however, some standards in performing an initial consultation that should be followed closely. In the video below (Recorded during a Botox® Training Workshop) we have provided a comprehensive evaluation for a patient interested in receiving a Botox® injection for correcting forehead and other area rhytids. I have also added some additional comments not mentioned in the video so i would suggest you read and watch the video to learn as much as possible concerning your evaluation. When performing a Botox® procedure evaluation i begin by asking the patient what is their most important concern or area that they would like corrected. Give your patient a chance to talk rather than give your recommendations from the start. As they point out areas of concern, ask them specifically how aggressive they would like you to be, in other words, explain to them the effects of the Botox® and how it will decrease the natural animation in their face. Some patients will not be concerned about this while others will want you to use a lower dosage to retain this animation. At this point, I usually add my own recommendation about the lower dosage and explain to the patient that we can always add more later but can't go the other way and reduce the effects. The same is true with Dermal Fillers, the patient can always return for a follow-up visit if they want more of an effect. During the initial consultation try to understand the overall goal the patient wants to achieve and do not limit the conversation to just Botox. Patients may have concerns about folds rather than rhytids which can be corrected with fillers rather than Botox. Give your patient education in Facial Aesthetics without sounding like you are trying to sell them or giving them a lesson in Aesthetics. Sometimes the desired effect can be achieved using a combination of Filler and Botox® as well as other procedures like Mesotherapy and Chemical Peels. In Aesthetics you will serve your patient best (and your practice) by truly providing your best opinion on what your patient needs and how they can benefit the most. During the Botox® Consultation make sure you spend time with your patients reviewing how they want their eyebrows to appear. In other words, depending on how you perform the procedure will result in eyebrows being shaped differently. Some patients (mostly female) will want the lateral aspect of their eyebrows to be slanted slightly upwards, the opposite is true in male patients and some female patients. Since we know that most unhappy patients complain about how the Botox® affected their eyebrows, pay particular attention to this area during the consultation. A good Botox® Training program will not only teach you the specific technique but also go over how to perform a comprehensive evaluation of a patient. This video is an excerpt from an Empire Medical Training event, hopefully, you find it useful for your practice. If at any time you have questions pertaining to Aesthetics, we have close to 40 physicians of varying specialties available to help you. Feel free to call us directly for this type of support. In the meantime, we hope you enjoy our video training series in Aesthetics.