Patients stick to their screens when it comes to aesthetics consultations
According to data in the newly released Beautified Britain Index: The Skin Report, 1 in 5 consumers moved online for virtual hair or beauty consultations during the pandemic, and this trend has continued. 94% of aesthetic patients now prefer a virtual consultation to an in-clinic visit and practitioners have seen a 70% increase in requests for online consults.
Skincare, aesthetics and wellness expert behind the report, Dr Yusra, says that convenience and accessibility are the main reasons behind the shift.
“We are now seeing the age of the ‘hybrid treatment model’, where clinicians are able to treat online, as well as face-to-face. Interventional aesthetic treatments all require general consultations which can be done virtually. The beauty of an online consultation is that patients don’t need to wait months – they can get access to medical care and bespoke treatments on their lunch break, with products delivered directly to their door. This opens up more opportunities for consumers to see specialist doctors they may have had to previously wait 6 months to see. In turn, it means we can expand our reach as a clinic, nationally and internationally.”
According to Dr Yusra, macro-scale dermatological concerns such as acne vulgaris, rosacea and hyperpigmentation, as well as shape assessments for the treatments such as non surgical rhinoplasty are ideal conditions to be assessed over Zoom. “All of the medical, emotional and psychological history can be taken, virtually and we can examine patients based on photographs, locations and the patient’s medical and social history.”
“Of course, online consultations don’t work for every condition,” continues Dr Yusra “and if there’s a patient who’s concerned about a skin cancer or if we think that there might be a lesion that looks abnormal, that would require microscopic analysis that can only be done in-clinic. However, for the most part, many skin conditions and aesthetic concerns can be evaluated, diagnosed and prepared for, online.”
“With winter on the horizon and No. 10 only today warning about rising COVID numbers, we only expect the trend of online consults to continue,” she adds.
Beautified Britain Index: The Skin Report has analysed data from Google search, Google trends, news stories, professional industry bodies, consumer surveys and social media trends. For the full report, go here.
