A System Wide Approach
By Dr Tim Pearce, MBChB BSc (Hons) MRCGP
How to be a safe botox/fillers injector
As a healthcare professional, it should be second nature to be safety aware. If you are providing aesthetic treatments such as botox and dermal fillers, I would suggest thinking about safety, not as an injection technique, but as a system.
If you are prioritise safety, you will enjoy a lower rate of problems, a better reputation and less sleepless nights than those who have tacked it on as an after thought.
So what do I mean about being ‘systematically safe’?
Well, it’s all about looking at the clients entire journey, not just the injection, and seeing how each interaction can filter out risk.
Consider some of the stages of the client Journey, and some possible ways of making it safer:
- Contemplation Stage – Is the website providing information on side effects, risks, contraindications and aftercare?
- The first phone call – Are you or your staff/associates trained to answer difficult questions regarding side effects and risks? Can you pre-empt problems with some screening questions at this stage? Is the ethos about genuine quality advice, or sales?
- The consultation – There should be no financial pressure to go ahead with a treatment. Advice should be given freely with the goal of helping the patient make the right decision for them. Further screening for risks, including the whole bio/psycho/social spectrum of risk.
- The Treatment – Think in terms of probabilities. The chance of causing necrosis is 1/15 000. That is low, but always ask what could you do to decrease that risk? The best example of how to manage risk is a seat belt- you put it on every single time you drive, and it may help you once every 10 years. Think the same way with your injection technique. Think prevention, but also think beyond prevention. What will happen if the worst occurs? Can you deal with the first stage of anaphylaxis? Impending Necrosis? Can you get help and clinical back up if you need it?
- After the treatment – Aftercare and safety netting – what happens if a complication occurs? Will your client know what to do? Does your client no the signs to look out for? Will you or your staff know how to identify the difference between a bruise and impending necrosis over the phone? Will you be able to see them quickly if needed, or do you have back up.
These are just a few things to get you going, safety is a process, and every touch point should be continuously improved to reduce risk for the people you look after. If you have any ideas yourself about how to improve safety, please comment below.
Botox and Fillers Training
SkinViva Training was established by by Dr Tim Pearce MBChB BSc (Hons) MRCGP and offer a range of medical training courses for cosmetic and medical skin treatments.
The SkinViva Training team upholds high standards of clinical training providing a combination of fully-supervised practical experience together with essential theory for safe injection techniques.
For further information, to discuss which course is right for you, to enquire about availability or to book a training course please call 0161 850 2491, or email info@skinvivatraining.com.