Medical Spas Review

What's on the back of your bottle?

Written by Jane Crawford

It’s not uncommon to overhear conversations at a seminar or trade show centered around the desire to create new low-overhead retail incentives. You also hear interest in integrating guest education as a tool to increase loyalty. And ingredient awareness – knowing what each spa-product ingredient does and where it comes from – has never been hotter.

Implementing any of these is harder than it looks. Whether you are a new owner or seasoned management, I want to show you how to combine all three, and it starts in a place that might surprise you: on the back of the bottle.

I founded the first medical spa in the US, Jane Crawford Esthetics, in Greenville, SC. It was located adjacent to a major hospital and was built on the idea that spa services could not only benefit walk-in guests, but could also assist in the recovery process for plastic surgery, oncology and general surgery patients.

At that time, even commercial day spas were still a relatively new phenomenon in the US, and the idea of a med-spa was unheard of. In addition to their work inside the spa, I arranged for my  providers to offer in-hospital services, such as facials, manicures, and pedicures for new mothers and massage to assist post-surgery patients in the elimination of anesthesia. Providing these services generated retail product revenue that far exceeded industry standards.
This was well received by the patients and physicians,however my broader experience with global perspectives on wellness gave me mixed feelings about American medicine, especially the aggressive drugs often prescribed by doctors. I’m passionate about paying attention to ingredients, from head to toe.  Everything that comes in contact with the skin will affect how the body looks and feels, including skin, body, hair, nail and cleaning products. As providers, it’s important to recognize that any treatment we provide, no matter how results-oriented, may have to compete with dozens or even hundreds of ‘background’ chemicals that end up on and in our clients’ bodies.

Growing demand for ‘all natural’ and organic products and ingredient lists short on complex chemicals are evidence that an increasing number of spa clients feel the same way. Training your staff to actively engage your clients in education can move your business beyond passively embracing the trend, and will create long term relationships that keep them coming back.

A great place to start is with a program that encourages each provider to stay on the cutting edge of their knowledge of both common and specialized ingredients. This can be the basis of a culture of sharing, in which clients feel respected and empowered.

Making information available and requiring your providers take the time to understand it creates a ‘culture of knowledge’ in any environment. In universities and scientific circles, researchers gain recognition and prestige by presenting their work. A med-spa can adopt the same principles, and it’s my experience that the increase of the providers’ knowledge translates directly into growth in consumer recognition and loyalty.

A great first step toward creating this ‘culture of knowledge’ is bringing medical journals, esthetics journals and cosmetology trade magazines into the workplace. Then, time at weekly or bi-monthly staff meetings can be set aside for them to present what they’ve learned. Providers can be grouped by specialty into ‘journal clubs,’ and asked to read, discuss, and present new material together. Continuing education should also be part of a larger incentive program.  Complimentary trips to trade shows or conferences could be offered as rewards for meeting revenue or department goals.  

Experienced providers inevitably bring their own unique knowledge with them, so creating an outlet or a forum where they can share their knowledge is another great technique.  At my med-spa  I featured a different provider in each month’s newsletter, giving them a chance to explain a new technique or product that would impart knowledge and ensure client loyalty. From a simple email list to a monthly newsletter, any forum that providers are encouraged to contribute to will help create a ‘culture of knowledge.’

I realize not every service provider can be a doctor or naturopath, but when each provider has  knowledge to share with the client, the feeling becomes one of being guided along the path to whole-body radiance. In the short term, clients will feel proactive about their health and beauty, and will gain new incentives to engage in the retail area because they know products are available that have been screened for harmful ingredients. In the long-term, you’ve laid the foundation for a client-provider relationship that will not only keep guests coming back, but help secure the word-of-mouth recommendations so coveted in this age of Twitter.

Face it, we are  a nation hooked on pharmaceutical fix-its, however the reality is that there is no  magic pill or a secret ingredient in a jar that creates optimal health. This is why you the provider, manager, or owner must go beyond just understanding it, to passionately embracing it as the philosophy of your business. If you do, you will succeed!

Back of the bottle basics: common ingredients you should be aware of.

Parabens

Parabens – especially ethyl, methyl, propyl, and butyl paraben – are widely used as preservatives in cosmetics, soaps, and many products marketed widely to spa audiences. A 2004 study, however, noted the presence of parabens in breast cancer tumors, and others indicate that they mimic the hormone estrogen. One troubling aspect of the 2004 study was the fact that the parabens had penetrated the skin and entered the body’s tissues without being broken down in any way.


Sodium Lauryl/Laureth Sulfate

A common ingredient in soaps, moisturizing creams, and many other cosmetic products, SLS is also used as an industrial detergent and degreaser. It is actually a skin irritant that drys the skin and in extreme cases causing redness and itching. Also, while SLS itself has not been found to cause cancer, some studies have found frequent contamination of it during manufacturing by 1, 4 dioxane, which is known carcinogen.

Hydroquinone

In my opinion, one of the most toxic cosmetic ingredients out there. A common skin lightener, hydroquinone has been linked to cancer, and has been banned in Europe and Asia. Today you may find it in prescription lighteners and in medically offered skin care lines  – most do not know that in 2006 the FDA moved to ban the drug entirely, even though the effort was later shelved.

Formaldehyde

A known carcinogen, you aren’t likely to find this one spelled out on the back of the bottle, but it shows up all the same. quaternium-15, dimethyl-dimethyl (DMDM) hydantoin, imidazolidinyl urea, diazolidinyl urea, and bronopol are all chemical compounds that release formaldehyde. The United States Environmental Protection Agency considers it a probable carcinogen, even in very low concentrations.

Pthalates

Pthalates are a family of chemicals with a wide range of uses – and a wide range of names. The most common is probably dibutyl phthalate. One study found over 70% of personal care products contained these in some form, but some studies have linked pthalates to hormonal eruptions including early puberty, birth defects, and even low sperm-counts. Pthalates are so ubiquitous that a study of more than 200 people by the United States Center for Disease Control found every one of them had pthalates in their body.

Jane Crawford recently transitioned as a founding owner of a  medical skin care clinic to an integrated wellness center. Today she leads seminars in the US and internationally, coaching physicians, spa owners and managers, wellness centers/ hospitals to identify strategies that maximize revenue, create revolving service offerings and develop unique menu of services.