Social media is not just for entertainment but can also be used as a valuable tool to strength your aesthetic practice, according to a panel discussion at Aesthetics Biomedical’s Perspectives: 

In the panel discussion “How To Strengthen Your Aesthetic Practice Through Social Media Partnerships & Campaigns,” panelists Shino Bay Aguilera, MD, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Ava Shamban, MD, Beverly Hills, California, Joie Tavernise, LE, New York, New York, Jennifer Stieber, NP, Nashville, Tennessee, Frankie Grande, a Broadway performer and social media mogul, and moderator Sheldon Larson, chief marketing officer at Aesthetics Biomedical, Phoenix, Arizona, chatted about the best practices for using social media to your advantage and how implementing social media campaigns and utilizing influencers can extend your patient outreach and improve your aesthetic practice overall. 

The discussion began with Larson asking Shamban about how she boosts user engagement on Instagram.

“I think the most important thing about social media is creating a narrative and really writing a story where you are the star,” she said. “So, to be the main focus of the story, it needs to be well-rounded.”

Shamban said she tries to control her online narrative by displaying a mix of her life, from showing off her hobbies like cooking to sharing what she does in the office to promos. She tries to share as much as she can while also avoiding sharing private aspects of her life, such as her children.  

Larson added that his brand has noticed that user-generated content boosts engagement vs branded content. This includes the good, the bad, and the ugly such as before and after photos. 

He went on to ask Grande how aesthetic practitioners can begin working with influencers to help promote their practice.

Grande said that his biggest tip to practices looking to collaborate with influencers is that before you approach an influencer, have your social channels carefully curated and ready for the traffic that influencers are going to push to you. 

“I can’t tell you the amount of times I’ve worked with brands and I’ve looked at their Instagram and their last 3 pictures are not the ones that represent your brand…,” he said.

Grande also said to that although some influencers may have a large number of followers, they might not have the right personality for your brand. To combat this, he suggests doing a test drive with the perspective influencer to ensure their personality is the best fit for your brand. 

Larson then asked Stieber and Tavernise about how they balance their social media channels between branded content and user generated content. 

Stieber began by stating that it is hard to generate content, but her practice produces content every day to create a large backlog and will post that content a week to a month later, with live events and real-time news posted as soon as possible.

For Tavernise, her practice posts a lot of stories and frequently answers users’ questions about behind the scenes content, as well as before and after shots, product recommendations, and explanations of treatments.

“I love social media in that way, especially Instagram, because I think during COVID it was huge for me to connect with my clients and to connect with new people,” said Tavernise.

Finally, Larson asked Aguilera what was most important to showcase when showing aesthetic treatments on social media such as Vivace microneedling (Aesthetics Biomedical) or Botox (onabotulinumtoxinA; Allergan Aesthetics).

In order to be an influencer, Aguilera said, aesthetic practitioners should be themselves and stray away from imitation. He advised to think about your presence as a whole with peers and family before thinking about your brand.

“Even if you have 1 follower, you are an influencer,” he emphasized. “You are influencing that 1 person, so that’s why I am very passionate about content and social media and remembering who is watching on the other side of the screen — young little girls and people with dysmorphia. So, you have to be very responsible, and you have to practice for the patient, not practice only for profit.”

Articles

A group of expert panelists gathered to discuss how social media can benefit your practice and how to best use it to your advantage. 

Reinforcing Your Aesthetic Practice Through Social Media

Aesthetics Biomedical’s Perspectives: The Evolution of Aesthetics symposium

, Victor Ross, MD, a board-certified dermatologist and dermatologic surgeon, San Diego, California, spoke about the newest advances in technology for both microneedling and energy-based devices. 

The goal of these new technologies is to maximize the results of the procedures while minimizing patient downtime. With traditional radiofrequency (RF) devices, physicians must think about RF, energy flow, and tissue resistance and how that amounts to heat accumulation. The overall results were modest as a large volume of area was being heated, resulting in a small change in temperature. 

What has replaced the bipolar technique of RF is fractional RF. In fractional RF, the needles are insulated and isolated in place into a predetermined depth causing more heat to be created deeper and resulting in restored skin elasticity. This also did not have results Ross was satisfied with. 

According to Ross, one of the most predictable ways to achieve some skin tightening is with RF microneedling.

An issue that Ross brought up is heat vs no heat. Heat can cause pain for the patient, but many times is needed for results. Also, there can be a recall caused by a gap between the needles and the skin and many companies claim that their devices go deeper than what may be reality. 

He went over the Vivace (Aesthetics Biomedical) microneedling device. The system offers ergonomic pieces and has LEDS, noninsulated or insulated needles, and offers settings to change power levels to make microneedling easier. When using the device, physicians can change frequency from 1 to 2 megahertz. 

He went over another microneedling device that uses 5 needles to go into the desired depth and has a long heating time of 4 seconds. They are larger than the typical microneedling device and it offers a cooling tip. It can make procedures longer due to low frequency of the needle.

The Agnes device (Agnes Medical) was also discussed. It uses a single needle to treat the face and the negative of this device, according to Ross, is that each time the needle is used, the physician must push it down with their hands which can be tiring.

Combination therapy was something Ross does a lot of, using a laser, along with a RF microneedling device to treat the skin. This decision on whether to use this type of therapy will be decided on how long the patient can have downtime as it is an aggressive treatment.

To make microneedling better, in Ross’s opinion, would be better control of needle sharpness, better motors to push the needles down into the skin, and have reliable endpoints for their depths.

Tixel (Novoxel), a thermal mechanical action for fractional treatment, was the last device that Ross highlighted, and it is a fractionating device, the size of a postage stamp, and made of titanium alloy. It can heat up to approximately 400 degrees Celsius, but because contact time is so low, it does not hurt the patient. It can repair skin very quickly and efficiently. Currently, it is available overseas.

“So, Tixel was a new exciting way to use a new practice and fight key that adds to our weaponry that you can use to make your skin fresher and better,” Ross concluded. 

Victor Ross, MD, board-certified dermatologist and dermatologic surgeon in San Diego, California, spoke about different technologies available for microneedling and energy-based devices. 

Deep Dive into Microneedling with Energy-Based Devices

Shino Bay Aguilera, MD, board certified dermatologist, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, knows how to start a symposium in style. Opening Aesthetics Biomedical’s

 Perspectives: The Evolution of Aesthetics 

symposium as the keynote speaker, the physician created a spectacle appearing in a circle of sparks, spiritedly salsa dancing for a cheering audience. As he made his way to the stage, Aguilera danced through the crowd, scooping up Vivian Bucay, MD, FAAD, dermatologist, San Antonio, Texas, and spinning her in circles. 

The excitement didn’t stop at the stage, as he led a progression of diverse models in front of a large video screen, perfectly setting up the tone of his presentation.

His keynote address, “Diversity in Aesthetics & Mindfulness” reflected his sprightful opening as he discussed his background growing up in Panama and multi-raced identity, all while in a cloud of fog and strobe lights. 

His focus on equality and equity centered on his explanation of the primitive brain and limbic system; explaining that these systems result in the need for acceptance and acknowledgement.

As patients age, these needs create a market for the physical and emotional beauty industry. However, Aguilera noted, physicians must be aware of, and move away from, euro-centric aesthetics and ideals of beauty. He highlighted how different races of people age and how euro-centric aesthetic treatments can disrupt this process negatively. This is an important acknowledgement as he explained the rising people of color (POC) patient population since 2000. 

Staying cognizant of how POC and cultural features integrate into aesthetics, beauty trends also become a note of contention, he said. When posting and contributing to these trends, he said, it’s important to understand any racial or prejudicial links. He used examples of the fox eye, and Russian lips trends to show this link. 

Elaborating on the role of social media in aesthetics, Aguilera made note of its negative effects on self-esteem and the increasing rate of dysmorphia. From Zoom and Snapchat dysmorphias to the use of heavy filters in photographs, he said, the rates of suicide in these vulnerable populations are high. 

Switching gears to wellness, the physician talked about wellness in aesthetics and how stress effects not only aging of the skin, but also hair graying as well. Cortisol being the main cause of this, he notes, the hormone can be healthy, however, “too much of a good thing is detrimental,” he said.

In the presentation, Aguilera showed images of 2 people, 1 that looked heavily aged, and 1 that looked more ageless, highlighting that “aging gracefully is 20% nature and 80% nurture.”

Wrapping up his keynote address, he left the audience with ways to help stress and create more wellness in day-to-day life.

“Thoughts become things.” He explained that intrusive negative thoughts can manifest physically, especially through skin aging and hair graying.

The law of attraction. He stopped the presentation to demonstrate to the audience how to manifest love. Manifestation is known as intentionally creating reality through beliefs and actions. To manifest, one must,

Surrender, become open to opportunities as they come.

Working with intention. He said that every morning, he creates an intention of happy patients, and successful procedures. Creating positive intentions, he said, helps keep away negativities.

Be proactive, not reactive. Plan for what could happen, instead of reacting to what did.

Change your reaction. Aguilera shared with the audience a grounding and stress-releasing breathing exercise to help with difficult situations.

Opening the symposium in a circle of sparks and salsa dancing, Shino Bay Aguilera, MD, talks the importance of diversity and wellness in aesthetics. 

 Shino Bay Aguilera, MD, Opens ABM Perspectives with a Bang

This week in aesthetics, Alma announces the FDA clearance of its Alma Hybrid combination platform, European Wellness Academy partners with China on regenerative medicine education, we highlight 10 tips to jump start the practice post-COVID-19, Allergan Aesthetics partners with Girls Inc. to debut a nationwide mentoring initiative, and the Aesthetic Everything Awards names Alan J. Bauman, MD, as top hair restoration surgeon.

Alma Hybrid Laser Receives FDA 510(k) Clearance

Alma today announces the FDA clearance of its Alma Hybrid combination platform, which includes an ablative 10,600 nm (CO2) laser and nonablative 1570 nm laser for skin resurfacing.

European Wellness Academy Partners with China on Regenerative Medicine

The European Wellness Academy partners with China’s provincial government to advance education in biological regenerative medicine.

10 Tips to Jump Start Your Practice Post-COVID-19

Looking to get your practice ahead of the rest post-COVID-19? These 10 practical practice management tips will help you jump start your practice into the future.

Allergan Aesthetics, Girls Inc. Debut Nationwide Mentoring Initiative

Allergan Aesthetics partners with Girls Inc. for the third year in a row, debuting a nationwide mentoring initiative.

Alan J. Bauman, MD, Named Top Hair Restoration Surgeon

The Aesthetic Everything Awards named Alan J. Bauman, MD, ABHRS, IAHRS, FISHRS as "#1 Top Hair Restoration Surgeon" for the fifth year in a row.

This week in aesthetics, we highlight 10 tips to jump start the practice post-COVID-19, Alma Hybrid laser’s FDA 510(k) clearance, and more.  

This Week in Aesthetics: July 19-23 

Alan J. Bauman, MD, ABHRS, IAHRS, FISHRS, Boca Raton, Florida, a full-time hair restoration physician, was recently named "#1 Top Hair Restoration Surgeon" for the fifth consecutive year and "Top Hair Restoration Surgeon of the Decade" in the annual Aesthetic Everything Awards.

He is 1 of 200 physicians across the globe to achieve certification from the American and International Board of Hair Restoration Surgery and the first hair transplant surgeon to be formally accepted as an Intercoiffure America Industry Partner by the International Alliance of Hair Restoration Surgeons.

"For almost 25 years, I have devoted my practice to pioneering hair restoration procedures that improve the lives of those struggling with hair loss. This is our mission, and the driving force of Bauman Medical. I'm honored and humbled to be recognized as a 5 time '#1 Top Hair Restoration Surgeon' & 'Top Hair Restoration Surgeon of the Decade,' in the Aesthetic Everything Awards,” says Bauman. “I could not have achieved these goals without the devotion and support of my entire team at Bauman Medical. I wish to dedicate these awards to the 30,000 plus patients that have put their trust in me; they are the true inspiration for my work."

In 1997, Bauman founded Bauman Medical, a 12,000 square foot “Hair Hospital” in Boca Raton, Florida. He has helped pioneer many device technologies, including, minimally-invasive follicular unit extraction (FUE), VIP|FUETM no-shave hair transplant, low-level laser therapy, platelet rich plasma (PRP), PDOgro, eyelash transplants, and others, according to a press release announcing the awards. 

He has treated over 30,000 patients, performed over 10,000 hair transplants, and administered over 8,000 PRP treatments.

1. World’s leading hair transplant surgeon Dr. Alan J. Bauman receives “#1 top hair restoration surgeon” and “top hair restoration surgeon of the decade” in the Aesthetic Everything awards. Cision PR Newswire. Press release. July 16, 2021. Accessed July 22, 2021. 

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/worlds-leading-hair-transplant-surgeon-dr-alan-j-bauman-receives-1-top-hair-restoration-surgeon-and-top-hair-restoration-surgeon-of-the-decade-in-the-aesthetic-everything-awards-301335772.html

The Aesthetic Everything Awards names Alan J. Bauman, MD, ABHRS, IAHRS, FISHRS as "#1 Top Hair Restoration Surgeon" for the fifth year in a row. 

Allergan Aesthetics, an AbbVie company, announced yesterday a partnered with Girls Inc. for its third consecutive year.

 Along with this partnership is the debut of the nationwide mentoring initiative, the Empowering Confidence Workshops. 

The virtual workshops will partner high school aged girls with female physicians who will offer career guidance and help develop their skills as they consider higher education and careers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).

“Empowering the next generation of future leaders is a critical imperative to our future success,” says Carrie Strom, senior vice president, AbbVie and president, global Allergan Aesthetics, Irvine, California. “Allergan Aesthetics is proud to partner with Girls Inc. and provide these girls access to educational resources to help them navigate their future leadership potential and pursue opportunities in the world of STEM.” 

This workshop was created in response to first year findings reported by Girls Inc. citing a comparison study conducted by the American Institutes for Research to evaluate the impact of Girls Inc. 

It was found that 91% of girls aged 5-12 describe themselves as creative, and an interest in STEM might not align with their self-perception. Meaning, many girls do not view STEM as a creative field. Many girls who know a man in STEM have a greater understanding of how to purse a STEM career and the relevance of STEM to future success.

Reportedly, 61% of girls said they would like to be in charge, but 46% report not speaking their minds or disagreeing with others because they want to be seen as likable. Also, the prevalence of depression and anxiety is increasing among teen girls in the US and 93% of girls surveyed said they would offer help to a friend who was sad, stressed, or depressed, but only 71% said they would reach out to a friend for help if they felt the same way.

“Research shows that there is still critical work to be done to address the barriers that lead to the underrepresentation of young women pursuing STEM majors in college and STEM-related careers,” says Stephanie J. Hull, president and CEO of Girls Inc., New York, New York. “We are grateful to Allergan Aesthetics for their continued support and involvement in our programming. The dedication of such accomplished professionals to encourage young girls to become future leaders in STEM and beyond has a profound influence on their attitudes and drive for success.”

The 1-hour workshops with begin in September and enrolled girls ages 13-18 from Atlanta, Georgia, Houston, Texas, and New York, New York. The focus of these workshops will be career choice, leadership, and mindfulness with each session including a breakout discussion designed to encourage dialogue. This dialogue will help promote skill development to focus on career goals, create passions, and establish relationships with women in STEM, according to a press release announcing the workshops.

With a focus on mental health, the workshops will begin with exercises led by Faith Hunter, meditation expert and author of 

Spiritually Fly: Wisdom, Meditation and Yoga to Elevate Your Soul

. Also, all participants will be given subscriptions to 

1. Allergan aesthetics continues partnership with girls inc. To empower confidence in high school-aged girls interested in stem. Cision PR Newswire. Press release. July 21, 2021. Accessed July 22, 2021. 

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/allergan-aesthetics-continues-partnership-with-girls-inc-to-empower-confidence-in-high-school-aged-girls-interested-in-stem-301338540.html

Allergan Aesthetics partners with Girls Inc. for the third year in a row, debuting a nationwide mentoring initiative. 