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Why Being Prepared for Complications is Important to Your Aesthetic Practice

Complications are not something we like to talk about, but they are something that needs to be discussed and addressed so that we are able to handle them properly should they occur. Complications happen. They can happen to the most experienced injector and to the beginner injector as well. It is all about how you handle the complication that is important.

Being proactive is the best way to prevent complications from happening so having a plan in place will help minimize the risk for complications. Here are some of the ways you can manage complications:

The Consult: We can’t stress this enough. The consult is one of the most important aspects of your practice. Read our blog post on the art of the aesthetic consult for more information on mastering the consult. This is your chance to set realistic expectations with your patient and inform them of all the potential side effects, possible complications, and what to do pre and post-injection to help minimize these risks.

Consent forms: This goes hand in hand with the consult. We recently touched on the importance of consent forms and they are crucial should a complication occur. This is your legal proof that you and your patient acknowledged the risks involved in the treatment.

Take the proper steps to minimize bleeding, bumps, and bruises: Check out our post on the proper ways to minimize side effects post and prior to treatment. Ensuring that you and your patient comply with these tips will help minimize the risk for complications.

Physician Oversight: Especially if you are a non-medical professional, it is critically important to have a physician or medical director that oversees procedures. Clients feel a sense of ease when they know there is a physician there just in case and it will really add value to your practice. For legality reasons, you may need to check with your specific state regarding who is allowed to inject and ownership policies as well.

Proper training: Ensuring you have all the proper training, knowledge, and understanding of the facial anatomy are all critically important to safely and properly inject. This will help minimize any risk of complication and will ensure you are properly equipped to handle a complication should it arise.

Malpractice Insurance: This is a MUST for your practice. This can save you and your practice should someone try to go after you and it result in a lawsuit.  It also boosts your credibility and trustworthiness to have malpractice insurance as it shows you are prepared should anything happen.

These are just some of the aspects you should have in place to properly deal with complications should they occur. There are, of course, medical steps you should follow if a complication occurs, but they all depend on the type of treatment being done, the individual patient, the injector, and any other circumstances. Being prepared and knowing how to handle complications should they occur is crucial to your aesthetic practice.