Retraining in facial aesthetics

[Kikicat1]

I am on the brink of retraining (from being a lawyer) into facial aesthetics…which is much more of a passion. I will start with the intensive CIBTAC beauty qualification (to get the best comprehensive baseline beauty training) and do extensive 1:1 aesthetics training from there. Can anyone please give me a ballpark indication of what I might earn from 4.5 days a week (9:30-4) doing anti wrinkle injections, dermal filler, Profhilo, chemical peels, micro needling etc. obviously I understand it’d take real time and work to build up clientele but what, ballpark, might then be the earnings potential? So hard to gauge. Many thanks

I have no idea what your earning potential would be but Botox and fillers are likely to be regulated in the foreseeable future so that only doctors, dentists and nurses are able to administer them. The various professional bodies and the Dept of Health have been discussing this for some time.

What's your medical background? Nothing at all?

Also consider that the aftercare, and them being on-call plays a big part (things going wrong) and being able to help with emergencies like vascular occlusion.

I think this is an important point to consider

I would think that unless you are a medical professional anything injectable would be off the cards for you? If not, it should be!

If I was ever considering a treatment such as Botox or fillers I would always go to a dentist, doctor or nurse. Plus Botox is prescription only so anyone who wasn't qualified to prescribe would have to factor in the costs of getting a medical professional involved in the supply link which would immediately affect profit margins.

You need to do a medical or a nursing degree first.

Or dentistry

As PP say this whole field is likely to be regulated soon so that only medical professionals are allowed to practise: doctors, dentists and likely nurses.
It will also require professional insurance.
Personally I’d look at other options just in case you don’t get your training costs back.

As others have said, with no medical background I wouldn't get into it at all. It will be regulated very soon.

I'm a paramedic and trained in aesthetics in 2020 - even with my healthcare background I found it difficult to get prescribers as the industry is hugely geared towards nurses, doctors and dentists. I stopped practicing after 6 months after laying out several thousand pounds of training. There are many nurse prescribers who are not allowed to prescribe for non-healthcare practitioners at all, but also plenty who will even though they are not actually allowed or insured to do so.

I would also personally not go to a practitioner who was not from a healthcare background with strong foundations in emergency protocol for vascular occlusions, anaphylaxis etc. It is also illegal to hold stock of prescription medications if you are not a doctor, therefore any practitioner holding hyalurodinase for emergency reversal is technically breaking the law if they are not GMC or GDC registered - and it is completely unsafe to practice without holding these drugs for emergency reversal. It is also worth noting that the foundation training courses advertised often focus on the injecting technique to get a certain look with fillers with emergency protocol treated as an afterthought - and I can tell you that even as a paramedic, being alone in an emergency situation with a client you have just treated is a scary place to be!

It is a very murky world with a lot of questionable practice therefore I would strongly advise not touching with a barge pole unless a doctor or dentist.

I personally don't know anyone who would get any injectables from a non medical professional. It's too risky.

You might get clients in, who probably can't afford getting it done at the dentist / dermatologists, but I would assume that would significantly reduced your earnings as you would have to charge much less.

I pay £375 for Botox, for 3 areas, from a private general practitioner and I would never go to anyone else other than a doctor or dentist . As previously mentioned this is likely to be restricted soon so you wouldn't be allowed to do it. I hope it is because there are some real cowboys at it.

These are serious treatments and it sounds like you're planning a quick course, ie intensive. Personally I think you'll struggle. Why when there are so many qualified practitioners would people choose someone who did a quick course in everything? Sounds a bit dodgy.

Doesn't sound as straightforward as perhaps you'd initially hoped.

In answer to your question though, find a price list of a local practitioner and use that to estimate your potential earnings? Consider length of appointment, how many you'd fit in a day etc.

I came on to mention the likelihood of tighter restrictions on injectables (about time in my view) but also the fact that from what I read, hear and see, dermal fillers and botox seem to be on their way out as a major fad. Obviously that isn't going to be in favour of a totally natural face, other procedures will prob become more popular but the hoardes of clients wanting regular lip and cheek top ups will inevitably wane now it is so accessible. It's just the way trends work.

Could you do a more comprehensive beauty course, lashes, facials, maybe massage etc so that you aren't as vulnerable to trends and (rightly) regulation?

I have to say, with my own medical knowledge, there's no way I'd get anything injected in my face unless by a doctor or dentist with all due respect to nurses so I'm not sure you'll be a lot of people's first choice. I mean, what knowledge of cranial nerves, hypersensitivity reactions, vascular occclusions etc does this intensive course really give you? You have to consider ethics as well as 'passion' if you're planning on sticking needles in people.

Even outside the issues around whether you're a medical professional I think people underestimate what you need for a small business.

A website (if you outsource this it will cost a fair bit) something like squarespace is £240 a year

A booking system - again this is a few hundred plus you need payment gateway

Social media - a consistent posting strategy

Google Business profile

A premise - the table, make sure it's cleaned to high spec plus all your equipment. If yu rent a space it might be £30 per hour

Insurance

And lots more.

No-one in their right mind would be injected in the face by someone with no medical qualifications

I'm a surgeon and offer private work.
The headline figures a patient pays for my services vs what I take home are small.
20% goes on insurance, I pay a secretary, use of facilities/drugs and dressings.
Anyone repeatable in cosmetics also offers a free initial consultation

Reputable!

Even some of the nurse practitioners charge less than £200 for Botox or £100 or less for a ml of filler.

The non healthcare background sometimes charge less than the above (and sometimes more!) and some of them are doing a roaring trade, but they've built up large client bases. It's hugely competitive and they'll often be busy on social media. Some will do home visits, instead of having a clinic base, also.

You'd need to have an eye for the aesthetic art of it, in addition to being reliable medically and for reversals and putting anything right (at your own expense). I've seen more shoddy lips than anything, even the doctor-led place locally.