Eyebrow microblading and laser-based vaginal rejuvenation are two treatments that are spurring growth for medical spas, according to a recent industry report.
Mr. Thiersch“I think everyone has to be surprised with the way that microblading has come on the scene: the reception, the profit and the patient demand,” says Alex Thiersch, J.D., founder and director of the American MedSpa Association (AmSpa), which released the report based on data from surveying roughly 500 U.S.-based medical spas.
Thiersch is also surprised by the continuing high-level patient satisfaction of vaginal rejuvenation. “Since becoming truly popular two years ago, we are still seeing patient satisfaction rates in the 90% range, sometimes 95% and higher. This is basically unheard of,” he says.
On the other hand, Thiersch tells The Aesthetic Channel he is amazed by the lack of growth among male clients. “Industry experts have been predicting an increase in the male patient population at med spas for years, but it has held steady at 15%,” he said. “Men represent close to 50% of the population and we know that they have many of the same concerns as women when it comes to aging, but that is not translating into the marketplace as much as we thought.”
Thiersch is optimistic, however, that as men age, “they will undoubtedly come around. It is just taking a little longer than we thought, so perhaps as an industry we need to rethink how to reach this population.”
Meanwhile, Thiersch encourages med spas to continue to focus on what brings patients though the door, namely injectables. “Botox, Dysport and fillers still dominate the industry,” he notes. “Study after study has found that these are the treatments that people are most curious about. “
And although it is easy for med spas to become distracted by new treatments and fancy machinery, “the beating heart of the aesthetics industry is, and will continue to be, injectables,” Tiersch states. “Injectables are still the most reliable way to attract patients, and with developing efficiencies and increasing innovation we are seeing practices make a lot of money from injectables.”
Longer-lasting botulinum toxin injections are also on the horizon.
The report also found that 50% of medical spa owners expect that their revenues will increase by more than 10% in 2018.
Moreover, with many states attempting to define what procedures can be performed by what disciplines, nurse practitioners will likely play an increasingly larger role, according to Thiersch, including serving as de facto medical directors when doctors are off-site.
