Ep 26 - Dermatologist-Recommended Treatments You Need to Know Now

00:00 Tracy Donley: You're listening to ASCP Esty Talk, where we share insider tips, industry resources, and education for estheticians at every stage of the journey. Let's talk 'cause ASCP knows it's all about you. 
 
[music] 
 
00:16 TD: Hi guys and welcome to ASCP Esty Talk, I'm your host, Tracy Donley, executive director of Associated Skin Care Professionals, where as always, I hope to inspire you the licensed esthetician with insights and sound bites from entrepreneurs, influencers, and experts inside and outside the professional skin care industry. And today, we are joined by Dr. Quenby Erickson, board-certified dermatologist, welcome to the program. 
 
00:45 Quenby Erickson: Thank you. 
 
00:46 TD: Well, why don't you start with just telling us a little bit about why you got into dermatology?  
 
00:53 QE: Yeah, so I mean, I fell in love with dermatology when I was in high school. I went to see a dermatologist for my very severe acne. And I remember thinking and actually saying out loud to him, "Wow, I think you have a great job." And he looked at me, put down his pencil or his pen, and he said, "You know what, I do, and I have time to play golf with my son." 
 
01:17 QE: And I just thought that's really cool. And I struggled for years between going into dermatology versus oncology 'cause that's where I always had kind of been drawn to. And then during a rotation in medical school, I rotated in a dermatology office, and I realized, "Man, there are just so many things that dermatologists do and you know, so many diseases that we treat, and even skin cancer." So there was the oncology plug. I thought, "You know what, this is really going to be a good fit for me." 
 
01:47 TD: I love it. It sounds like it was made from the beginning. 
 
01:50 QE: Yeah. 
 
01:51 TD: Well, today, we're gonna chat a little bit about how an esthetician can partner with a dermatologist. And also too, we're really looking forward to getting some insights from you on what some of the cutting-edge cosmetic skin care treatments might be out there. So are you ready? Should we just jump right in?  
 
02:10 QE: Jump right in. 
 
02:12 TD: Okay, first question, what benefits do estheticians bring to a dermatology practice?  
 
02:19 QE: Well, I have three estheticians currently that work for me full time. And what I would say is that, you know, first of all, they've demonstrated by going to esthetics school, an interest in, you know, dermatology, and in skin care. And, really, they're very, usually very passionate about skin health. And they can really help me, you know, reach the clients in a way to help them take really excellent care of their skin. You know, my estheticians really work as assistants for me. They do facials, and chemical peels, and laser treatments, and a variety of different procedures, even EmSculpting and CoolSculpting, and so many IPL treatments and things like that as well. And it's just a natural fit because of their interest in the skin. And they just, they love seeing the skin get better. And they build such great relationships with my patients, that it really helps my patients get better skin. 
 
03:22 TD: I love that. So the esthetician really gets to work on results-driven treatments then with your clients?  
 
03:28 QE: That's true. 
 
03:29 TD: That's great. Should estheticians partner with dermatologists? What's your thought on that as far as if they have their own practice and reaching out to other dermatologists?  
 
03:41 QE: Well, in a lot of, you know, it varies from state to state, obviously, the rules about what estheticians can and cannot do. And in a lot of states, it's not possible for estheticians to do certain more invasive procedures that we are able to do or they are able to do when they work for a dermatologist, and they're working under my license. And so it works pretty well, because it's kind of a win-win situation, because they can really work at a higher level than they would be able to work on their own. 
 
04:15 TD: That makes sense. And I would just note and underline what you said there, please estheticians out there do check with your state scope of practice as to what is allowed and what's not for each of you as it relates to some of these treatments that we're going to talk about today. What measures do you take to stay on the cutting edge and continue to learn about some of these new innovations out there in skin care?  
 
04:40 QE: Well, you know, this year has been particularly difficult to stay abreast of new innovations, right, because a lot of times times the new innovations come, you know, they get launched at our national meetings and there's a lot of fanfare and excitement, and this year has been a little bit challenging with COVID, and no national meetings, everything's by Zoom now. And you can only do so many Zoom webinars before you're like, "Okay, this is tiresome." 
 
05:07 TD: I'm so glad to hear that you're having some Zoom fatigue, too, because it is getting to be a bit much, isn't it?  
 
[laughter] 
 
05:15 QE: It really is. And you just start to want to have some in-person things. And so I actually recently... Lumenis actually launched a LuMobile, which is really it was really fun. I did a about a two hour introduction to several devices that they have launched recently. And I was able to speak to an audience, it was an outdoor event, and they have this LuMobile that's going all over the country and I stood on the stage and it was freezing out. 
 
[laughter] 
 
05:47 QE: But I stood on the stage outside and introduced the new devices and was able to educate people about those devices and it was a really fun event. And I think that a lot of the companies are trying to come up with more innovative opportunities to reach clients and educate people about the new innovations that are coming out now, because you know, the meetings are cancelled. 
 
06:13 TD: Yeah, that makes a ton of sense. What a genius idea to really just bring it out there. 
 
06:17 QE: You'll have to stay tuned for the LuMobile that's coming to areas near you. 
 
06:23 TD: Yeah, for sure, well tell us a little bit about some of the types of technologies that those devices are using. 
 
06:29 QE: The biggest one... There's basically three devices that are kind of really cutting edge right now from Lumenis, one is the M22 Stellar, and it has... The M22 has been around for quite a while. And it's a really great device. And they've just modified some things and updated it to make it even better than it even was before. And so it has a longer crystal, you can really have more visibility. And the ergonomics are excellent with it. And they've always been excellent, but they're even better now. So it's a really great device. And I love that it has both the IPL and the ResurFX, which is a non-ablative laser resurfacing. And that's what everybody wants, everybody wants a no-downtime or a low-downtime procedure that can really improve the skin quality. And that device really hits it out of the park right there. 
 
07:18 QE: The other two devices that I'm actually really excited about are the NuEra. The NuEra is a device that is radio frequency-based. And it is using heat basically to tighten the skin and also to melt fat. And the way they've modified this device makes it much more powerful. So and then the third one is the SPLENDOR X, which is a laser hair removal device that has section, so smoke evacuation built right into the handpiece, which means that there's no smelly laser hair removal anymore. 
 
07:50 TD: Oh, I love that because that is a real thing. Just that smell. 
 
07:56 QE: Yeah, that smell, it is just awful. 
 
07:58 TD: Yeah, it is... 
 
07:58 QE: And you can't use that room for a while until the ventilation, you know, takes that smell away. So using the smoke evacuator it takes all of the carcinogens out of the air right while you're doing the treatment, it's really awesome. 
 
08:12 TD: While we're talking about treatments, talk to me a little bit about what you're seeing in your practice as it relates to these types of treatments during COVID. Are you seeing that people are wanting more aggressive treatments? Or are you seeing that they're toning it back and wanting more of a natural approach to it?  
 
08:32 QE: Well, it's funny because as the whole world was shutting down in March for COVID, my phone just kept ringing and ringing and people were saying to me, "I mean, I have time, I have downtime now. I'm not gonna be going to the office for a few weeks, can I come in and have a laser procedure?" I'm like, "No, we're closed too." But as we did start to reopen, people started to realize that they were actually going to be working from home for a while. And so laser season really never ended for us other than during while we were shut down for COVID. Usually laser season September to May. 
 
09:11 TD: Okay. I love that there's a laser season. I just have to underline that 'cause I have never heard anything referred to laser season. I love it. 
 
09:19 QE: Oh, yeah. Well in Chicago, summertime is so brief that people don't want to give up their beloved few days of summer to have laser procedures. So it's usually September to May here in Chicago, but because of COVID people really were coming in for more aggressive laser procedures even during the summertime. You know, we've really kind of gotten back into a steady state where business is pretty much the same as it was pre-COVID, people are coming in for the same procedures. They're coming in for facials, they are coming in for, now that we're allowed to do them, they're coming in for laser procedures, they're coming in for fillers and other injectables, body sculpting is big. Everybody knows that they've gained the quarantine 15. 
 
10:01 TD: I know what is it about carbs during quarantine? I just can't get enough of them. 
 
10:05 QE: I know carbs and no gyms, come on. 
 
10:07 TD: Right. 
 
10:08 QE: Like close the gyms and make me eat bonbons. 
 
10:11 TD: Right. Hey guys, stop. Let's take a quick break. 
 
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11:05 TD: Let's get back to the conversation. So with that being said, it sounds like things just haven't slowed down. I mean, I'm guessing though there's procedures that you had to put in place as a result of COVID, are you having to space out your clients more?  
 
11:19 QE: Yeah, so that is true. You know, basically, our social distancing is that we really only try to have one person in the office at a time, a client in the office at a time, and really try to minimize the overlap between clients. We have... I've several rooms, we're only using one room at a time so we can rotate patients. You know, you're in this... One patient is in one room and then the next patient comes in the next room, we rotate them through so there's time for ventilation. And of course, there's always... The sanitation has always been excellent in our office... 
 
11:52 TD: Of course. 
 
11:52 QE: But we're going to even grander lengths after every single patient to completely sanitize the entire room. There are hand sanitizer for people when they walk in, everybody's wearing a mask 24/7 here in the office and we're just doing our very best to stay safe and stay well, so that our patients feel comfortable and able to come in and be safe when they're here. 
 
12:21 TD: It makes sense. Do you see any emerging trends heading into 2021?  
 
12:28 QE: 2021 is gonna be an interesting year, I think. Because we're finally starting to get better at body treatments, and there are several new treatments that have launched, actually, during COVID. For instance, Emsculpt Neo was just launched this past weekend, and so that is actually going to be combining Emsculpt with radiofrequency. So you get some skin tightening, you get... 
 
12:54 TD: Oh, that's great. 
 
12:56 QE: And you get better fat destruction with the Emsculpt Neo. So before, it was always just building muscle and there was some fat reduction, but it was more about building muscle, and now we're gonna have a really great treatment for even reducing unwanted fat in the abs, in the butt, in the arms, and so forth, so you can treat... I think 2021 is your body. So the next body treatment that launched during COVID is actually something called BBL Hero. BBL, it's been around for 20 years, it's an intense pulse light treatment, and now they have perfected how to deliver it on the body. It's fast, it's less painful, great results in record time, and it's a very, very exciting time for body treatments, is what I would say. It's gonna be similar to the other BBLs where we've been doing them on the face of Forever Young BBL on the face for quite a long time. Really, one treatment is gonna be a great result and you can do additional treatments, but it's something that you should probably repeat at least one or twice a year to keep your skin youthful. 
 
14:04 TD: Okay. And so is that how you're doing your pricing then, is you're putting together packages similar to that recommendation?  
 
14:10 QE: Yeah. I'm a little bit outside the mainstream when it comes to packages. I sell packages for things that people need to have a package in order to see the result, and those are very few treatments. Those are your radiofrequency treatments, your CoolSculpt treatments, things like that, your Emsculpt... But when it comes to BBL, I actually charge per treatment. Because really it's just one treatment that they need. 
 
14:34 TD: Wow. That speaks a lot to that type of treatment then. But yeah, for the Emsculpt and the CoolSculpting and things of that nature, you are putting together packages?  
 
14:44 QE: Yep, those are packages. Yep. Because with Emsculpt and Emsculpt Neo, you need to have four consecutive treatments in order to see the results. Now with Emsculpt Neo... So Emsculpt classic has been two treatments each week for two weeks, so a total of four treatments in a period of two weeks. Now the Emsculpt Neo, because we're really stimulating lipolysis, as well as skin tightening with the radiofrequency on there, it's gonna be a weekly treatment. 
 
15:12 TD: So how would you recommend an esthetician if they're... Right now, they're not working with a medical director or a dermatologist or a physician, what would be their first step to go in that direction?  
 
15:27 QE: Yeah, so I think that always looking for the opportunity to make that transition. It's looking at finding dermatology offices and looking at their websites, seeing if they're hiring and make sure that you're abreast of new services, laser treatments... I think in dermatology offices, it's really common for an esthetician to do some laser procedures, and so going ahead and getting some laser training makes you a much more viable candidate. 
 
16:01 TD: You took the words right out of my mouth. I was gonna ask you if you expect someone to come in with certifications or previous experience. 
 
16:09 QE: It's so much better when people do have some certifications first. We can do some training on the job, but if you've done some of your own homework, and you demonstrated your abilities to do that homework and learn and master a technique, master a skill, it really just makes it so much easier to choose you as the new hire. 
 
16:35 TD: Yeah. No, that makes tons of sense. I love that. And that shows that they have put the effort into the aptitude that they need, so that's great. How would... You had mentioned checking out websites and things of that nature, are there any networking opportunities where an esthetician could meet dermatologist or physicians in the area that you know of?  
 
16:58 QE: Yeah, I think actually even some of these launching events are good opportunities for networking. Show up at these events, the LuMobile or a launch of a new device like Emsculpt Neo. It does give you an opportunity to be introduced by people who know both of you, and I think that that helps. 
 
17:19 TD: I think that's a great idea. I love that. And I think too, when the trade show circuit starts to come back online, that's a great way. I think the Esthetic Show is a great show for people to check out if they're wanting to network a little bit to. What is the most requested cosmetic treatment that you typically do at your office?  
 
17:39 QE: Botox. 
 
17:41 TD: Botox. 
 
[laughter] 
 
17:42 TD: The beautiful tried and true Botox. 
 
17:45 QE: Yeah. Year over year, Botox is the king. But I do have a lot of people... The phone rings for HydraFacial all of the time as well. 
 
18:00 TD: Oh, that's a great one. 
 
18:02 QE: Yeah. I love HydraFacial personally. It's really the only facial that I ever trusted to not make me break out. And to really just deep cleanse my skin, make it look good. I've had facials before where I left feeling like I was a little bit beat up, and then I would break out a few days later, and HydraFacial never disappoints. The HydraFacial Lip Perk is one of my favorites, those little crusty, little dry skin, especially in the winter time, you get that little crusty dry skin line on your lips, the Perk takes that away and it really does deep hydrate your skin. 
 
18:39 TD: I'm so glad you can't see my lips right now, 'cause that's exactly what I have going on. 
 
[chuckle] 
 
18:43 TD: It's hidden by some lipstick, but it's there. 
 
18:45 QE: It sounds like you need a perk. 
 
18:46 TD: I do need a perk. I hope that we shared a little bit of insight, and I love that you were able to tease a little bit some of these new technologies and new lasers and such that are coming out, and so I hope everybody checks it out. All the links will be in our show notes so that you guys can dive in deeper. Is there any last bits of advice or a resource that... Even if it's a personal resource for all of us trying to get through our day-to-day during COVID, keeping us sane and progressing through it? Anything you'd like to share with us?  
 
19:23 QE: Oh boy. You know, I think that the things that are keeping me sane during this time are making sure I'm getting to the gym and working out, eating healthy, and really just taking care of ourselves. 
 
19:41 TD: Dr. Erickson, that's not the fun stuff. You're supposed to share the deep, dark secrets like chocolate and red wine. 
 
[laughter] 
 
19:50 QE: Yeah, but there's so much regret after that. 
 
19:52 TD: There is, and it does. You're right. It's not always worth it. One last question that just popped into my head. So are you, through the whole client history and while they're with you, are you taking photos and revisiting their face and their skin health throughout the process?  
 
20:11 QE: Absolutely. People come in and we do that first consultation, we take all these photos, and then they do procedures, and they actually look forward to coming in and seeing the results and seeing that their skin has improved. But some people really actually need to see that photography in order to really see that their skin has improved, because it's hard, when you're looking at yourself every single day in the mirror, to see those incremental improvements that even compile over time to really grand improvements in the skin. When you're looking at yourself every single day, you just sometimes don't see it. So when they come in and we show them side-by-side photos, they're like, "Wow. That's great. What should we do next?" That's a win. 
 
20:52 TD: Yeah. I love that. And so even if you're not doing... Don't have the greatest and latest in technology of really looking at the skin, just doing simple photos are probably really effective, is what I'm hearing. 
 
21:04 QE: Yeah. I think that there are a lot of software, even apps, that can help you do great side-by-side photos, and I think just taking the photos is important. But if you take photos in the same place and the same lighting, every single... It's really important to actually have a photography room that doesn't have a window, because that will make all of your photos consistent. Lighting, and lighting is so important. And so just doing that one thing, taking photos, even if it's with an iPad, but just taking it in a place where there's no natural light and there's consistent light. That will really help you out. 
 
21:40 TD: Well, I love it. Good tips and tricks. Everybody reach out and network with your dermatologists and physicians. It sounds like they're a great resource and a great partner to have out there. So, thank you so much for being on the show. 
 
21:54 QE: Yeah. Thank you for inviting me. 
 
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