Why you should start your career in aesthetics.

The medical aesthetics industry is a growth industry and is unique in its niche between the beauty industry and the medical industry. The popularity of medical aesthetic treatments continues to surge in Australia and internationally, fueled by fewer societal taboos, new technology, and millennials and men entering the market. 

​​The worldwide medical aesthetic market is projected to be worth approximately $26.53 billion by 2024, up from $10.12 billion in 2016. 

Australia's annual spend on minimally or non-invasive cosmetic procedures topped the $1 billion mark for the first time in 2016 and has continued to grow in the years since according to the Cosmetic Physicians College of Australasia. 

Australia also has one of the highest per-capita spends on non-surgical cosmetic injectable procedures in the world, 40% higher than the US which is a trend expected to continue. Australians generally spend over $300 million per year on Botox injections alone according to the Australian College of Cosmetic Surgery.

What better time than now to start your career in this incredible industry. 

Some of the reasons I would encourage you to consider as to why the aesthetics space might be the place for you are listed below. 

Income

Cosmetic injectables and related procedures, such as laser, are extremely profitable. With higher price points per treatment, the need to see less patients per day, and the option to provide delegatable treatments to therapists, gives an almost uncapped earning potential. 

Doctors and nurses working in cosmetics are expected to earn a higher rate per hour than their other medical and surgical colleagues in other specialties. Doctors in particular can earn an equivalent wage to a consultant surgeon but without after-hours, on-call or 15 hour days in theatre. 

Although the income is certainly a drawcard, it is not something that comes immediately to a new injector. It can take years to build up a loyal client base and work with a reputable clinic to build your billings and reach targets to ensure a healthy commission or bonus is paid. Those who are committed to building a long term career will see the fruits of their labours very quickly. 

The income earned can also be in the form of an employee agreement with a reputable clinic with bonus structures in place and the comfort of having secure employment and entitlements or in the form of a contractor agreement where you can build your own business as a sole trader (usually earning a % of total gross billings). 

For those who chose to go out on their own as a sole injector, despite the necessary overheads of running a clinic, the profit margins on dermal fillers and anti-wrinkle injections are high enough to sustain a healthy small business.

Work-Life Balance

Working as a cosmetic injector can provide lifestyle flexibility with flexible work hours, no on-call, no night shifts and no after-hours work. 

Many injectors can pick and choose the days and hours they work to fit in with family time and if employed as an employee you do not have the stress of running a business and taking care of your staff, meaning your time away from the clinic is your own. 

On the other side, those who choose to run their own business have the option to build their business into a lifestyle business, filing their own wants and needs such as financial freedom and giving them a creative outlet. 

Working as a cosmetic injector gives you more autonomy, you can build relationships with your clients, develop personalised treatment plans, and work in a less stressful and pressured environment compared with busy GP clinics and hospitals. The aesthetics industry is a private industry, without having the bureaucracy of medicare billings often gives new doctors to the industry a sense of relief. 

Learn New Skills

As most health professionals go, learning and continuing professional development are constant. We all desire to further our knowledge and be the best practitioner possible. 

The excitement of the aesthetic industry is that it is constantly advancing and progressing. From new treatment techniques and styles of injecting, to new treatments such as dissolvable threads and fat dissolving injections, to new assessment tools and treatment safety tools such as handheld ultrasound. The industry can be hard to keep up with so there are always new learning opportunities. 

Most of the skills used in cosmetic medicine, such as with cosmetic injectables, are easily transferable from other medical and nursing specialties. Those with a background in minor procedural specialties such as Dermatology and General Practice often find the transition seamless, those from surgical specialties thrive on learning new approaches to anatomy and feel more relaxed when putting the scalpel down and replacing it with a syringe. 

New skills are also developed in psychology and relationship building as building patient centred relationships and trust forms the cornerstone of what we do as cosmetic practitioners. The mental health challenges encountered in cosmetic medicine are also widespread with many suffering conditions such as body dysmorphia seeking cosmetic enhancement. Recognising and managing these patients is a challenge but can be very rewarding. 

Booming Industry

The demand for non-surgical procedures, particularly facial injectables, has been rising and the trend is that of 25% growth year on year for procedures such as dermal fillers, and over 15% growth of popular anti-wrinkle injections. This is despite the global economic downturn and current global pandemic. 

People are seeking to look good and feel better about themselves coming out of the pandemic, With social media, the increased use of video communications such as Zoom and the general growth of an appearance-driven culture, we are seeing a greater number of younger people wanting to enhance their skin and features via cosmetic injections and dermal treatments. Further to this, we are also seeing a larger number of women who want to prolong their youthfulness, age positively and feel more confident. 

Highly skilled, honest and safe cosmetic practitioners are therefore in high demand. With the commoditization of some of these treatments, and huge chain clinics capitalising on the demand, ethical practitioners are now needed more than ever. People will thoroughly research their practitioner as they search for low downtime, minimal risk, non-surgical treatments.

Community

The cosmetic industry is growing but is still small enough in Australia to feel like a community; many practitioners both in Perth and overseas know each other by name or reputation. The vast number of conferences usually held each year are a chance to collaborate, learn and socialise together while celebrating our passion for aesthetic medicine. 

Why wouldn't you want to join a community of practitioners who share skills, knowledge and advice in a collaborative environment?

Despite being an exceptionally competitive industry, practitioners are generally open to provide advice and assist in difficult cases or emergency situations.

It has also been noted that there is no true hierarchy like the hospital system with injector nurses and doctors essentially doing the same job and delivering excellent results.

Although doctors are required to provide prescriptions and treatment approvals for a nurse to inject, it is done as a partnership in the majority of clinics. Doctors also find that they will be working alongside a collaborative team in a clinic environment rather than work as a sole practitioner in a room where you don't often interact with your colleagues. It is certainly not a lonely job.

The sense of community and teamwork is truly unique to the cosmetics industry, certainly a consideration when thinking about a possible career change.