In a previous article, we briefly covered wrinkle removal. In this article, we are going to take a closer look at different modalities and techniques of wrinkle removal.  

In Japan, wrinkle treatments need to be energy-based and without any downtime. Japanese patients tend to be less accepting of downtime in wrinkle removal as opposed to acne scar or melasma treatments. Without any downtime, effects may be minimal, but Japanese people want to keep the procedure a secret and return to daily life immediately.

 

Some patients are brave enough to take a few days off of work and receive a more aggressive treatment with downtime, however, most prefer mild and conservative treatments given regularly. Korean doctors may find this strange, as those Japanese patients that visit Korea for aesthetic procedures do want aggressive treatments.

 

Japanese patients who have received treatments in Korea are very accepting of the downtime. As they are traveling overseas for the treatment, they would want a clear outcome from their troubles. Some people might end up visiting an aesthetic clinician on a whim just because they were already traveling in Korea. However, most people who travel to Korea for a procedure have extensively researched Korean doctors and treatments. These patients are very different from typical Japanese patients.

 

Some of my patients come to me and ask that I provide the same treatment they received in Korea. If I use the same mild techniques used in the majority of the Japanese patients, they are shocked as the outcome is drastically different. Sometimes they are very dissatisfied if the treatment is not aggressive enough.

As I visit Korea often, my patients expect me to be familiar with Korean techniques and demand that I provide more aggressive treatments.

Getting back to the main topic of the discussion, one needs to understand different expectations of the patients. The aggressiveness of the treatment should be adjusted depending on what the patient expects from the treatment.

 

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Most patients want very mild treatments without any downtime. They want slight improvements that are barely noticeable. They don’t want their colleagues and friends to find out about their treatment. If they get great results that go beyond expectation, rather than being happy, they are stressed out about other people noticing it.

On the other hand, many patients are willing to suffer downtime for optimal results.

 

In summary, Japanese patients have widely varying expectations when it comes to aesthetic treatments. They want widely different degrees of improvements. Therefore, it is crucial to communicate with patients in pre-treatment consultation. The problem is, however, patients are often not forthright with what they want. I often see patients who visit me after the procedure with complaints. 

 

As the doctors’ websites explain available treatment options and specialties, be it surgery or energy based treatments, many patients research the doctor’s specialty before visiting his/her practice. This is particularly true for small private practices. This helps with patient selection in a way.

In patients who want subtle wrinkle removal, the main choice of modality is devices. Most patients belong in this category where they want safe and low-risk treatments.   

-To be continued