Small but powerful

 

Aesthetic clinicians with a small private practice are finding it harder to survive in the current trends of large consolidated plastic surgery or dermatology chains dominating the market. However, many one-doctor practices are not only making ends meet but running a successful and prosperous practice. They did not hire a salaried doctor or invest in marketing. What each of them had was a unique strategy that differentiated them in this highly competitive market.

 

 

Elementary school-aged kids are often seen sitting by themselves in the lobby of Loui Skin Clinic. This would be an anomaly elsewhere as young patients are usually accompanied by a guardian.

 

“Very young elementary school children often visit me by themselves. Their parents and older siblings also visit my practice frequently and they feel comfortable about coming to see me without an adult.”

 

Dr. Lee Haewoong of Loui Skin Clinic tried to find ways to make the residents of his community happy when he was preparing to open his dermatology practice.

 

“It would be rewarding to work at a university hospital and treat patients from all over the country. However, I think it is equally rewarding and meaningful for a doctor to be rooted in one community and reach out to the residents as a fellow community member. From the beginning, I wanted to open a dermatology office where a grandfather and his grandson can visit together.”

 

Hiring more doctors to expand his practice was not part of his plan.

 

“I became a licensed dermatologist over 10 years ago. And over those long years I have gained valuable experience interacting and communicating with my patients. These experiences cannot be bought or just copied. My patients visit me for that personal touch. A hired doctor will not be able to provide that level of attention and service. Unless that doctor is my clone, patients will have a much different experience interacting with a hired doctor.”

 

A doctor does not earn the community’s recognition in a short period of time. It takes a long time to gradually win over the community’s trust.  

 

“It is important to maintain a good reputation to be recognized in your community. The doctor and staff should have a positive reputation not just about their personality but also about their treatment. People should be able to say that Dr. so and so can definitely make their skin better. If people see a doctor just because they feel they have to, not because they trust him, they will not keep coming back for a long time. There should be a widespread idea in the community that the doctor makes his/her patients happy. That’s the only way a small private practice can have long-term success.”

 

As people of all ages visit Dr. Lee, he has to treat all types of skin conditions. Interestingly, Dr. Lee says this was his wish all along.

 

“I wanted to limit aesthetic treatments to conditions that can be tackled with laser such as pigments, vascular lesions and acne, etc., so that I could also focus on all types of dermatologic diseases. I even perform biopsy at my practice when necessary. I do not send samples to a laboratory but perform most of the biopsy cases because I wanted to offer all treatment and diagnostic options that a private practice could offer, shy of ones that are only available at university hospitals.”

 

Biopsy increases Dr. Lee’s workload but he says it greatly helps his patients.

 

“Some of my patients are worried that their benign lesions could be cancer. Many dermatologists would refer such patients to a larger hospital because they are not too sure themselves. But I do the biopsy and can confidently tell them their skin condition is nothing but a mole or a benign spot. I sometimes see rare cases like pemphigus and subcorneal pustular dermatosis that aesthetic dermatologists will not encounter. I also see many cases of chronic skin diseases like severe psoriasis and atopic dermatitis. These patients come to me because they trust that I can help them. Over time, a special rapport develops with patients and some end up coming back for aesthetic treatments.”

 

 

HELIOSⅡ/LOTUSⅡ/HYPERION – Manufacturer: LASEROPTEK(www.laseroptek.com)

 

It is not easy running a small private practice. You will not have much personal time outside the office. Dr. Lee says it is difficult to leave the practice for a while to attend a medical conference. And it takes a lot of effort to stay competitive in this tough market.

 

“One can fall into inertia when running a private practice alone. It is important to continue learning and improving oneself. For this reason, I have joined the Korean Dermatological Association to share knowledge with fellow specialists and present at conferences. I also work as a consultant to a laser manufacturer and provide feedback on their new devices. I believe keeping up-to-date on new technology and developments will help me become a better dermatologist. There are disadvantages of a private practice but I try to overcome them with providing personal service to patients, participating in academic conferences and working as a clinical consultant.”

 

Article/Yoo Inhong