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Visiting the CCR Expo? Come and see Mr Richards discuss the Aurora Lift

Cosmetic Courses at the CCR-EXPO

 

One of the highlights of the aesthetic industry calendar, the CCR Expo, is fast approaching. It takes place this year on 8th-9th October at London Olympia – and we’re delighted to say we’re exhibiting. 

Whatever stage you’re at in your aesthetic career, the CCR Expo (Clinical Cosmetic and Reconstructive Expo) is sure to have something of interest for you.

If you’ve been before, you’ll know it’s one of the most respected events of its kind in the industry, comprising two days of surgical and non-surgical conferences, workshops, Continuing Professional Development content and live demonstrations – with the vast majority being free to attend as well as CPD accredited.

If you’ve never been to the CCR Expo, or are new to the industry, we’d really recommend a visit. You’ll access valuable information and resources that will enhance your knowledge, sharpen your skills and help develop your career.

What can you expect at the CCR Expo?

This year, for the first time, the CCR Expo programme includes a useful new educational stream specifically for those who are planning on making the move into aesthetics.

“Getting Started in Aesthetics” runs on both the Thursday and Friday, and aims to guide you through the whole process of making the transition to facial aesthetics.

The masterclass will cover both how and why to make the move into aesthetics, as well as filling you in on the specific regulations and legal complications you need to be aware of.

But there’s plenty that will be of interest if you’re already established in the industry too.

A varied programme of free lectures, seminars, meetings and demos includes a Surgical & Non-Surgical Workshop, Non-Surgical Conference and an Allergan Injectables Masterclass.

Additional paid-for events include the BAAPS Annual Scientific Meeting and the Journal of Aesthetic Nursing Conference, as well as the application-only British Cosmetic Dermatology Group Expert Session.

Meet Cosmetic Courses at the CCR Expo

If you do decide to come along, be sure to swing by our stand and say hello. You’ll find us in the BAAPS area on Stand G50.

Cosmetic Courses: Photo showing aesthetic trainer Dr Olha Vorodukhina

Our Medical Director Mr Adrian Richards and our trainer, qualified dentist Dr Olha Vorodukhina (pictured), will both be there, and will be happy to help if you’d like any advice on training courses, treatment techniques or the practicalities of getting started in aesthetics and setting up your business.

Adrian will also be talking about his ‘Aurora Lift’ on both days. You can catch him on Thursday 8th at 12.40pm and again on Friday 9th at 2.30pm.

The Aurora Lift is the Botulinum toxin and filler technique we use in our advanced facial rejuvenation training at Cosmetic Courses, as well as with patients at our sister company Aurora Skin Clinics.

It’s based on the concept of an A-frame, and involves treating the ageing face by injecting Botox and facial fillers at strategic points on an imaginary ‘A’.

Treating several areas along this ‘A’ – the Glabella, Cheeks, Nasolabial Folds, Marionette Lines and Pre Jowl Salcus – allows us to more effectively counter the downward migration of facial volume to restore the youthful ‘inverted triangle’. (Find out more about the Aurora Lift.)

If you know the basic Botox and filler techniques but are interested in learning more advanced applications, Adrian’s talk will be well worth a visit. So we hope to see lots of you there!

If you’d like to come along to the CCR Expo, registration is still open and you can book. For more information on the Aurora Lift or Cosmetic Courses’ programme of aesthetic training courses, please feel free to contact the team on 01844 318745 or email [email protected].

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Scotland to introduce non-surgical clinic regulations

Do you currently run, or are planning to set up, a cosmetic clinic in Scotland? Then it’s important you know about the new clinic regulations coming into force next year.

Many in the industry have been crying out for a change in the law when it comes to non-surgical treatments. And now Scotland has become the first nation in the UK to take action.

The Scottish Government have announced plans to start regulating clinics offering healthcare services and non-surgical cosmetic treatments from April 2016.

The change will be managed by Healthcare Improvement Scotland, and will apply to all private clinics where services are provided by doctors, dentists, nurses and midwives.

As the law stands in the UK, there is currently no regulation for the non-surgical cosmetic industry (despite last year’s Health Education England review). So this represents a trailblazing move by Scotland’s devolved Government – and one we’d like to see rolled out nationwide.

The new clinic regulations – why now?

The clinic regulations are a response to recommendations made this month by the Scottish Cosmetic Interventions Expert Group (SCIEG).

The Group was set up in January 2014 by Scottish Government ministers who gave them a simple brief – find the best way to regulate the cosmetic industry and make non-surgical treatments safer for patients.

They commissioned research which found that less than a quarter (23%) of Scots have a fair amount of confidence in non-surgical cosmetic procedures.

With stats like that, it was clear the public were looking for reassurance.

What the Scottish clinic regulations will mean

SCIEP have proposed to roll out the clinic regulations in three phases. The first priority will be to introduce checks on independent cosmetic clinics, followed by healthcare clinics where medical professionals offer Botox and dermal fillers, and the third phase will concentrate on other aesthetic practitioners.

There are a raft of other recommendations too, including new requirements for practitioners to have adequate and up-to-date training and insurance, a transparent complaints procedure, and a duty to report breaches of advertising legislation to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).

Scotland’s Minister for Public Health, Maureen Watt, had this to say about the new clinic regulations:

“Cosmetic procedures, both surgical and non-surgical, have increased massively in popularity over the last few years.”

“There are many reputable practitioners in Scotland, but unfortunately there are others who do not live up to those high standards. That can lead to complications after procedures, sometimes leaving the customer with lasting injuries. By introducing a sound system of regulation and inspection we hope to reduce those instances.”

The move has been publicly supported by the GMC, so it will be very interesting to see whether England follows suit. We’ll be sure to keep you posted with any developments.

Cosmetic Courses offer accredited aesthetic courses, including Botox training, to medical professionals looking to enter the cosmetic industry. For information on our range of courses, or to book a place, please contact the team on 01844 318317 or email [email protected].

 

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Run your own business? Here’s how the Budget will affect you

Cosmetic Courses: The Budget 2015 - How to run your business...

The Chancellor has just delivered his first Budget of this government – and as usual, some will benefit and others lose out. But if you run your own business, how will you be affected by his red box revelations?

Essentially, how the Budget is likely to affect you depends on how your business is structured, and how established you are.

By and large, this Budget focused on two kinds of business – very large companies and successful smaller businesses that are ready to grow.

Some commentators were disappointed by the lack of new incentives for entrepreneurs looking to launch solo start-up businesses. But if you already run your own business and are doing well, there are measures that may help you. 

Let’s take a look at some of the major announcements and what they could mean for you.

Tax

The Chancellor announced the rate of corporation tax would fall from its current 20% to 19% in 2017, and then further still to 18% in 2020 – giving the UK the lowest corporation tax rate in the G20.

Great news if you run your own business – but only under certain circumstances.

If you’re a limited company making significant profits, you’re likely to benefit from the drop in corporation tax. But if you’re a sole trader or partnership, a start-up or small limited company that only generates a marginal profit, the change probably won’t affect you.

Other new tax measures may make life easier, and save you time – if not money!  

The Office for Tax Simplification has been given more powers to cut red tape, and will be putting forward its recommendations for a reformed tax system as part of the 2016 Finance Bill.

And the dreaded tax return, having already been moved online, will see further digitisation over the next few years. 

Employees

If you run your own business, you may already have, or be looking to take on, members of staff.

The National Living Wage will come into effect in April 2016, requiring all employees to be paid a new minimum wage of £7.20 per hour, rising to £9 per hour by 2020. 

This will mainly impact small businesses with a significant number of employees earning the minimum wage. But if that applies to you, there’s also a measure that will help offset your increased wage bill. 

The national insurance employment allowance will be raised by 50%, from £2,000 to £3,000. Only you and your accountant will know whether this completely offsets the impact of the increased minimum wage on your business, but every little helps.

Investment

One of the most crucial allowances when you run your own business and are looking to grow is the Annual Investment Allowance – and there’s good and bad news on that front.

The allowance lets small and medium-sized firms make tax-deductible investments in equipment and machinery to help fuel their growth.

It currently stands at £500,000, but was set to be cut to just £25,000 from 1st January 2016 – though many were calling for an increase on the £500,000.

Mr Osborne has decided the new allowance will be £200,000. So, not cut as much as it was going to be, but still by a significant amount.

Finance

Another important area if you run your own business and are looking to grow is access to finance. And two new measures announced by the Chancellor will make it much easier to secure business loans.

First, the UK’s major banks will have to share credit information on small businesses with other lenders, and must share details of firms they reject for finance with online platforms that can pair them up with other finance providers.

In addition, the British Business Bank will look to increase and diversify the supply of finance available – with plans to make £10bn available by 2019.

So there you have it. Not quite as exciting for business as it could have been, but some incentives nonetheless. Perhaps the biggest incentive of all being that to benefit from many of the measures, your business needs to grow! 

Looking to run your own business?

Cosmetic Courses offer expert training for medical professionals looking to enter the aesthetics industry. Our ongoing support network provides comprehensive advice and resources to help you set up and run your own business. For information on our aesthetic training courses, please contact the team on 01844 318317 or email [email protected].

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Non-surgical cosmetic procedures growing faster than surgery

ISAPS cosmetic procedures statsGlobal plastic surgery body ISAPS (International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery) have released some interesting stats on the number of cosmetic procedures performed in 2014.

And they make compelling reading for those looking to offer non-surgical treatments.

The figures, published on ISAP’s website on Wednesday, show a drop in the total number of cosmetic procedures performed in 2014 compared to the previous year (20,236,901 vs 23,474,273).

Breaking that down by area, surgical procedures fell from 11,599,336 to 9,645,395, while non-surgical procedures dropped from 11,874,937 to 10,591,506.

But while they both saw decreases, the non-surgical side held up markedly better – and increased its percentage of the total market.

Cosmetic procedures – a shift taking place?

The figures suggest a shift is under way, with non-surgical treatments continuing to gain ground at the expense of surgery.

Though non-surgical procedures already accounted for the majority of total procedures by a slim margin, the scales have tipped even further in their favour.

Looking at the stats in percentage terms, non-surgical procedures accounted for 50.6% of the total in 2013, but an increased percentage of 52.3% in 2014.

We can speculate on the reasons why people are increasingly choosing non-surgical options. It may be that cost is a factor in a still-shaky global economy – non-surgical procedures being generally far less expensive than surgery.

Or it could be part of the shift we’re seeing towards a less-is-more approach. Subtle and natural are fast becoming watchwords in the aesthetic industry. Nobody wants to look ‘done’, and non-surgical treatments are seen by many patients as less invasive than surgery, with results that are less likely to be apparent to others.

Whatever their motivations, patients are speaking. And for aesthetic professionals, this brave new world represents a very exciting opportunity.

Non-surgical treatments – a great time to train

The table below shows the ISAPS data for non-surgical procedures:

Non-surgical cosmetic procedures

As you can see, Botulinum Toxin (including BOTOX® Dysport and Xeomin) holds on to its position at the top of the non-surgical tree. In fact, it remains the world’s most popular procedure overall – both non-surgical and surgical.

And again, though the numbers have dropped, it has actually increased its share of the total cosmetic market – from 21.9% to 23.9%.

So if you’re a medical professional thinking about a move into aesthetics, Botox training still represents the best investment you can make for your future career.

But the stats are also impressive for chemical peel and laser resurfacing. In 2013, between them – and combined with dermabrasion – there were only 773,442 procedures in total. In 2014, chemical peel and laser skin resurfacing alone racked up a combined total of 973,314 procedures.

So it may be worth your while to add chemical peel training to your repertoire too.

Though the ISAPS data is based solely on countries from which they obtained sufficient survey responses (USA, Brazil, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Germany, France & Colombia), the scale of the survey lends weight to the findings.

And ISAPS themselves say they consider the data to be representative of the industry globally.

“We have improved our survey methodology to reflect a detailed profile of our field,” said Susumu Takayanagi, MD, ISAPS president. “Our society is committed to following sound analytical practices in creating this valuable report.”

Cosmetic Courses offer medical professionals expert training in a wide range of cosmetic procedures. If you would like information on our aesthetic training courses, or would like to book a place, please contact the team on 01844 318712.

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New Botox? Allergan branches out with fat-dissolving Kybella

Kybella fat dissolving injectionsThe aesthetic industry doesn’t stand still for long. With increasing regularity, new treatments come along and grab the public imagination. 

And we could be on the threshold of another.

Botox and fillers may be sharing headlines with a brand new injectable treatment soon. Aesthetic giant Allergan have just bought the company behind fat dissolving injectable Kybella.

What is Kybella?

The deoxycholic acid based drug was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in April this year.

It is designed specifically to treat submental fat – the dreaded double chin. While traditionally this area has been treated surgically, the goal is for Kybella to position itself as a viable non-surgical alternative to chin liposuction.

Though non-surgical options are available for the double chin, none are effective at reducing the submental fat. So if the treatment works well, it could be in huge demand from both practitioners and patients.

As New York dermatologist Dr Heidi Waldorf explains:

“We could lift from above with a facial filler, tighten from outside with an ultrasound laser, and smooth with a toxin — but we could not get rid of the underlying fat without something more invasive like liposuction”.

Unlike liposuction, the results won’t be instant with Kybella. Patients will need a course of the fat-dissolving injections over several months to achieve the best outcome.

But with no general anaesthetic or surgery needed, the treatment is bound to appeal to patients who are looking for improvement but nervous about the knife.

Allergan’s investment in Kybella

It’s clear Allergan has faith in the treatment’s potential, having paid a staggering $2.1bn to acquire Kythera, the biotech group behind Kybella, to stop it being snapped up by rivals.

The cosmetic treatments market is huge in the US. More than 6m treatments were performed last year, including 1.6m anti-wrinkle injections and more than 1m facial fillers.

Acquiring Kybella is Allergan’s latest move to diversify its product portfolio as it looks to capitalise on the growing demand for non-surgical treatments.

Other recent new products have included facial filler Juvéderm Voluma and Latisse, a serum for growing longer, thicker eyelashes.

Pricing for Kybella has yet to be announced, but the company are currently rolling out a training programme for the treatment.

As we know in the UK aesthetic industry, what happens ‘over there’ inevitably happens over here too. So we’ll be watching with interest to see how Kybella takes off. Who knows, perhaps we’ll see Kybella training sitting alongside our regular Botox and filler courses soon.

Cosmetic Courses offer a varied programme of aesthetic training courses for medical professionals, including Botox and filler training. For information on our courses, or to book a place, please contact the team on 01844 318317 or email [email protected].

 

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