BOTOX IS OFTEN VIEWED AS A SERVICE FOR OLDER, OFTEN RICH, WOMEN, BUT THIS SIMPLY WASN’T THE CASE
as the solution to their problems. Many of the patients came to the pharmacy with this ‘quick fix’ attitude and I often found myself having to manage their expectations, explaining to them that this was a cosmetic procedure that in some cases would remove lines – not a life- changing procedure. In quite a few cases, however, my attempts to manage expectations were unsuccessful.
‘For many of the patients, the condition and appearance of their skin was the result of lifestyle changes. Many heavy lines, for example, had been caused by years of bad diet, smoking and alcohol consumption and Botox could not undo the years of damage.
‘Botox is often viewed as a service for older, often rich, women, but this simply wasn’t the case. On top of the fact that many people of all ages came in wanting to look 16 again – which was obviously not going to happen – I also came across a lot of patients who complained and wanted their money back simply because they didn’t look the way they’d expected to, ie, 20 or 30 years
younger. This was particularly true with regard to lip fillers. I was happy to put 0.5ml of filler in, but I was often approached by patients with magazines in their hands, requesting 1.0ml of filler, simply because they wanted to look like a ‘celebrity’ with the so-called ‘trout pout’.
‘In these cases I really felt some patients were experiencing mental health problems. They saw themselves in a very different way from the reality. In all my years in pharmacy, I really struggled with my feelings towards the service that I was providing. Cadham Pharmacy is also located in a deprived area and many people were using what little disposable income they had for these treatments.
‘In addition to the fact that I was becoming increasingly unhappy at the service that I was providing due to the reasons given, there were reduced margins and the public not wanting to pay the additional fees required to make it financially viable. Put simply, there was very little financial return from providing a service that was effectively high risk. I also had to spend £2000 on
training myself and another pharmacist to deliver the service, so there was outlay on top of the lack of return.
‘I know that the Botox/filler service has proved to be quite successful in pharmacies in England, but I think that’s because the pharmacists have dedicated their time to providing the service and perhaps have found ways to deliver this during the day. As I found out, operating the Botox service simply didn’t fit with the day-to-day pharmacy services in a high volume business and space is needed, with a minimum of two consultation rooms to allow this to happen– especially when the Pharmacy First service took off and there was increased demand for all NHS services.
‘Our priorities were to meet the growing need for more consultations for the NHS services and gaps in provision caused by fewer GP appointments. While I was initially attracted to the Botox and fillers service, I learnt through experience that it is not compatible with pharmacy services during normal hours and creates extra challenges for the pharmacy team.’
MANY OF THE PATIENTS CAME TO THE PHARMACY WITH THIS ‘QUICK FIX’ ATTITUDE AND I OFTEN FOUND MYSELF HAVING TO MANAGE THEIR EXPECTATIONS, OFTEN UNSUCCESSFULLY
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