The definitive body contouring follow-up checklist

medical technician in treatment room holding a tablet reviewing a body contouring follow-up checklist

This article started with an email.  A student wrote: her fat reduction client saw no reduction at a  follow-up visit two months after completing treatments.  What would you have done?  How do you evaluate results?  Body contouring follow-up visits are not easy.  In fact, the basis for a patient’s satisfaction at follow-up starts way before the first follow-up appointment.  Some factors start as far back as when your patient was just learning about you.  So on the day of a body contouring follow-up visit, you must cover several key components in a specific order.  In this article, we’re sharing our Body Contouring Follow-Up Checklist, with the steps you need to deliver the definitive follow-up visit every time.

Do you get excited when you see a follow-up visit on your schedule?

Or do you feel apprehensive, maybe even a sense of dread?

Our Body Contouring Follow-Up Checklist to evaluate results

is guaranteed to…

Make your life easier

Make your clients happier

and

Make your business more successful!

Body Contouring Follow-Up Checklist to evaluate results

 

I. Set Realistic Expectations from the beginning

An absolute prerequisite to a successful follow-up visit and a happy client

  • Each client comes to see you with preset expectations
  • Some may be realistic while others are unrealistic
  • You must set realistic, or “the right,” expectations from the beginning, i.e. consultation
  • And reinforce realistic expectations at every encounter, i.e. visits, phone calls, emails

What happens if your client has unrealistic expectations all the way to follow-up?

This is bad!  She may not be satisfied at follow-up regardless of how great you think her results are.

II. The Follow-Up Visit

Successful follow-up visits create happy clients who refer, review and repeat

When should you set body contouring follow-up appointments?

You should schedule follow-ups at these three vital times.

  • Pre-treatment
  • Midway through the initial treatment series, i.e. after 3 of 6 treatments or after 5 of 10 treatments, etc.
  • End of initial treatment series

The Pre-treatment visit

Perform this visit immediately prior to the first treatment of your series.

 

Treatment Plan Agreement

Your pre-treatment visit should include

  • A record of your agreed upon treatment plan, i.e. the treatment area and the number of initial treatments in the series with the understanding that more may be needed
  • Obtain your client’s signature on the treatment plan reflecting her agreement with the treatment plan

 

Acknowledgement of Responsibilities

Your pre-treatment visit should include

  • Your client’s signature on a copy of your Post-Treatment Instructions verifying her understanding of her responsibilities throughout the treatment series

 

Document Baseline Data

Your pre-treatment visit should include this baseline data

  • Measurements
  • Photos
  • Weight

Next, 

Review the completed Questionnaire

  • Quickly review the questionnaire
  • Did your client comply with treatment instructions?
  • Is your client satisfied?
  • Will you need to address your client’s subjective opinions?

The Midway visit

We recommend a ‘midway visit’ to track progress and provide you with the opportunity to intervene for best results.

First, 

Document Midway Progress Data

  • Measurements
  • Photos
  • Weight

While you are assembling and comparing the measurements and photos, ask your client to complete a Follow-Up Visit Questionnaire (outlined below). What do you think of the progress from the photos and measurements?

Then,

Questionnaire and Interview

  • Create a questionnaire with objective questions
    • Was the client compliant with your post-treatment instructions? (list the instructions separately for individual answers), i.e. water intake, 30 minutes of daily exercise, sleep quality and amount, etc.

 

  • Include subjective questions on the questionnaire
    • Is she seeing progress towards her desired results?
    • Is she happy with her progress?
    • If not, what does she want to see or what did she expect to see?

Next,

Review the completed Questionnaire

  • Quickly review the questionnaire
  • Did your client comply with treatment instructions?
  • Is your client satisfied?
  • Will you need to address your client’s subjective opinions?

Final step,

 

Have a conversation with your client about your findings and…

  • Will you need to address your client’s subjective opinions?

 

Continue with your treatment plan if

Your client complied with instructions, is seeing progress, and the photos & measurements show progress.  Celebrate with your client!  No intervention needed.

 

Consider adding lymphatic booster treatments and re-educate about lifestyle adjustments, and continue with your treatment plan if

Your client had problems complying with the post-treatment instructions and/or her progress is slow.

or

Progress is slow…even if your client complied with the post-treatment instructions.

or

There is progress but your client would like to see more or expects to see more.

Slow lymphatic drainage masks results

It can take some clients up to twelve weeks or more for their lymphatic system to eliminate the fat, toxins and excess fluids left behind from the fat reduction treatment.  When this happens, fat reduction that has taken place cannot be seen and the client feels discouraged.

 

The solution to this problem is incorporating a lymphatic booster treatment into your protocol.

 

Do you incorporate lymphatic boosters in your fat reduction protocols?

 

We recommend one of these two super-effective lymphatic booster treatments

  • Whole Body Vibration Therapy
  • Pressotherapy

 

There are significant differences between the two, so learn more below when deciding which one is best for your business.

Whole Body Vibration Therapy

Whole Body Vibration Therapy (aka Vibration Therapy) utilizes passive exercise to cause intense, but comfortable, muscle contractions that increase both blood circulation and lymphatic circulation.

You do not need to block out your treatment room for a Whole Body Vibration Therapy session.  It’s a ‘set it and exit treatment.’

Consider incorporating these treatments in your business!

Learn more about getting certified in Vibration Therapy!

View Course Details

Pressotherapy

Pressotherapy (aka intermittent compression therapy and lymphatic drainage therapy) utilizes pneumatic compression technology to increase both the flow of the blood circulatory system and the lymphatic circulatory system.

 

  • A Pressotherapy treatment requires an hour block of your treatment room and an hour commitment from your client, but it can also be a ‘set it and exit treatment.’

Get the details of the online Pressotherapy Certification Course!

View Course Details

The Final Visit

The Final visit is the follow-up visit done at the end of the initial series or at the end of an additional series of treatments.  Often, it is not a true “Final” follow-up visit because the client decides to continue treating.

 

The steps in the Final visit closely track the steps you took at the Midway visit.

First,

Document Final Data

  • Measurements
  • Photos
  • Weight

 

While you’re assembling the measurements and photos, ask your client to complete the Follow-Up Visit Questionnaire.

 

Compare the three sets of photos and measurements: Pre-treatment, Midway and Final.

What do you think of the results shown in the photos and measurements?

Are the results what you would expect?

 

Then,

Questionnaire and Interview

  • Ask your client to complete your questionnaire objective questions
    • Was the client compliant with your post-treatment instructions? (list the instructions separately for individual answers), i.e. water intake, 30 minutes of daily exercise, sleep quality and amount, etc.
  • For this visit, include these subjective questions on the questionnaire
    • Has she achieved her desired results?
    • If not, what does she want to see or expect to see?
    • Would she like to undergo more treatments for continued improvement?

 

Next,

Review the completed Questionnaire

  • Quickly review the questionnaire and form your opinion
  • Compare the responses to those from the Midway visit
  • Did your client comply with treatment instructions?
  • Is your client satisfied?
  • Do you think she would benefit from more treatments?

Final step,

Have a conversation with your client about your findings and…

 

1. Celebrate with your client if…

Your client has achieved her desired results!  Ask her to share her good news in a video testimonial or a positive review.

2. Celebrate with your client if…

Your client achieved great results but wants more!  Amend your treatment plan to include more treatments. We recommend adding treatments in a small series of three treatments.  Evaluate after each series of three to determine the need for more treatments.

3. Encourage your client to add or continue with lymphatic booster treatments, and re-educate about lifestyle adjustments and bring the client back in 2 weeks for reevaluation if

a. Your client had problems complying with the post-treatment instructions and/or her progress is slow.

b. Progress is slow. She has complied with instructions but you feel that her lymphatic system needs more time.

Troubleshooting for seeing little to no results at the final visit

 

All of the above options give you directions for seeing some results.

But…if you see little to no results at the Final visit, here are the possible reasons:

 

Lymphatic System

  • Her lymphatic system needs more time
    • Schedule a Final visit 16 weeks after the date of the final treatment in the series
    • Reinforce post-treatment instructions
    • Encourage lymphatic booster treatments
    • And allow adequate time for sluggish lymphatic drainage

 

Lifestyle and Compliance

  • Her lifestyle is such that you don’t know if she’ll ever see results, i.e. weight gain, not following instructions, chronic illness, etc.
    • Lifestyle re-education and appointment for a Final visit 16 weeks after the date of the final treatment in the series

 

Technology

  • *You think it’s possible that the particular technology just did not work for her.  She’s followed all of your instructions and has even done lymphatic booster treatments.
    • Consider offering treatments with a different technology.
    • If you move forward with this option, we recommend discounting the different technology/additional treatment series.

*Pro Tip:  Re: Technology.  In our twenty plus years of experience with non-invasive body contouring treatments, we have observed very rare instances when the technology just didn’t seem to work for a patient.  How do you know when that is the case?  Make sure she fits into this set of facts:  Your patient is not overweight, did not gain weight, it was obvious she led a healthy lifestyle throughout the treatment series, and she underwent lymphatic booster treatments.

Conclusion: Use this body contouring follow-up checklist to achieve success!

  • Follow-up visits can be the most challenging appointments in your business…but follow-ups should also be the most rewarding.
  • By following this body contouring follow-up checklist (step by step), you are guaranteed to
    • build a big and lasting body contouring business
    • earn the reputation as a body contouring expert and
    • maximize your profits.
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