You could flip to the Closing Thoughts page now, but I will hope you finish this page first. There was consistency to the many responses. Indeed, everyone's advice seemed to point to the same destination, even if from different directions. The one answer that seemed to be foremost on people's mind was simply… read. The second most common response was education.
One very informed reader (Kathie Jermyn) wrote, "Our industry is in a constant transition with new procedures, new products [ingredients], and new techniques. You have to read what your clients are reading. They come into the treatment room very knowledgeable. Most clients read about the latest and greatest and want to know your opinion." I would add this: not only do they come in informed, but they often come in ill-informed. This can require even more effort to keep up with negative trends we must teach our clients to avoid. The consensus is… we all need to aspire to have a long-term commitment to our education. As professionals, we have to make the investment to consistently push ourselves to the next level.
While that is reasonable advice, how do we find the time with all the challenges we currently have? After all, we all live in a fast-paced, demanding world. It is difficult enough to split our energy between kids, work, relationships, paying bills, and the New Age bonus of keeping up with e-mail and a Facebook account. How do we have the time or energy to make such a long-term commitment? The only reasonable answer is to try little by little.
DERMASCOPE has been in print since 1972. As the official publication of the Aesthetics International Association, we are committed to providing both educational information and an available network of professionals to mentor and guide you. There are countless companies and organizations devoted to the advancement of our profession. All that we require is available, so it comes down to managing our priorities and our choices.
My recommendation is to first focus on organizational skills. Use a calendar and daily list to manage (most all) your time… just like you do at work. Make small time allocations, but be firm with following through. Constantly and consistently improve your knowledge by continuing your education through exposure and networking. Learn and use technology to gain even more access and exposure. Start with your fingertips: webinars, community forums and blogs, online articles and magazines. Our DERMASCOPE.com online Community grows daily and has the most networking opportunities available anywhere. Meet people and discuss your challenges – as well as be a mentor to those coming up behind you. There are so many ways to feed yourself the knowledge you need to be able to stay on top of the ever-evolving aesthetic ball; but it has to end up on your list of things to do today… or it is destined to be on the never arriving list of "things to do tomorrow."