Many studies have shown that, although consumers desire a choice when making purchases, they get overwhelmed if they are presented with too many options. One study showed that it is optimal to carry at least 3 brands of products. For this reason, limiting the skin care you sell to one brand or doing your own private label is not optimal.
New York dermatologist Rebecca Tamez, MD, pointed out the same problem when selling practice-specific skin care. “At my previous job, we sold skin care products directly to patients. I had no issues selling products that were readily available in drugstores or online (such as Vanicream and EltaMD). We usually sold these around the same cost as the drugstore or Amazon. However, it was harder to sell the practice-specific skin care line. I feel patients were more wary of these products.”
3. Doctors do not want to feel like salespeople
If you have read my Dermatology News columns in the past, you may know that I think it is unethical for dermatologists to not offer specific skin care advice to their patients. If patients do not get ethical and scientific recommendations from us, they will follow the advice of a friend or salesperson or purchase based on often inflated marketing claims.
Dermatologists often tell me: “I am not a cosmetic dermatologist so I do not sell skin care.” I feel strongly that general dermatologists should be giving specific written skin care recommendations for their patients too. Acne, rosacea, melasma, eczema, psoriasis, keratosis pilaris, and many other conditions will improve faster with an efficacious skin care regimen, assuming the patient is compliant with the instructions. Retailing skin care improves compliance by eliminating a few barriers to beginning the skin care regimen. I believe that the mindset of dermatologists needs to change: It is not about selling products to patients, it is about educating them on what to use and offering the products out of convenience and the desire to improve compliance.
Meadowbrook, Pa., dermatologist Michael A. Tomeo, MD, explained an obstacle faced by many dermatologists:
“I suspect, like many of my colleagues,” said Dr. Tomeo, “that I am held back in terms of salesmanship, having been trained in the traditional way. Physicians of my generation were taught to be ethical and professional and to focus on academic and clinical excellence, and salesmanship and advertising one’s services were frowned upon. It takes time to reset one’s former proclivities. Cosmeceuticals and nutraceuticals are revolutionizing the skin care world, and as experts in all things skin, we need to be well informed and offer our patients safe, effective, and cutting-edge treatments.”
4. Providers are concerned about product costs and time constraints
Providing excellent patient care and improving outcomes is at the forefront of our business, but financial concerns and time constraints prevent some doctors from offering skin care to their patients.
Rochester Hills, Mich., plastic surgeon Richard Hainer, MD, has found that “skin care is often too complex with too many products and is not very profitable.” For those reasons, Dr. Hainer has chosen not to retail skin care in his practice.
Nampa, Idaho, dermatologist Ryan S. Owsley, MD, explained that “the required minimum purchases by some of the product lines can leave the practice with expired product if it is not selling a particular line well. Cost can also be an issue for some patients in the area we are located.”
As a burn survivor and burn surgeon, Mark McDonough, MD, from Orlando “has a long history with skin care and rejuvenation. I did have a private label skin care line, including a moisturizer, a hydroquinone product, a retinol cream, and a sunscreen,” Dr. McDonough said. “However, and regrettably, I have not kept up with marketing and promotion, with most of my energy invested in trauma and disease survivors through a book, a blog, and my platform through my website.”
Doing your own product line is costly and spending the time and resources to promote it is not always possible. Buying the minimum order of products is often expensive, and you will not be able to sell them without a proven methodology in place. New products enter the market frequently, and it is expensive to always carry the latest technologies because new minimum orders must be met with each new brand that you add.