With the aesthetics industry becoming increasingly global, Vanessa Bird outlines the key steps practitioners can take to raise their international profile — whether through speaking, publishing, training, or global partnerships

Growth and development within medical aesthetics takes many pathways. Professional development forms the foundations, with pillars of perceived success shaped by personal preference, ability, personality and, in some instances, by chance. What pillars are chosen and how high they are built are controlled by the individual, with more ambitious aesthetic professionals choosing to move onto the global stage in their quest for personal and professional satisfaction. This article explores the various pillars for success that can lead to a global profile and how to develop and expand internationally. It will focus on maximising strengths, identifying relevant opportunities and building a roadmap to achieve professional goals. Readers will gain an understanding of how networking plays a role in recognition, learn how to develop key skills needed for profile development, pick up ways to avoid common pitfalls and recognise how and when to move quickly to maximise chances of success.

The importance of an international presence in aesthetic medicine

Why would, or should, a practitioner in aesthetics go global? What are the benefits, both personally and professionally? A key driver is to generate new business opportunities, and a desire to build stronger, more powerful professional networks through international expansion can help with this. From a clinical standpoint, adopting a global approach enhances creativity by recognising the legitimacy of different points of view and approaches as practitioners can access and learn from the rich cultures and practices across continents. This helps them stand out in a crowded marketplace and may be the difference between business growth and stagnation.

What does a global profile look like?

A global profile takes many forms. It may be focused on your clinic, either expanding abroad or becoming a visiting practitioner at a partner clinic. Perhaps you enjoy connecting with others and sharing knowledge? In this instance, you may wish to present at international conferences or travel as a Key Opinion Leader (KOL) to train others and educate peers. For those who are too busy to travel, embracing webinars and submitting content for industry magazines may be the preferred route to an international presence. Whatever path you take, it should benefit the aesthetics industry as a whole. Inspiring and motivating others, sharing experiences and best practice, and improving education and training all help to raise industry standards, which benefits patients and future generations of aesthetic practitioners. It should also benefit the individual. Travel broadens the mind and allows you to meet new people who may be able to open more doors. It raises your profile, builds your brand, grows your business and helps make you money. With these benefits in mind, it’s worth consideration.

Where to begin?

It all starts with you. Ask yourself the following questions:

  • What are your reasons for wanting an international profile?
  • What skills do you have to help you achieve this?
  • What benefits can you deliver to the global aesthetics sector?
  • Are you ready for this next step or do you need further development?

It is important to identify your reasons for wanting international growth, as it helps you identify the right opportunities for you. This is paramount for success.

Now, assess your core skills. What are you good at? Maybe you’re known for your advanced clinical techniques or for providing educational content on stage or in print. Perhaps you are commercially minded and excel at the business of aesthetics. If you have a speciality, now is the time to highlight this, as it may be what’s needed to accelerate your global journey. Do you have an established profile in your country of origin? If not, this needs to be somewhere you start before considering expansion overseas. This industry needs confident public speakers and practitioners who can teach, so what communication skills do you possess, and are you charismatic enough to draw a crowd and influence others? Most importantly, credibility is essential. Without credibility, your peers will not engage with you, brands will not want to work with you, and the industry will not benefit from you taking that international step forward. 

This is only half of the self-assessment needed. Other considerations include whether you are an introvert, ambivert or extrovert. Do you prefer one-to-one interactions, working with small groups, or do you actively enjoy larger audiences? Do people want to sit and listen to you, read what you write, learn from you or connect with you? Make time to objectively assess your strengths and weaknesses because this helps you identify suitable opportunities that match your skill set and character. It also allows you to develop any weaknesses and play to your strengths. After all, if you are an introvert who dislikes speaking in front of crowds, why invest time and energy submitting abstracts for conferences when you may be better suited as a visiting injector or published author? 

Identifying the right opportunities

Now that you have assessed your strengths and weaknesses and decided what direction you wish to expand into, it is time to identify the right opportunities for you. Let’s begin with international conferences as this is a popular step up for many. Research the global conference schedule and identify relevant conferences that fit your skill set and interests. Research past programmes and the faculty of speakers to give you insights on the tone of the conference and whether it suits your style. How can you cater for their audience? Is your content relevant? Build engaging, unique presentations, submit abstracts and make sure you strive to deliver original content that is beneficial to the target audience of each congress.

For those who wish to be a KOL working with global brands, match your skills with the key global players on the market today. It is easier to forge a relationship with a company if you already use their products or technology. Can you benefit their brand by providing clinical training,  delivering webinars, or presentations?  

For the teachers among you, consider expanding your love of training. Are there any training academies that can benefit from your skills and experience, or should you set up and develop your own, online and in person? 

For those who want business expansion, look for clinics that would benefit from having you as a visiting practitioner. There may be treatments you can deliver they don’t currently offer. Make sure you’re licensed to practice medicine in your country of choice and that your qualifications are recognised.

If your interest is in education and writing, research different publications and their style to identify good partnerships. Take into consideration cultural differences, legislation and tone and ask yourself whether you can commit to submitting original content their readers would appreciate. Although AI may well be seen as a blessing for many, it should be avoided when writing for publications to maintain standards and quality of content. 

Do your homework

Once you’ve assessed strengths and weaknesses and identified relevant opportunities, it’s time to research your target areas of interest. Make sure your skills are a good match and that you’re adding value, then create your professional bio. A bio showcases your history, interests, qualifications, skills, and any unique selling points (USPs) that make you stand out. Create a standard and a short version and send them along with any abstracts, articles for publication or approaches to work with clinics, training academies or companies. It’s a great way to provide background before opening up discussions.

Utilise your network

Leverage your professional network. If you know of anyone who may be able to make introductions or provide insights that may help start conversations, now is the time to reach out. Be open to networking and meeting new people at conferences, training sessions, industry awards and social events. You can even connect using social media. One thing that should stay at the forefront of any networking you do is that it is a two-way street and should be mutually beneficial and enjoyable for everyone. Build and nurture business connections for future growth and development. 

Take action

Nothing happens without effort. If presenting at international conferences is the route for you, start writing abstracts and submit them in the appropriate format, with your bio, by the deadline. Keep records of ‘who, what and when’ you submitted and try not to repeat content. If you’re selected, play your part and actively promote your talk, attend other presentations, network with others and don’t be afraid to ask for feedback. We can always improve. For those wanting to be KOLs, reach out to salespeople you already work with and share ideas on how you can support their brand, whether that’s through webinars, sponsored talks or training. If you have a passion for developing protocols, share your results with them and offer to educate other practitioners. Act as an ambassador, referring clients to them, posting positive social media content and even generating PR. For the trainers out there, build on protocols and techniques and be generous with the educational content you share in magazines and on social media. Connect with academies, cross-refer and offer your services. Could there be an opportunity to create something unique by partnering with them? For those wanting to practice abroad,  utilise your network to identify relevant partnerships, schedule calls and discuss ways of working together that are mutually beneficial. Commit to regular visits and discuss how you will split revenue. Once the partnership is in place, focus on consumer-facing promotions and build the hype. For the writers, start creating content that’s ready for publication and submit ideas/articles to editors (along with your bio). Once articles are published, share links to read them, then create a ‘brag file’ so you can easily show your style of writing to other publications.

Avoiding pitfalls

Developing a global profile is incredibly rewarding and feels fantastic. However, the biggest danger to global success can be our own ego. It’s great to be acknowledged, and at times we feel like a celebrity within our field. This intoxicating feeling of recognition and status is addictive, so if we don’t remain grounded, we may start to believe the ‘hype’. We may become self-absorbed, arrogant, and in some instances, unprofessional. We may feel the pressure of up-and-coming global practitioners which can be a cause of stress and anxiety. So how do we overcome this? Identify and acknowledge if your behaviour starts to change for the worse. Ask the people closest to you if you’re showing signs of egotistical behaviour. There will always be situations where others are chosen over you,  and we need to remember not to take it personally. Ask yourself what you can learn from these feelings, brush yourself down and remain ethical and professional at all times.  

Another common pitfall is the dreaded imposter syndrome where you fear that you don’t live up to expectations, or perhaps you undervalue what you can bring to the global stage. Imposter syndrome is common in higher achievers. We compare ourselves unfavourably to others, doubt ourselves and may even self-sabotage situations we do not think we deserve. To avoid this, take time to objectively recognise your achievements and how far you have come. Again, ask your peers for honest and open feedback to help you overcome this.

Conclusion

Gaining an international advantage can be incredibly rewarding professionally and personally for those who want to take this step. The industry can benefit from what you have to offer, so make a note of the following key takeaways: 

  • Know what you want 
  • Keep yourself accountable and set clear goals 
  • Know your timeline and track your progress 
  • Review goals and progress regularly, and don’t be afraid to adapt your approach and adjust your path if necessary 
  • Celebrate any key milestones to stay motivated
  • Don’t take it personally if somebody secures the presentation, the KOL position, published article, or even the professional partnership you wanted. 

Our industry is growing and there is room for everyone. If an international profile is for you, and you are prepared to work hard, act ethically and give back generously, take steps today and enjoy the ride.

By Vanessa Bird, Managing Director, The Aesthetic Consultant, London, UK