Understanding and treating different patient archetypes in aesthetic medicine

BACKGROUND: Factors that motivate the treatment goals and expectations of the aesthetic patient reflect evolving social, cultural, and commercial influences. The aesthetic practitioner may often be faced with the challenge of first decoding the underlying motives that drive the patient to pursue their specific goals. The challenge for clinicians is further compounded by an increase in patient diversity with respect to race, ethnicity, age, and gender. AIMS: Simplify the path to patient interpretation with identification of primary patient archetypes. METHODS: The "Going Beyond Beauty" (GBB) initiative, consisting of 27 market research projects, was conducted to survey the primary goals and motives for seeking treatment aesthetic treatment. The results were stratified into predominant patient archetypes using segmentation analysis and then validated through online surveys, 1-to-1 interviews, and focus groups conducted with patients. An advisory board of internationally based aesthetic clinicians integrated the data with their own insights to further characterize each archetype. RESULTS: Data from over 54 000 participants in 17 different countries were distilled into four distinct patient archetypes based on motivating factors, aesthetic goals, initial treatment requests, and treatment opportunities and challenges. These archetypes were named Beautification, Positive Aging, Transformation, and Correction. CONCLUSION: The clinician's ability to recognize these four primary archetypes may provide a useful frame of reference to understand patient motives better, anticipate and manage their expectations, and provide the appropriate treatment guidance that best serves the long-term goals of their patients.