Boom or Bust: Natural Breast Enhancement, Staying on Trend

It seems like more and more doctors are launching natural breast enhancement utilizing fat transfer.  There was a recent article in American Health & Beauty discussing how Dr. Thomas Young, owner of Young Medical Spa in PA has been very successful with these procedures.

In addition, Acara’s client, Dr. Robert Langdon, located in Guilford, CT, has launched natural breast enhancement utilizing the Body-jet to harvest the fat.  He was recently featured on WTNH CT Style.

The Acara team always advocates the importance of staying on-trend to beat out the competition and grow your practice or medspa stronger.

Though, a new trend can be either a boom or bust if your not careful.   It is important to understand that you shouldn’t implement every new cosmetic trend that comes to market.  Acara works very closely with its clients to scrutinize new trends to insure there is local market demand and the practice has the capability and interest in performing the procedure.  In addition, new cosmetic trends should strengthen your market position and align with your mission.

Both Dr. Thomas Young and Dr. Robert Langdon are very savvy businessmen keeping their practices in demand within their markets.

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Medical Spa Interior Design

This blog’s number one post is about interior design for medical spas.  Due to its popularity, I’ve decided to present a webinar on the topic.  If you want to read the post the name is Maximizing Medical Spa Interior Design.

During the Webinar, I will share the pearls of wisdom I have learned by overseeing the design of over 25 spas, medical spas and cosmetic practices.   My focus when developing Medical Spa is to insure that they are aesthetically pleasing, functional, and profitably.

Join me on Tuesday, May 11th at 1:00 p.m. EDT to hear more.

Register Here

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Zerona Success Story

The Langdon Center, a cosmetic dermatology practice in Guilford, CT owned by Dr. Robert Langdon, Board Certified Cosmetic Surgeon and Dermatologist successfully launched Zerona this past fall and it continues to be one of their top selling body slimming procedures.  They were recently featured on CT Style, a lifestyle midday TV show that airs out of New Haven, CT.

Acara has worked with the Langdon Center since the summer of 2009 helping them build their practice stronger.  They started with the Acara Business Boosting Program and then continued with Acara  on a marketing, sales and operational support program.  Identifying and launching new technology to increase the business has been one of many successful tactics.

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Acara Launches 50/50 Special Offer: Let Acara Become Your Partner in Building Your Cosmetic Practice or Medspa Stronger

Acara’s 50/50 Special Offer

Acara is so convinced that we can increase your sales by at least 50% we are willing to bet half our fee!

What is the 50/50 Program? *
When a practice or medical spa signs up for Acara’s Business Boosting Program, they only pay 50% of the fee. If the Acara team increases their business by 50% within 3 months, then they will pay the balance of 50% as a success fee.

Why such a Special Offer?
Essentially, we are betting on our track record. Due to the success of our Business Boosting Program, 80% of our clients have doubled their sales in the past 12 months; so we have decided to up the ante and share in the risk. Thus, the Acara 50/50 program was born.

Where is the program available?
Acara works with practices nationwide and abroad. We work exclusively with one practice in a market at a time, on a first-come, first-serve basis.

What does an Acara Business Boosting Program include?

• Marketing & promotions plan with budget
• Ad campaign to support the marketing plan
• Sales training
• Competitive & demographic analysis
• High Impact Action Plan identifying tactics that have immediate effect on sales & profitability
• Business review & recommendations on marketing, operations & sales
• 3 year sales forecast
• Website review & recommendations
• Educational seminar power point presentation
• Online project management portal
• 2 site-visits
• Weekly coaching calls (8)

* Not all locations are eligible, restrictions may apply.

Is The Recession Over? Not According to Wall Street Journal Readers

Even though consumer spending was up in March, and the Dow is sitting at 11,000 with many large publicly traded companies showing profits, “Mainstreet” is still feeling the pain of this (possibly over?) recession.  The Wall Street Journal did a poll asking its readers to vote on whether they thought the recession is over or not.  Here is the article and the current results:

The committee of academic economists that dates the beginning and end of recessions said it isn’t ready to put an end date on the recession that started in December 2007. The National Bureau of Economic Research’s Business Cycle Dating Committee said “Although most indicators have turned up, the committee decided that the determination of the trough date on the basis of current data would be premature.”

What do you think? Does it feel to you as though the worst is over?  Are you seeing signs of economic reinvigoration?

The poll results as of April 15th: 384 (26%) YES and 1094 (74%) NO.

I think this poll most likely reflects the sentiment of many of the Cosmetic Practices and Medical Spas we speak to on a very regular basis.  Acara boasts that 80% of our clients have doubled their sales.  But we must remember that Cosmetic Practices and Medical Spas call Acara when they are in need of increasing their business and we receive 3 calls interested in increasing their business for every one new client.

Basically, you can succeed in this uncertain economy but in order to do so you need to be extremely good at managing your business: marketing, sales and operations.  You need to know how to communicate your unique message (you need a unique message), you have to be consistent in implementing your marketing program, you must have a sales system in place with someone dedicated to providing consultations, and you have to run a customer-centric practice.

With the possibility of economic recovery, mow is a good time to start putting your house in order.  If you wish to discuss how the economy is impacting your business please send me an e-mail at facunzo@acarapartners.com or leave a message here on this post.

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A New Gold Standard: Laser lipolysis advances are expanding body contouring applications

Dr. Edward B. Lack, MD recently wrote an article for Healthy Aging, a publication that “provides unbiased information so that physicians can help their patients look good and feel good as they age”.  The topic was on laser-assisted lipolysis (LAL) an ever growing trend since its introduction in 2006.

Here is an excerpt from the article:

Liposuction is one of the most commonly performed surgical cosmetic procedures; however, liposuction is traumatic and results in postoperative pain, edema and bruising. For surgeons, the procedure can be time-consuming and strenuous.

Advances in laser lipolysis are redefining body contouring, allowing surgeons to remove unwanted fat with greater precision and ease. Using laser lipolysis as an adjunct to liposuction, surgeons can now sculpt chiseled abs, contour below the chin and treat contour irregularities and fibrosis from previous liposuction.

Laser-assisted lipolysis (LAL) offers the advantages of skin tightening, adipocyte lysis, improved fascial retraction and faster wound healing with less morbidity. These advantages are opening the doors to emerging applications, such as laser-assisted facelifts and cellulite reduction, which traditionally have been difficult

to achieve with standard liposuction. As physicians find news ways to use the technology, laser lipolysis is becoming a gold standard of subcutaneous contouring.

Dr. Edward B. Lack, MD, is president of MetropolitanMD, a multispecialty medical/surgical clinic in Chicago. He is a past president of the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery and is a past board member of the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery.

Go to Healthy Aging to read the full article.

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Medical Spa Society Announces New President

Francis Acunzo CEO of Acara, an aesthetic medical practice management & marketing company, was voted in as president of the Medical Spa Society.

Branford, CT (Vocus/PRWEB ) April 7, 2010 — On April 5, 2010 Francis Acunzo, CEO of Acara was appointed as the new president of the Medical Spa Society, an organization dedicated to raising and upholding the level of professionalism practiced within the cosmetic practice and medical spa industry through professional and consumer education.

“I look forward to working with Francis to further the success of The Medical Spa Society,” says Bruce Katz, MD, chairman of the Medical Advisory Board for the Medical Spa Society. “Francis has been at the forefront of the medical spa industry since its inception. The Medical Spa Society will surely benefit from his strong leadership skills, expertise in the industry, and depth of knowledge and experience in business development and strategy.”

Read the entire announcement here…