NB: names have been changed to protect the privacy of the people involved.
Alice had just turned 50 & developed pigmentation she was desperate to get rid of. In her vulnerable state of feeling old & ugly (not uncommon with hormonal fluxes during the peri-menopausal period), she fell victim to a "friend" who pretended to do her a favour by introducing her to another friend (let's call her Meegan) who could introduce a doctor "highly skilled in removing pigmentation".
Alice was so happy to find a friend who would unselfishly introduce a good doctor to solve her problem, she immediately signed up for a RM800 "PRP/Fxl" treatment. However, after the RM800 treatment, her pigmentation was still there, as stubborn as ever.
She called the doctor to ask further but the good doctor was too busy. Instead, she got a call from Meegan. Meegan told Alice that the RM800 treatment was to "prepare her skin" for the superior SuperR (name changed) laser treatment that would remove all types of pigmentation & the cost would be RM3000 for a course of 6 sessions. Alice balked at the thought of spending so much beyond her initial budget but she was persuaded by Meegan & the good doctor that SuperR was the magic laser that removes all pigmentation & that there were only 3 such lasers in the whole of Malaysia. Alice was already uncomfortable with the idea of spending more but since SuperR was the latest & best laser, she argued that she wanted to pay half 1st i.e. RM1500 since she did not see any results so far.
After the 1st session of SuperR laser, she went back to the doctor complaining that she still did not see any improvement in her pigmentation. During this 2nd consultation, there appeared to be 3 consultants, namely 1) Dr. Mickey himself 2) Karlos, the laser salesman & 3) Meegan, the friend who introduced. All 3 of them insisted that the pigmentation had lightened so Alice was outnumbered in her opinion. However, Dr. Mickey's naive clinic nurse walked in & commented that there was no improvement in Alice's pigmentation at all. The nurse got some "if looks could kill" stares but Alice had no choice but to proceed with the 2nd laser treatment. During the laser treatment, Dr. Mickey was receiving instructions from Karlos about what laser settings to use. At the time she said she felt uncomfortable with the whole situation but with 3 consultants hovering around in the treatment room, it was 3 against 1.
A week after the 2nd laser session, she found that to her horror, the pigmentation had actually got worse & she frantically tried to contact Dr. Mickey but the clinic nurse told her to call Meegan instead. She did not want to talk to Meegan but Dr. Mickey was uncontactable as well. Anyway, she received a call from Meegan who lashed out at her telling her she was an unreasonable client who complained too much & therefore Alice was no longer wanted as a client. As for the 3rd prepaid laser session, Meegan told her that the doctor had gone 2 rounds on her face during her 2nd laser visit so she was not entitled to any refund or further laser sessions.
At that point in time, Alice was referred to me by another client of mine.
This story ends here. Why am I telling this story & risking backlash from my own kind in my industry? I'm doing it to remind the consumer of the bad apples in this industry. And it's also an appeal to those in my industry & a reminder to myself that we're practising cosmetic medicine here - ultimately, it is still medicine & as doctors we're duty bound to look out for our patients, not rob clients of their wallets. We don't need laser salesmen & middlemen to interfere in our medical practice. If patients are losing trust in doctors, I don't blame them.
Cosmetic medicine is in huge demand & many non-medical entrepreneurs have jumped on the bandwagon to profit from this industry. I'm not saying free enterprise is bad, in fact, I encourage it BUT one should not profit through lies & deceit. For example, there is no such thing as "preparing skin for SuperR laser with a Frxel laser". If one wants to make money from another laser procedure then please just tell the client directly the benefits of that particular laser. Consumers want to look beautiful & are willing to pay top dollar for it - there is no need to pull the wool over their eyes.
As for friends who want to profit from their friends by making referrals, please tell the truth. There is nothing wrong with making a living but don't pretend to be doing it as a good Samaritan. If you are doing it as a business & receiving a commission - just please tell the truth.
As for marketing middlemen in the industry - do it ethically - don't go around recruiting people to lie to their friends & relatives.
As for consumers who don't want to pay doctors' consultation fees - Think for yourself if it's worthwhile saving $30 & falling into the traps of "friends" who will ultimately make you part with thousands you can't afford. Just as an example, Alice probably only needed to spend a few hundred on her pigmentation, instead she is already out-of-pocket $2300 & to make matters worse, her pigmentation is actually darker than when she first started with.
I'm just fed-up with the direction this industry is heading. As I've said before, much financial reward can be reaped in this industry but I know that it can be done in an ethical manner. Don't let bad apples tarnish the image of those who practise it ethically.
