Face the Facts: Hands Tell Your Age

Join us for Hermine Warren’s demonstration “Rejuvenation: Do Your Hands Match Your Face?” at Modern Beauty Con, on May 6, 2023, at the Boston Park Plaza.

It doesn’t take long to understand why Hermine Warren, DNP, APRN, is one of the most-respected people in our industry. The responses she gave during our exchange were thoughtful and clearly shaped by years of real-world experience developing an “aesthetic plan for each patient.” One can sense why a client would feel at ease with her. 

Among a variety of topics covered, below she explains the importance of focusing on overall beauty (not just the face), how trust is developed, and why it’s more important to build relationships than it is to gain followers on social media.

What is on the mind of your patients lately? 

Hermine Warren: I have a more mature practice, a lot of baby boomers. They want to maintain face-lifts, or they want to avoid face-lifts. They want what will give them the most rejuvenation.

How do you introduce the topic of hand rejuvenation to them?

HW: I always talk to my patients about what I think they should address. I start early on, by asking what they think about their hands. I show them my hands and explain that they don’t look like they are aging because I inject them. I don’t upsell my patients…ever. They know that if I suggest something, it is going to be in their best interest. 

Why are hands so important?

HW: The face isn’t the only thing we should look at—it isn’t the only predictor of age. Hands can be very telling. If you look at hands that are aging, you usually see valleys and hills and tendons. Filling in the hands is like putting icing on a cake—making the dips a little less noticeable. 

What’s the best course of treatment? What is the maintenance regimen?

HW: Within my practice, I believe injectables—particularly hyaluronic acids—are the best for hands. Follow-up is relative to patients and their needs, such as their age and how they hold (maintain) their products. 

Is social media important for med-spa operators who serve your base of older clientele?

HW: I think social media has its place, but it can also be misguided. Patients often quote people who have huge Instagram followings, but just because you have a lot of followers doesn’t necessarily mean the information is on point. 

However, social media certainly does present you to the aesthetic arena. People who are on social media have more airplay than people who do not. Yet many older patients don’t even go on social media, so it really depends on your clientele and who you’re trying to garner as a patient. In the end, you must develop a relationship with your patient and create trust. 

What are your best tips for attracting and retaining patients?

HW: I spend a lot of time with all my patients. Practitioners who don’t do that may tend to have less retention. It’s also important to have good follow-up, so that patients know you are not just doing a treatment to take their money, but that you are in it for the long haul. I always set up an aesthetic plan for each patient, so they know where they are and where they are headed. I do not do everything in one appointment.

I think it is really important to treat each patient the way you’d like to get treated yourself, and to speak in a language patients understand. Health literacy is very important to me, and most patients don’t understand our language. You have to let them know you are there for them before, during, and after the treatment. This creates trust and improves patient-care experiences, resulting in long-term retention.

Join us for Hermine Warren’s demonstration “Rejuvenation: Do Your Hands Match Your Face?” at Modern Beauty Con, on May 6, 2023, at the Boston Park Plaza.