What are Occlusions in Aesthetics? The difference between natural bruising and a vascular occlusion is tricky to determine and can be confusing. Bruising is not uncommon for patients after treatment but it is essential that we are on top of our game in terms of understanding and watching for Occlusion issues in cosmetic aesthetics.
Complications happen and ensuring you are ready and equipped to address and handle them will go a long way to upholding your oath and trust with your clients. This blog series is not about what to do in each situation as it is about building a foundation of consistent, best practices regardless of any situation.
Occlusion Management is a big expectation for any injector. In aesthetics, bruising and occlusions is a team event. Bruises are occlusions unless they are otherwise determined.
No one wants to see bruising or occlusion results after a treatment or procedure.
Not the client.
Not the injector.
Not the clinic.
One practitioner may run into a challenge with occlusion management, but a team will see it differently. Be part of a collaborative team effort that adopts these principles:
Team Up Together
You might be by yourself, but you are never alone when you are part of a collaborative team. Supporting each other, your clinic, your clients, and the College of Nurses are paramount when dealing with unwanted results. There is no room for toxicity and tattling in this business. Even if you are the injector and unexpected bruising results evolve with a treatment, you deserve to feel protected and safe to address it. No one wants or deserves to be banished or shamed. Support each other.
There are no wrong Questions
I always told my children to ask questions in school or at home if they didn’t understand something; a rule, a protocol, a decision or a concept. I believe the same way about aesthetics. Moving into the aesthetic world that is continually changing and evolving, there is no room for assumptions that everyone should know the answer to. Every situation and client is different, so responses and outcomes are also going to vary. A practitioner who sits back privately and publicly to others to puzzle out what could go better or why something occurred is wise and responsive. In a collaborative team, no one will act intolerant or bothered by your concerns. Be part of a team that welcomes sharing and asking for support when needed. Ask Away!
It happens to everyone
Whenever I am teaching or training about Occlusion management, I am asked,
“Has this ever happened to you?”
Heck, yes. 100%!
Occlusion Management is necessary training for all of us. When occlusion management is required, it does not necessarily mean someone made a grave mistake. It means that the complexity of the procedure and the individual make-up of the client’s skin and bruising potential is impossible to guarantee wont happen. I now framework my training to say, “it is not IF but WHEN”. When it happens to you, avoid the self-criticism and paralyzing self-loathing that can occur. When it happens to you, you need strategies and tips on how best to deal with it. No one hopes for bruising but it does happen. Remember, it is not IF it happens; it is when it happens! It will happen to you.
Occlusion Management is more than bruising. It is the ethical commitment to allow clients to trust we have prepared best for every situation and will be qualified to address any problems along the way.
Managing occlusions as a team with clear direction and protocols reduces risk, improves care, o and offer a reduced liability to everyone. Learn more about managing Occlusions clearly and directly with a collaborative and united approach to best serve others.
