I remember when Groupon and the like started popping up all over the place. I thought “oh my, what is this going to do to the esthetics industry?” At first, it was easy to just go about normal business, catering to those who were inclined to go to the best clinics choosing quality over bargain hunting. But within a year, it was almost impossible to stand up to the intensity with which the Groupon coupon craze had infested itself upon our industry.
Still, we at Toronto Dermatology Centre held our ground. We knew it was going to be hard to compete with the crazy bargains that were being offered, and yet we knew we had a lot more to offer. Using the top of the line lasers mixed with the best educated, most experienced medical estheticians, and under the guidance of world class dermatologists, we could give safe, effective and relatively painless results and peace of mind to our patients.
Besides, the numbers just weren’t adding up. How could companies offer ridiculous rates such as $99 unlimited laser hair removal for a year? At those rates, they wouldn’t even be able to pay their estheticians, let alone their overhead (and lasers typically cost over $100,000). There was no way around it, it just couldn’t work, not even with cheap “spa/salon lasers” and inexperienced staff.
And then it started happening. People were showing up at our clinic, disillusioned with lasers, saying they didn’t work, or worse yet, they received burns and scars, or that their med spa or laser clinic had closed down and taken their money. And no doubt they weren’t getting the results they were looking for. While laser hair removal typically takes about 6 treatments at our clinic with minimal discomfort, we were hearing stories of patients on their 24th or 32nd treatment of “laser hair removal,” clearly using inferior spa/salon level lasers and not medical-grade lasers, and likely at the wrong settings. Would you go bargain hunting for eye surgery? Would you bargain hunt for a face lift? I certainly hope not.
For the past three, almost four years, Toronto Dermatology Centre has only grown and grown. We made it through the Groupon trend without succumbing to the peer pressure and that is probably why we are here today. So many companies lost their businesses by charging less than their daily output, and others suffered because of the competition. We were in a very fortunate place. Our dermatologists dealt with OHIP patients, and those patients knew to trust their specialists. They knew they would get top quality service, and at still very competitive pricing. And more importantly, they knew we were here to stay.
For whatever reason your current medical esthetics clinic is not working for you, whether it be because you aren’t getting the results you seek, are not enjoying the company of the staff or worse, that the place has closed its doors, we are here. Our goal is to help you achieve your goals. Because of that way of thinking, there is no doubt we will be here for many years to come.
~ Sheri Roselle, Medical Esthetician at Toronto Dermatology Centre
