Injectable Prices in the Aesthetic Practice

This is part 2 of a 2-part series.

Part 1: Changing the Injectable Pricing Game

Revance fillers tend to be higher priced in general because the company, unlike some other big-name filler brands, is not offering any specials, discounts, or coupons at the moment, according to Dr. Carniol.

Dr. Carniol is happy to pass along company savings to individual patients. But he does not advertise those, rather, he offers consumers applicable cost savings when they come in.

He also gives patients options in filler choices when possible, which potentially leads to options in cost.

“Not all fillers are the same and not all fillers work the same in different areas. But if we have more than one filler that might work in a given area, we will tell our patients that filler might indeed work in that area and then give them a choice,” Dr. Carniol says.

Galderma typically offers its largest product users improved pricing, according to Alisa Lask, vice president and general manager of Galderma’s U.S. Aesthetics Business.

“The Galderma ASPIRE Rewards program supports practices by helping patients earn rewards they can redeem over time for additional treatments and provides a highly rated app that allows consumers to select a provider and easily manage their rewards and points,” Lask says.

Lask agrees that price shopping is not the best first step for consumers looking for good outcomes.

“Finding a qualified, well-trained injector is essential to receiving optimal patient outcomes. Galderma invests in education and training programs like Galderma Aesthetic Injector Network (GAIN) and Galderma Interactive Anatomy (GIA), a digital platform unique to Galderma aimed at educating aesthetic providers on the foundations of facial anatomy to support these efforts,” Lask says. “Once a patient finds a qualified injector, they can work with their injector to develop a treatment plan that works best for them, including any financial considerations.”

While Revance’s approach might work to better inform some consumers, there will always be people who shop based on price and practices that advertise based on price, according to Dr. Carniol.

“I believe that competing on price may not be wise because what you are saying is the only thing you are offering you is a lower price. What we are saying in our office is we are offering high quality and tender-loving-care (TLC) treatment, so we don’t compete on price because we can’t. We take care of our patients and spend time with them. We answer their questions. We are highly trained as facial plastic surgeons. We know the anatomy. We know the product and we have artistic standards that will give our patients the best result. We feel that outweighs price,” Dr. Carniol says. “But there are many patients who are more interested in price, and they will not come to our office because we do not offer services based on price. That is the difference in practices, what you emphasize, and each physician has to make their own decision.”