The Contraindication

Elly Makinson
  • 4.3 (6)
  • Marketing
  • Weekly

In medical aesthetics, it’s easy to feel like you’re guessing - what actually works, what’s changing, and what no one’s saying out loud. The Contraindication brings you the conversations most people keep behind closed doors. Real insight into the business, marketing, and culture of the UK aesthetics industry - without the fluff, and without the filter. Whether you’re trying to grow, stand out, or simply keep up, this is where you get clarity.

  1. 5d ago

    Pricing Confidence Is Contagious

    Are you quietly telling patients your price is a problem before they've even had a chance to decide? In this episode of The Contraindication, I follow on from last week's look at Black Friday discounting to explore why pricing confidence is contagious. Your patients can't see your margins or your costs, but they can see and hear you flinch when you say the price. I unpack why your price is a statement about your expertise, how doubt travels in both directions, and why some patients simply aren't worth chasing. What You'll Discover - You Are the Expert: Why patients aren't paying for 40 minutes in the chair, but for your years of training, your judgement and knowing what good looks like. - Confidence Spreads: How saying your price calmly helps patients relax, while a pause, a grimace or an "I know it's a lot, but" makes them question it. - Where Your Pricing Leaks: Why hidden website prices, unexplained "from" pricing and rushed consultations quietly signal that your number is a problem. Pricing confidence is a marketing problem, not a finance one. Confidence isn't swagger; it's an accurate description of what you know. You've earned that number, so say it like you have. Find Elly at theaestheticsmarketer.co.uk and @the_aesthetics_marketer. The Contraindication is produced by Urban Podcasts.

  2. Oct 21

    The Hype Cycle - Has Marketing Taken Over from Clinical Rigour? With Special Guest Dr Hansel Misquitta

    Has the marketing behind new aesthetic treatments and devices finally outpaced the clinical evidence that should support them? In this special guest episode of The Contraindication, I sit down with Dr Hansel Misquitta, founder of Dr Hans Clinics in London and writer of the Substack On Record by Dr Hans. Dr Hans is an International Medical doctor with a background in plastic surgery, worked in Mumbai, California and London with an MSc in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery from UCL and a postgraduate diploma in bioethics, Dr Hans joins me as we unpack the hype cycle: a new treatment or device launches, the marketing gets ahead of the evidence, and patients are sold a certainty that doesn't yet exist. We explore borrowed surgical language, the changing role of KOLs, and why clinical restraint builds trust. What You'll Discover - The Hype Cycle Playbook: How treatments from polynucleotides to PRP have followed the same pattern of celebrity buzz, FOMO and marketing language that the scientific evidence doesn't support. - Opinions, Not Scripts: Why KOLs should interrogate the brands they represent, and why terms like "non-surgical facelift" set patient expectations that no device can meet. - A Practical Evidence Checklist: How to separate levels of evidence, weigh up company-funded studies, look for comparators and validated measures, and build a deliberate delay before taking on a new device. Being the first clinic in the UK, or in your postcode, is a marketing outcome, not a clinical one. By telling patients honestly where the evidence stands, having the confidence to say no and being willing to change your mind, you can rebuild the trust that the hype cycle continues to erode. If you need more support or want to dive deeper into your clinic's specific needs, you can contact Elly at theaestheticsmarketer.co.uk. You can find Dr Hans at drhansclinics.co.uk, plus her excellent Substack and Instagram (which I am LOVING). The Contraindication is produced by Urban Podcasts.

  3. Oct 19

    Stop Copying E Commerce: Black Friday Isn't a Strategy

    Is your Black Friday discount quietly costing your clinic more than it brings in? In this episode of The Contraindication, I take on Black Friday, which falls on 27 November this year, and explain why aesthetic clinics and brands need to stop copying e-commerce. Black Friday was built to shift stock, where identical products compete purely on price. But we don't sell TVs; we sell trust. I break down why discounting trains patients to wait, attracts the least loyal patients, undercuts premium positioning and creates real regulatory risk, before sharing what to do instead. What You'll Discover - The Maths Behind the Discount: Why offering a 20% discount on products with a 60% gross margin means selling 50% more units just to generate the same gross profit, during the busiest trading weeks of the year - The Regulatory Edge: Why a Black Friday offer on a prescription-only medicine is advertising it to the public, and why you should check any offer with CAP's Copy Advice team before you post. - Four Alternatives to Discounting: How early access for existing patients, full-price gift vouchers, added value and honest urgency can deliver a strong end to the year without lowering your prices. A discount says you are less sure of your price than you were yesterday, and pricing confidence is contagious. By deciding your Black Friday position now, writing it down in a single sentence and sharing it with your team, you turn a last-minute panic into a genuine strategy. You can contact Elly at theaestheticsmarketer.co.uk. The Contraindication is produced by Urban Podcasts.

  4. Oct 12

    Marketing Monday: 5 Things You Can Do to Have a Record Breaking Q4

    Are you leaving your final quarter of the year up to chance, or are you actually steering the ship? In this episode, I break down why "being busy" isn't the same as having a plan for quarter four. With just weeks left in the year, I share my five practical, low-cost strategies to help you take control of your diary, leverage your existing database, and finish the year with a record-breaking quarter - without the usual December panic. What You’ll Discover - Data Over Drama: Why you need to run a retro on last year's performance to separate what actually drove revenue from what just felt like busywork. - The Three-Number Scoreboard: How to track demand, conversion, and revenue in a simple 10-minute weekly check-in so you can adjust your strategy before it's too late. - Honest Urgency: Why real deadlines beat fake scarcity every time, and how to use your genuine holiday capacity to get clients to take action now. Building a successful end to your year doesn't require a massive marketing budget or complicated campaigns. By looking at your real capacity and reaching out to the people who already trust you, you can turn a chaotic final quarter into a calm, profitable finish. If you want support with your clinic's specific needs, you can book a Power Hour with Elly at theaestheticsmarketer.co.uk. The Contraindication is produced by Urban Podcasts.

  5. Oct 12

    You're Arguing About the Wrong Thing: Medical-Grade, D2C and the Retail Moat

    The aesthetics industry is having two arguments about skincare retail. Both are a waste of breath. In this episode of The Contraindication, I take on the two most circular debates in aesthetics right now: whether "medical-grade" is a real thing, and whether clinics are right to be furious that the brands they retail have gone direct-to-consumer. My argument is that neither conversation touches the actual problem. Clinic retail was built on a moat: access to actives you couldn't get anywhere else. That moat has gone. Until clinics admit it, they'll keep debating labels and blaming brands instead of fixing a retail model that no longer works. What You'll Hear: - Why the medical-grade debate never ends: it rewards both sides. Defending the phrase makes you sound authoritative, and attacking it makes you sound clinically rigorous. Neither answers the commercial question. - Why the D2C anger is aimed at the wrong target: brands going direct are reacting to the same market shift clinics are living through, and staying furious is a distraction from building something defensible. - What clinics were really selling: not the product, and not even the ingredients, but access. Consumers now buy the same actives from Boots and overseas sites. - What to build instead: sell the pathway, not the product. That means bundling skincare into treatment, charging for your diagnostic expertise, building continuity instead of transactions, and deciding which products are actually worth defending. It includes a real-world example from Wish Skin Health's system and Nuwave Clinic. If you're ready to stop defending a retail model built on a moat that no longer exists, and start building one around your clinical expertise, this one's for you. If you want support with your clinic's specific needs, you can book a Power Hour with Elly at theaestheticsmarketer.co.uk. The Contraindication is produced by Urban Podcasts.

  6. Sep 28

    Marketing Monday: The AI Diagnosed Patient

    What happens when your patients arrive at their consultation with a treatment plan already diagnosed by artificial intelligence? In this episode of The Contraindication, I explore the rising trend of patients using AI tools like ChatGPT or Claude to self-diagnose and formulate their own aesthetic treatment plans before they even book a consultation. I breaks down why this shift from "Dr. Google" to "Dr. AI" is fundamentally changing the practitioner-patient dynamic, the hidden influence of Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO), and the serious clinical governance risks involved. What You’ll Discover - The Shift from Search to Authority: Why AI-generated plans give patients a false sense of certainty compared to traditional internet research, turning consultations into negotiations rather than assessments. - The Hidden Influence of GEO: How Generative Engine Optimisation is quietly shaping the recommendations AI gives to patients, favouring brands that invest in visibility over clinical superiority. - Protecting Your Practice and Patients: Three practical steps to adapt your consultation process, including how to effectively dislodge an AI-anchored plan and document your clinical reasoning to satisfy the Montgomery standard. When a patient walks in with a plan they already trust, your role as a clinician is challenged. By adjusting the first five minutes of your consultation to ask before you correct, visibly demonstrate your physical assessment, and document the deviations from their expected plan, you can reclaim your clinical authority and ensure true informed consent. If you need more support or want to dive deeper into your clinic's specific needs, you can book a Power Hour with Elly at theaestheticsmarketer.co.uk. The Contraindication is produced by Urban Podcasts.

  7. Aug 31

    Marketing Monday: AI and The Aesthetic Clinic - The Stuff That Falls Through The Gaps (6/6)

    Are you letting valuable leads and rebookings silently leak out of your aesthetic clinic? In this final episode of our AI mini-series, I tie everything together by exploring the hidden system gaps that cost clinics money. From missed social media enquiries to forgotten follow-ups, I share how AI can act as the connective tissue between your disconnected tools - allowing you to automate operations without losing the essential human touch in your clinical care. What You’ll Discover - Plugging the Social Media Gap: How AI agents can instantly respond to out-of-hours Instagram and WhatsApp enquiries, keeping leads warm until a human can take over. - Maximising Patient Retention: Why automated, treatment-specific follow-up sequences are the most effective way to boost your bottom line and keep clients within a cycle of care. - The Golden Rule of AI in Aesthetics: Why you should stop using AI for creative, patient-facing content and start using it to streamline your behind-the-scenes operations and compliance. Building a successful aesthetic clinic requires clinical authority, personality, and trust - things AI simply cannot replicate. By shifting your focus from using AI as a content creator to using it as an operational backbone, you can free up your time to focus on what truly matters: your patients. If you need more support or want to dive deeper into your clinic's specific needs, you can book a Power Hour with Elly at theaestheticsmarketer.co.uk. The Contraindication is produced by Urban Podcasts.

  8. Aug 24

    Marketing Monday: AI and The Aesthetic Clinic - Your P&L Is a History Lesson (5/6)

    Are you making crucial financial decisions for your aesthetic clinic using data that is already out of date? In this episode of The Contraindication, I share why relying on a monthly or quarterly P&L statement is like driving by looking in the rearview mirror. We dive into how clinic owners can shift from conducting a financial "post-mortem" to using real-time data and AI to spot operational bottlenecks, forecast revenue gaps, and track practitioner productivity before it impacts the bottom line. What You’ll Discover - Real-Time Financial Visibility: Why waiting four to six weeks for your accountant to process the numbers leaves you reacting to embedded problems rather than seizing current opportunities. - AI-Driven Variance Analysis and Forecasting: How automated weekly reports can flag underperforming treatments, thinning booking diaries, and refund clusters before they become reputation issues. - Provider Productivity Tracking: Using live data to monitor rebooking rates and average transaction values across multi-practitioner or multi-location clinics without it feeling like a surveillance tool. Your P&L will always be a history lesson, but the inputs that drive it are happening right now. By building a financial infrastructure around live signals, you can make faster, sharper decisions that keep your clinic ahead of the competition. If you need more support or want to dive deeper into your clinic's specific needs, you can book a Power Hour with Elly at theaestheticsmarketer.co.uk. The Contraindication is produced by Urban Podcasts.

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Ratings & Reviews

4.3
out of 5
6 Ratings

About

In medical aesthetics, it’s easy to feel like you’re guessing - what actually works, what’s changing, and what no one’s saying out loud. The Contraindication brings you the conversations most people keep behind closed doors. Real insight into the business, marketing, and culture of the UK aesthetics industry - without the fluff, and without the filter. Whether you’re trying to grow, stand out, or simply keep up, this is where you get clarity.

Information

  • Creator
    Elly Makinson
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    26
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Urban Podcasts & Elly Makinson
  • Show Website
    The Contraindication