The Contraindication

Elly Makinson
  • 5.0 (18)
  • Marketing
  • Updated 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. 6d ago

    Marking Monday: AI and The Aesthetic Clinic (Part 1/6)

    Are you letting artificial intelligence strip the personality out of your aesthetic clinic's brand? In this episode of The Contraindication, I kick off my six-part mini-series exploring the role of AI in medical aesthetics. We dive into the "creation trap" and why relying on AI for patient-facing content is costing you trust, authority, and potentially even your compliance with advertising standards. What You’ll Discover - Detecting the AI Slop: Why patients can spot generic, AI-generated captions from a mile away and how it immediately damages their trust in your clinical authority. - Navigating Regulatory Pitfalls: How the ASA is using its own automated tools to crack down on fabricated AI before-and-after imagery that breaches CAP code rules. - Protecting Your Search Rankings: Why Google's helpful content guidelines reward real, lived clinical experience over high-volume, generic AI outputs. AI is a fantastic tool for drafting and repurposing, but it cannot replace your unique clinical voice. If your content could have been written by any clinic on the high street, it is time to put the human layer back in. Learn more at theaestheticsmarketer.co.uk and on Instagram. The Contraindication is produced by Urban Podcasts.

  2. Jul 12

    Marketing Monday: Using The Summer Slowdown to Your Advantage

    Every year it happens. The diary gets a little quieter. Enquiries slow down. And that familiar panic sets in. The summer slowdown is real, it's industry-wide, and it's coming regardless of what you do. What you can control is what you do with it. In this Marketing Monday I give you both sides. Three tactics to keep bookings and revenue moving through the slow months and four things to get done while the diary gives you room to breathe, so you walk into September ready rather than scrambling. What's covered: - How to reactivate lapsed patients without discounting or a mass email blast - Running a referral push at exactly the right moment in the social calendar - Reframing your treatment menu for the summer mindset not desperate, just smart - Getting your photography and video done while you actually have the time - Fixing your Google Business Profile (free, compounds, most clinics haven't touched it in months) - Building the email infrastructure that runs without you - Planning your Q4 now, before everyone else starts scrambling in September The clinics flying in October decided in July what kind of business they wanted to be. This is the episode for that decision. Find a longer version of this episode over on my Substack. Learn more at theaestheticsmarketer.co.uk and on Instagram. The Contraindication is produced by Urban Podcasts.

  3. Jun 28

    Wish Skin Health UK X The Contraindication

    This is the first ever guested episode of The Contraindication and a quick note before we get into it: I have no commercial relationship with either guest or with Wish Skin Health UK. The aesthetics industry is saturated with brands promising the world, yet so many practitioners are left feeling completely exhausted when it comes to actually clearing acne long-term. In this episode, I am joined by Hannah Nelson, UK distributor of Wish Skin Health UK and clinic owner of HN Skin Solutions in Carlisle, and Hannah Marshall, practitioner and Wish brand ambassador at NuWave Clinic. Together they get into why the UK has been so bad at actually clearing acne, not managing it, actually clearing it, and what a properly structured approach looks like in practice. What You’ll Discover - Why so many UK practitioners hit an acne plateau and why it’s not a skill gap, it’s a protocol gap - The IGF-1 and insulin connection: how blood sugar spikes drive androgen production and keep acne cycling - Why certain treatments are still being sold to acne clients - and why they’ll never clear the condition - The 80/20 rule in acne treatment: why homecare drives more of the result than anything done in clinic - How to have the honest conversation about the acne journey timeline, including telling clients it will get worse before it gets better - What “treating it 360” actually means: gut–skin axis, diet triggers, cortisol, and why a client eating “really healthily” might be making their acne worse - The commercial case for acne specialisation, including the price point argument for a younger demographic - Why the Wish education framework requires a 190-question exam with a 90% pass mark before a practitioner can stock the brand What really struck me during this conversation is just how much emotional weight acne clients carry by the time they finally walk through a clinic door. They aren't just looking for a quick fix; they are often completely exhausted, having been passed from pillar to post through the medical system. Hearing the passion from both Hannah's about finally having the tools to look a client in the eye and genuinely say, "I can fix this," is exactly what this industry needs more of. If you’ve ever felt stuck trying to get an acne client over the finish line, or if you're just curious about what it takes to truly specialise in this space, this episode is worth a listen. It might just change how you approach your most difficult cases. Find Wish Skin Health UK on Instagram: @wishskinhealthuk Find HN Skin Solutions (Hannah Nelson’s clinic) on Instagram: @hnskincsolutions Find NuWave Clinic (Hannah Marshall) on Instagram: @newwave_clinic More practical marketing for aesthetics practitioners at theaestheticsmarketer.co.uk The Contraindication is produced by Urban Podcasts. Learn more at theaestheticsmarketer.co.uk and on Instagram. The Contraindication is produced by Urban Podcasts.

  4. Jun 14

    Marketing Monday: Is Your Clinic Invisible on the Directories That Feed Google?

    This week I want to talk about one of those quiet, under-the-radar things that’s probably holding your local visibility back without you even realising it. In this Marketing Monday episode of The Contraindication, I explain why citation consistency matters so much for aesthetic clinics and the simple fix that most clinics are missing. What You’ll Discover - What Citations Actually Are and Why Google Cares: Mentions of your name, address and phone number across directories are a key signal for local ranking. - The Hidden Problem Most Clinics Have: Inconsistent or outdated listings on directories you didn’t even know existed, quietly damaging your prominence and trust signals. - The Quick Fix That Makes a Real Difference: How to find, claim and correct your listings so everything matches your Google Business Profile exactly. Patients are 2.7 times more likely to trust you when your information is clean and consistent across the web, and Google uses that same consistency to decide how prominently to show you in local search. In an industry where doubt is the enemy of booking, getting this right removes small frictions you didn’t even know were there. Learn more at theaestheticsmarketer.co.uk and on Instagram. The Contraindication is produced by Urban Podcasts.

  5. Jun 7

    Marking Monday: The Local Referral Partnerships Most Clinics Are Ignoring

    This week I want to talk about something that doesn’t involve Google at all. In this Marketing Monday episode, I shift the focus from online visibility to the power of local referral partnerships - the trusted relationships that turn other local businesses into your best source of high-quality patients. What You’ll Discover - Why Personal Recommendations Convert Better: How word-of-mouth from someone a patient already knows outperforms reviews and cold traffic. - The Best Referral Partners for Your Clinic: Hair salons, brow/lash studios, PTs, private GPs, wedding planners and other complementary businesses that serve exactly your ideal patient. - How to Start These Relationships the Right Way: Simple, genuine conversations rather than formal pitches or proposals. One strong referral partner who genuinely recommends you can bring in patients who arrive with a level of confidence that takes months to build through marketing alone and they’re far more likely to book and stay loyal. Learn more at theaestheticsmarketer.co.uk and on Instagram. The Contraindication is produced by Urban Podcasts.

  6. Jun 5

    How to Market a New Device: The Strategy That Gets It Booked From Day One

    I wanted to record this episode because I see the same thing happening again and again. Clinics invest in incredible new technology, the expectations are high, the finance agreement starts ticking, and then… it just doesn’t land. In this episode of The Contraindication, I break down how to market a new device properly, not just once it arrives, but from the moment you start thinking about investing. This is about building real demand, not relying on hope, hype, or last-minute marketing. What You’ll Discover - Start With Demand, Not the Device: The most successful clinics validate patient need first instead of buying based on trends or sales pitches. - Why Pre-Marketing Is Non-Negotiable: If you’re not building interest months before launch, you’re already behind. - Why Discounting Backfires: Lowering price at launch devalues your treatment and attracts the wrong type of patient. What really sits at the heart of this episode is a simple shift in thinking. The smartest clinics don’t buy devices and then try to sell them. They identify patient problems first, validate demand, and build anticipation before the machine even arrives. That way, when it lands, it’s already wanted. There’s also a big focus on what actually drives bookings. Your existing patients, your team’s confidence, and how clearly you communicate outcomes all matter far more than flashy marketing or big launch discounts. And when you get those pieces right, you’re not just filling diaries, you’re building long-term value into your business. If you’re about to invest in a device, or you’ve already invested and it’s not performing the way you expected, this episode will give you a clear, practical framework to rethink your approach. Learn more at theaestheticsmarketer.co.uk and on Instagram. The Contraindication is produced by Urban Podcasts.

  7. May 31

    Marketing Monday: 46% of Google Searches Have Local Intent – Are You Ready to Capture Them?

    This week I want to talk about the massive opportunity most aesthetic clinics are still missing. In this Marketing Monday episode of The Contraindication, I dive into why local search is now the entire game for clinics and what the numbers really mean for your diary. What You’ll Discover - The Scale of Local Intent: Why 46% of all Google searches have local intent and how 1.5 billion “near me” searches happen every month. - Why This Matters More in Aesthetics: How patients research locally before booking and why being visible when they search “treatment near me” is critical. - The Power of the Local Pack: How the top three map results capture 42% of clicks and why most people never scroll past page one. What really stood out to me is just how high-intent these local searches are. 76% of people who do a local search visit or contact a business within 24 hours. In aesthetics, that’s not casual browsing - that’s someone actively looking to book lip filler, polynucleotides, or Botox in their area right now. Learn more at theaestheticsmarketer.co.uk and on Instagram. The Contraindication is produced by Urban Podcasts.

  8. May 24

    Marketing Monday: Local SEO - The One Thing Most Clinics Are Missing

    This week I want to talk about the one thing most aesthetic clinics are still missing when it comes to being found by patients in their local area. In this Marketing Monday episode of The Contraindication, I break down why local SEO matters more than ever and the simple but powerful fix that most clinics overlook - making it crystal clear to Google exactly where you are and who you serve. What You’ll Discover - Why Local SEO Is Straightforward: The three factors Google uses for local rankings and how relevance is entirely in your control. - The Massive Gap I See on Most Clinic Websites: Beautiful design and photography, but almost no natural location-specific language throughout the actual content. - Quick Wins That Make a Real Difference: Where and how to naturally include your town or area so Google confidently sees you as the local option. Something as simple as weaving your location naturally into your homepage and treatment pages can dramatically improve how often you appear for people searching nearby. With 57% of potential patients researching online before they reach out, and local searches driving such high-intent traffic, this isn’t a “nice to have” - it’s a quiet competitive advantage most of your competitors are still ignoring. Learn more at theaestheticsmarketer.co.uk and on Instagram. The Contraindication is produced by Urban Podcasts.

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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
18 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
    15
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Urban Podcasts & Elly Makinson
  • Show Website
    The Contraindication

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