Taneesa Williamson This recent medical aesthetics report by Fresh Clinics with 200 aesthetic nurses shared the biggest challenges and opportunities facing the industry, which dug deep into what keeps nurses up at night.
Sustainable clinic growth and regulatory compliance are the number one things on aesthetic nurses‘ minds, according to the newly released State of Aesthetic Medicine Report from Fresh Clinics.
Unsurprisingly, changing regulations ranked first on the list, followed closely by sustainable clinic growth, despite only 18% of clinics having a marketing plan. Many clinics are also reliant on social media as a primary marketing channel (96%) and aren’t currently optimising referral programs and patient retention strategies.
According to Tealle Anderson, Fresh Clinics’ Community Insights Manager, “Nurses are providing excellent service and patient care, but the shift from working in more traditional clinical environments such as hospitals to managing a practice requires a completely new skill set.
“One of the great things about this research is that it helps nurses feel like they aren’t the only ones who are unsure about the best way to sustainably grow their businesses. Running a business can be isolating, especially when nurses are often not trained in the marketing and admin side of running a clinic, and studies like these not only provide them with reassurance, but also advice on what successful clinics are doing.”
5 things top clinics get right about marketing
1. They aren’t just on social media
96% of clinics report that Instagram is their primary marketing channel, and that they are unsure about how to leverage other channels to attract new patients and retain their current ones. Thriving clinics are making use of tools like email marketing, local partnerships and collaborations, influencer partnerships and in-person events, as well as recognising that word of mouth remains the number one way to grow.
Delivering exceptional patient experiences and outcomes is critical for patient retention and referral. It’s also important to have processes in place to learn more about why patients keep coming back. Only 46% of clinics give their patients the opportunity to provide feedback, with more than 50% of clinics missing the opportunity to better understand their patients.
2. They know how important it is to track their progress
According to the report, only 24% of clinics are tracking their data and using it to inform their decision making. Successful clinics are deep diving into their data regularly, to compare their performance month on month across metrics like number of new and returning patients and patient satisfaction scores. Successful clinics are also using tech tools like their Fresh Clinics dashboard to compare how they are tracking against clinics of similar size and location, enabling them to make better business decisions.
3. They recognise the importance of upskilling, and bring in the experts when they need more help
1 in 5 clinics have a business coach, and many are actively engaging with education and training on business, marketing and staffing. Many nurses are coming from traditional clinical environments such as hospitals, and acknowledge that managing a clinic is something that requires a different type of training. Nurses are looking to providers like Fresh Clinics, their suppliers, and industry experts to level up, particularly around marketing and business.
4. They invest in attracting the right staff, and make sure they keep them
Finding the right staff is a major concern for clinics who are keen to grow in 2025. Despite this, only 33% of clinics feel confident in their ability to build and manage teams, and just 31% have formal training and development plans in place. Successful clinics are putting the time into onboarding new team members and have processes and systems in place to help them develop. Successful clinic owners are also focused on strengthening their own managerial skills, recognising the importance of the role they play in keeping good nurses.
5. They keep track of, and respond to, patient trends
Patient requests are changing, and successful clinics stay on top of these trends to ensure they are trained in safe and compliant practices, while also working with patients to achieve results. Clinics offer 9+ treatments on average, including anti-wrinkle and filler, and 63% of clinics are looking to add at least one more treatment type in 2025.
How nurses can build successful clinics and improve patient outcomes
Based on the insights from the report, Fresh Clinics is running a 3-part education series designed to help nurses build thriving clinics. They’re bringing together the industry’s best to share how they manage marketing, business fundamentals and finding and keeping the best staff.
You can find out more about the workshop series and download a full copy of the report here.
Key insights from the State of Medical Aesthetics Report:
The medical aesthetics industry is dominated by and is empowering women:
- 98% say the industry enables a better working environment and culture than previousprofessions
- 96% stating it increased their work-life balance, as well as expand their career prospectsand supporting better pay.
- Building a sustainable practice
- 64% of clinics are not confident in how to make business decisions
- Only 18% of clinics have a marketing strategy in place
- 63% of clinics are not confident in understanding financial performance
- 67% of clinics are not confident in how to build and manage a team
What is The State of Medical Aesthetics Report?
Fresh Clinics interviewed 200+ nurses and clinic owners to learn more about the trends, challenges, and opportunities they and the industry face in 2025, resulting in the 2025 State of Medical Aesthetics Report. The project was designed to capture the key trends, opportunities and challenges facing our industry in order to provide benchmarks and real-world insights to help clinics thrive.
Who participated in the research?
- 160+ clinics, 200+ nurses
- Average 7+ years of injecting
Clinic size:
- 57% solo injectors
- 27% in small clinics of 2-5 injectors
- 16% in clinics with 5+ injectors
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