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As awareness about skin care and preventive aging practices grows, the types of cosmetic services patients seek from local dermatologists are expanding.
From a business perspective, an underlying push for more cosmetic services at dermatology clinics could also be the cash flow. With physician reimbursement fees from Medicare expected to fall next year, amping up cosmetic services could help dermatology clinics’ revenue.
Dr. Katy Luckett, a board-certified dermatologist at Calais Dermatology Associates, says the physician fee cuts have thrown a wrench into the dermatology field.
“The opportunity to increase your income by offering more cosmetic services has increased,” she says. “We keep getting Medicare cuts. They just did another one for 2025. This means if you didn’t have the opportunity to expand the cash pay services, you’re going to have to work longer hours and see more patients if you are doing medical dermatology.”
Luckett says today, 50% of her patients are receiving medical services; the rest, cosmetic services. She says she sees a growing number of younger patients seeking dermatology services.
The shift comes at a time when social media influencers are popularizing skincare and cosmetic services. Younger clients―conscientious about how they appear on video conferences and TikTok―have become more aware of skin cancer and ways to monitor the health of their skin, Luckett says.
Despite the widening interest in dermatology, Dr. Nicole Harrell, a board-certified dermatologist at The Dermatology Clinic, says her income fluctuates like any small business owner. She still struggles with rising expense costs and decreasing reimbursements from health insurance companies.
Harrell says some of the most commonly requested cosmetic services are noninvasive treatments like facial rejuvenation, body contouring and muscle relaxers like Botox and Dysport. While her cosmetic offerings continue to grow, the majority of her patients still visit her for surgical and medical services like skin cancer screenings, rash evaluations, treatment of immune-mediated skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis, and advanced acne therapy.
“Some may hear ‘dermatology’ and think of it as a purely cosmetic field centered around a lot of glamour, but that is incorrect as it is only a portion of what we do,” Harrell says. “The conditions that originated in our field are still there. Patients have extremely debilitating and demoralizing conditions like hidradenitis suppurativa, psoriasis or scarring hair loss. These conditions still exist and we are here treating them every day. We just don’t see them on Instagram because they aren’t as glamorous.”
