The New Larger 5 ML Latisse, Is It Worth It?

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Is offering Allergan's new 5 mL Latisse size worth the extra expense for your patients?

Allergan launched on August 1, 2012, a larger 5 mL bottle of Latisse in the USA. The original sized bottle is 3 mL.  

Latisse (bimatoprost ophthalmic solution) is a FDA approved drug to treat inadequate and aging eyelashes. Approved in December 2008, over 3 million kits have been sold with approximately 500,000 users. It is estimated that 1 Latisse kit is sold every 30 seconds.

The new 5 mL Latisse comes with 140 brushes for 10 weeks of manufacturer suggested usage, as opposed to the 3 mL version which comes with 60 brushes for about 4 weeks of manufacturer suggested usage. At this point, there is a choice to puchase 5ml or 3ml bottles of Latisse. The suggested retail for physicians to sell at their offices for a 5ml bottle of Latisse is $179 versus $120 for a 3ml bottle. But, it's not just the price and volume of Latisse that has changed.

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Medical Goblety Gook Speak

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There are a lot of physicians that tend to speak in medical gobbledygook to their patients. I can't see that that's ever a good idea.

The physicians that do the best in the consultation room are those that speak to every patient as though they are explaining a procedure to their family member. There is either no or very little medical jargon, there's some empathy displayed, and the attempt is to make the communication as clear as possible.

If there's one thing that turns most patients off it is a physician to talk down to them. Especially in a cosmetic medical setting where every procedure is elective the way that you communicate with your patients and clients is either making you more money or less.

One of the best physicians that I ever saw in the consultation room was Dr. Ida Bergstrom, she spoke every patient as though they were a great friend. Dr. Bergstrom had a knack for making every patient feel heard and valued. It's simple enough to do if you approach every patient as though you were speaking to a good friend.

It is what you take control of the conversation or consultation and steer it in a specific way. it's a holdover from clinical practice but it has limited benefits in a retail cosmetic medical setting.

The results of this one simple change can add $10,000 or $20,000 a month to your bottom line and make dealing with unwanted resulting unhappy patients much easier.