We at the front desk answer the three biggest questions we get every day with regularity: what does the operation entail, what can go wrong with it, and am I even someone who would be suitable for this? A researcher in the UK recently spent weeks finding out. She conducted an audit of two hundred aesthetic clinic websites to figure out how many answered those questions without requiring the patient to reach out, and Dr. Agullo was one of the surgeons she asked to weigh in.
Ninety-six of the sites she analyzed had no risk information or candidacy information related to the treatment a visitor was reading about. Seventy-seven websites provided all four fundamental types of information: a description of the procedure, what to expect from recovery, the intended recipient of the treatment, and the inherent risks. Fifty-one percent permit users to book appointments prior to disclosing any such details. Only six websites allow users to ask a question without sharing contact information.
Dr. Agullo’s Answer
“A clinic’s website is not doing its job if a patient has to call just to learn the specific risks of a given procedure, whether they might be a poor candidate for it, and the name and credentials of whoever is actually performing the treatment. If a page cannot answer those questions within a few minutes, that gap is more about the clinic’s priorities than its web design.”
The reception desk constantly hears the flip side of that quote. Patients tell us, often in the first minute of a consultation, that our website is the reason they called us instead of somewhere else. They found an actual price. They found an actual, simple explanation. Nobody made them work for it.
What We Do Differently Here
Our fees page gives patients real starting prices for our most common surgeries, including the total package: your surgeon, time in the OR, anesthesia, garments, vitamins and post-op scar care. The only additional fee a patient pays would be for the prescription they pick up at the pharmacy. You can visit that page at agulloplasticsurgery.com/fees. Our med spa team adheres to the same practice when patients ask the price for any service, whether it is an injectable or an aesthetic skin treatment.
Obviously, a website is no substitute for seeing your doctor. It should not be, and an exact quote only comes after Dr. Agullo examines a patient in person. But a website that makes someone place a telephone call just to find out whether a treatment is even right for them is asking for trust it has not earned yet.
The Number We’d Like to Change
Out of two hundred clinics, only six let you ask a question without first handing over contact information. We would like more clinics closer to that number, honestly, and not just our own. A patient evaluating options deserves a straight answer to their question, not a request to first offer up their phone number.
Ready to Talk?
Call Southwest Plastic Surgery at (915) 590-7900, text the consult line at 1-866-814-0038, or check our published prices at agulloplasticsurgery.com/fees any time. Find Dr. Agullo as @RealDrWorldWide on Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat, @Agullo on X, or @AgulloPlasticSurgery on Facebook. #StayBeautiful
Companion reads: Dr. Agullo’s editorial on drworldwide.com and the patient-focused explainer on agulloplasticsurgery.com.
