Becoming A Gender Inclusive Clinic

Becoming a Gender Inclusive Clinic, accessible to all should be high on your agenda in 2024. Research has shown that 1% of the adult population identifies as non-binary, with this figure rising to 4% amongst Gen Zers.  

With more and more younger patients presenting to aesthetic clinics, now is the time to brush up on your knowledge of gender inclusivity and develop your skillset to enable you to create bespoke treatment plans for everyone.   

To make a successful start, consider:  

Diversifying your imagery

Avoid the cliched images of typically masculine men and feminine women. Stock image websites now have lots of diverse photographs that don’t conform to stereotypes, so don’t be afraid to make use of these in your marketing material.  

Introducing pronouns

Your website and social profiles are a great way to enable potential patients to get to know a bit about you and your staff members before they book a consultation. Adding your preferred pronouns (e.g. she/he/they) will indicate that you take gender identity seriously and make patients more comfortable expressing themselves and their aesthetic goals. 

It’s also worth updating your forms to reflect the diversity in pronouns and ensure you use the correct ones during the patient’s consultation and treatment.  

Avoiding ‘beauty ideals’

Approaches to aesthetic treatment often conform to ‘beauty ideals’ or what is considered most desirable for men vs. women. For example, it is widely accepted that men want a strong wide jawline, where women prefer a more heart-shaped face. Following these traditional techniques is of course beneficial to lots of patients, but it’s important not to make assumptions that this is what everyone wants.  

No matter how a patient identifies, it’s essential to consider their personal preferences and determine if you can help achieve this. If you don’t think you can, consider referring to a peer and attending a training course on how to diversify and individualise your treatment approaches.  

If you have any more tips on becoming a gender-inclusive clinic, do comment below!