Dermatology Retail and Skincare Recommendations: Evidence-Based Strategies for Practices
Clinical Summary
Dermatology Retail: Evidence-Based Product Selection and Workflow Integration
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Skincare retail in dermatology: Product selection should be driven by clinical trials, ingredient review, safety data, patient questionnaires, and staff testing rather than celebrity endorsements or marketing trends. Clinicians should understand ingredients, mechanisms, and potential adverse reactions.
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Evidence-based recommendations: Evaluate published research, review clinical outcomes and photographs, and test products across different ages and skin types within the practice. Samples can help determine product performance before recommending or carrying a line.
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Practice integration: Retail can be implemented through in-office product displays and samples or virtual dispensing platforms. Virtual models allow patients to purchase clinician-recommended products directly online without requiring office inventory or storage space.
Reviewed by Jessica Garlewicz, Managing Digital Editor of Immunology Group
Dr Glynis Ablon discusses how dermatology practices can build a clinically driven skincare retail strategy grounded in evidence-based care rather than marketing trends. Learn how to evaluate product ingredients and clinical data, test skincare lines effectively, and integrate in-office or virtual retail solutions while maintaining patient trust and workflow efficiency.
Transcript
Hi, I'm Dr Glynis Ablon. I'm a board-certified dermatologist, and I run Ablon Skin Institute and Research Center in Manhattan Beach, California, and I'm associate clinical professor at UCLA.
For dermatology practices new to retail, what are the most important first steps to ensure a clinically driven and patient-centered approach?
Dr Ablon: So there are lots of skincare products out there on the market and I think it's really important to understand just because it's new and because some celebrity promotes it, doesn't mean it's good. It's very important to understand what the ingredients are, how they work, and to see some clinical data. I really do like to see clinical trials where I can look at the pictures and listen to the results and the questionnaires about how patients respond, and then, of course, know what the ingredients are and how they work. Based on that, I will have a company come to my office, we will get samples for the staff, and we all try them and see what we think. If we love the products, we'll carry them in the office. If we don't love the products, they will not be something that I would recommend. But it's important because even if you don't have the products in your office, people will come in, and they'll pull up their phone and show you all of the ingredients that they're on, on these other products that they found on the internet. Lots of patients have reactions, they have complications, they have allergies. Very important to know all the ingredients, what they do, and what's best for that specific patient.
How can clinicians select and recommend skincare products in a way that aligns with evidence-based care rather than commercial influence?
Dr Ablon: So evidence-based care is looking at the data, looking at the research, seeing the ingredients, and knowing that the products do what they say they're going to do and don't have the complications, really have the safety factor that you want. The way you do that is reading, reading, and more reading. And then getting samples for your office. Most of your staff, usually they range in age, will try the different products. I'm turning 60. The idea is that what works for me may not work for my 24-year-old medical assistant. Really important, again, to get those products in your hand, have people try it, and figure out what works for different skin types, for different ages. All of those factors and companies will give you the samples. Figure out what works for you and your practice that you feel comfortable promoting with your patients.
What strategies have you found most effective for integrating retail into workflow without disrupting clinic efficiency or patient trust?
Dr Ablon: So first you want to think, are you going to do in-office or do you want to do a virtual platform? And there are many different options out there, so you figure out what works for you. The simplest is to start with something in-office, and you can carry just one or two lines. We have a display in the waiting room, so people love to try the products that are out there. We can give samples, and they can see if they even like it. You can start like that and see how that goes. But you, as a dermatologist, are the expert in skin care. And so the idea is that patients come to you and want to know what you think. So who better than to say, here's the product that's great for your skin type. So I think it's really important to figure out what works for you. If you don't have a big office space, you can do virtual dispensing. So there are companies out there now that, actually, you can, literally, sign up with them, tell them what you like, and the patients can actually go directly to the website based on your recommendations and purchase items directly from them. So nothing, you just get paid monthly, and you don't have anything in your office that takes up space.
