The International College of Aesthetic Nurses (ICAN) held its second virtual conference in January.
The conference opened with independent nurse prescriber and founder of ICAN Amanda Wilson, who introduced the speakers of the event and gave a brief overview of what ICAN is. She explained, “ICAN supports nurses through their journey and to give an impartial view into aesthetics. We offer mentorship to nurses as well as conferences and hope to host some live events later this year.”
Nurse prescriber Natalie Haswell then discussed consultation and assessment skills in aesthetic nursing. Haswell outlined a definition of what a consultation is, why they are important, and the barriers to a good consultation which included poor communication between patient and clinician, behaviour, eye contact and body language as well as being unprepared. The talk continued discussing important consultation questions to ask patients such as psychological issues, vaccines, any other medications they are taking and skincare regime, followed by assessing the patient physically and mentally. She also spoke about utilising the guidelines outlined by Aesthetics Complications Expert (ACE) Group World and Complications in Medical Aesthetics Collaborative (CMAC) including those on Body Dysmorphic Disorder and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. She finished the talk with her own personal recommendations, such as training courses, attending conferences and joining associations.
Next, nurse prescriber Shannon Lister spoke on the benefits of chemical peels and the perils of at-home peels, as well as discussing the evolving role of nurses in aesthetics. She commented, “One peel agent for all ageing is not going to work. Constant daily intervention with topicals is a must! It’s not about a specific brand, it’s about getting the desired results from the brand and is affordable for your patients.” The conference continued with nurse prescriber Anna Kremerov introducing hyaluronic acid filler MaiLi, and weight management for aesthetic patients was discussed by nurse prescriber Fiona Wondergem.
The conference finished with a Q&A session where nurses could ask any questions to the speakers.
