Dermatology growth,
both sides.
Dermatology runs two businesses in one practice: medical volume that runs on access and insurance, and a cosmetic side that behaves like a med spa — elective, cash-pay, competitive. We market both, and we're specialists in the second: elective medicine is all we do.
The cosmetic side is where marketing pays
The 10 secrets of dermatology marketing
Market the cosmetic side only
Your medical schedule fills itself through insurance networks. Cosmetic is cash-pay, high-margin, and the only side where a marketing dollar changes your revenue. Point every dollar there.
Your medical schedule is a cosmetic goldmine
Thousands of insured patients already trust you with their skin. A recall email, an in-room mention, and a treatment menu in every exam room convert them at a fraction of what a cold lead costs. It is the cheapest acquisition channel you will ever own.
Out-position the med spas
There are 8,000-plus med spas in the US and every one of them is bidding on your cosmetic patients. Don't race them to the bottom on price. Sell the thing they can't: a board-certified dermatologist doing the injecting and managing the complications.
Turn condition traffic into cosmetic revenue
Acne searches become acne-scar laser consults. Melasma searches become peel and laser patients. A condition library ranks on medical intent and routes readers to the cash-pay treatments that fix the problem.
Get cited when patients ask ChatGPT
Patients now ask AI which treatments work and which dermatologist to see. AI engines cite pages with clear answers, named physician authors, and real credentials. Structure yours so the machine can quote you, and you show up in conversations you never see.
Win the AI Overview on treatment questions
Most health searches now trigger a Google AI Overview, and it sits above every ranking you have. Answer-first paragraphs, FAQ schema, and tight treatment definitions get you cited inside it instead of buried under it.
Put the dermatologist on camera
Dermatology is the most visual specialty in medicine and short video is its native format. Sixty-second treatment explainers and before-and-afters in motion outperform every static post you will ever publish. The doctor's face is the one differentiator no med spa can copy.
Build a cosmetic review engine
A five-star average built on eczema visits does not sell Botox. Ask cosmetic patients specifically, at the result reveal, and reply to every review. Volume, recency, and treatment keywords in the text are what move the map pack.
Split your map pack strategy
'Dermatologist near me' and 'botox [city]' are different battles fought on the same Google Business Profile. Load cosmetic services, treatment photos, and weekly posts so you rank for both. The map pack is where the phone calls actually come from.
Email the list you already own
Your patient database is a marketing asset most practices never switch on. A monthly cosmetic email — seasonal laser windows, new treatments, event nights — sells to people who already trust you. Opt-in, HIPAA-clean, nearly free.
Straight answers
How much should a dermatology practice spend on marketing?
Benchmark 8-12% of your cosmetic revenue target, not total revenue — the medical side doesn't need it. A practice targeting $1M in cosmetic production should expect to invest $80K-$120K a year. Under-spending is the most common reason the cosmetic side stalls.
How long until dermatology SEO produces patients?
Technical fixes and Google Business Profile wins land inside 60 days. Competitive cosmetic rankings take 6-12 months in most metros. The condition library compounds from month six onward.
My schedule is already full. Why market at all?
A full medical schedule is insurance-rate revenue. Marketing doesn't fill your schedule — it shifts its composition toward cash-pay cosmetic visits at several times the margin. That's a revenue-mix problem, not a volume problem.
Should I compete with med spas on price?
No. Discounting erases the margin that makes cosmetic worth marketing. Compete on the physician credential, complication management, and outcomes — the patients worth keeping pay for expertise.
Grow the side that pays for itself.
We'll map your cosmetic visibility against every competitor in your market — derms and med spas alike.