Cover Story
In a profession such as medical practice, it takes a lot for practitioners to reach the stage they want to. But what also matters the most apart from being a good professional and a knowledge oozing practitioner is how well you understand your patients! How well you give them that personal touch! At Dr. Katie Clinic, these things are of paramount importance. As a doctor with expertise in aesthetic medicine, Katie Lau, Founder of Dr. Katie Clinic believes that each patient’s challenge is quite different from the others and so is treatment. Her “one-size doesn’t fit all” approach has helped her gain great patient traction. From Katie’s observation, the need is to tailor-make for patients, which is seldom happening in the professional world. She is of the strong opinion that each patient’s needs are constantly changing, especially in aesthetic medicine which is a highly volatile medical field. “One mistake and there is a blot which always endangers your professional career and most importantly patients lose trust and hopes on you. This is the last thing you want as a medical practitioner”, she says.
The very reason Katie is quite keen on the varying needs of her patients is because of the experience and knowledge she gained during her private medical practice in the past, and the three years of surgical training she completed at the teaching hospital of the University of Hong Kong. What followed later was something that Katie had not quite imagined. In a tight space such as the medical profession, it takes a lot to start your own venture. For Katie too, it was a tight door which led to starting her own clinic. It took her close to 10 years. “Every practitioner dreams of starting their own venture. Many make it, and many take years of time to finally achieve it, and I managed to finally do it in 2017”, she exclaims.
One of the most crucial factors that stands out with Katie is the amazing admixture of sophistication and being grounded.
One of the reasons that has made her one of the most admired and influential doctors in and around her space in Hong Kong, is because of her work ethics and a clear purpose with which she treats her patients. “After my studies, the after years practice and training helped me learn a lot about patients. I did not go by the rule book. I wanted to adopt a more grounded yet a scientific and pragmatic approach to treat patients”, said Katie.
According to her, in a field such as cosmetic medicine, patients undergo a lot psychologically along with experiencing physiological changes. This is one of those crucial aspects that many tend not to understand. The degree with which such changes are taking place over time are also happening at a faster rate given the kind of stressful and fast-paced life people are living in right now. This is the very reason why Katie takes the one-to-one care approach towards her patients which has made them feel much confident on the treatments.
In aesthetic medicine, the convenient and the easiest of ways would be to administer incisions in the body for easier penetration and for gaining quick access to the affected body part. This invasive method is arguably and relatively largely followed by many. Dr. Katie Clinic differs in this aspect by managing only with non-invasive techniques. Katie uses energy-based devices, injectables and other non-invasive methods, which are advanced and safe methods, pioneering another “new era trend”. Katie’s patients are finding a great deal of improvements in their skin and in their outer appearance. According to her, such successful treatments and procedures will go a long, long way. Patients in turn feel extremely confident about themselves which is also reflected in their work and social life. Synonymous to her non-invasive approach, Katie relishes working with a grounded and hands-on approach. “I believe I want to help patients with my hands instead of just prescribing medicine with just the drug”, Katie said. Another reason for Katie’s non-invasive approach is because they are completely safe, reversible and involves less risk. The products used by Katie too are products that are FDA approved which means that they are the safest, the most effective with longevity warranted. All these factors have made Katie gather a loyal and trusted patient conglomeration over the past years.
Dr. Katie Clinic possesses complete faith and belief in scientific and pragmatic methods. She is a firm believer that cause and effect are one of those great ways through which one can go deeper inside the problems to find a legitimate solution. A questioning mind, battling through day-to-day challenges, growing demands have all contributed and helped her to continuously learn and unlearn many things which oncourse has led her to provide constructive and successful solutions, while perform the most complex procedures seamlessly. By virtue of the many aforementioned has helped her in garnering her own large patient pool who are very much stable and loyal to Katie. Another factor that differentiates Dr. Katie Clinic from the rest is because at Dr. Katie Clinic, there is no cost-competition, and the ones who are at dire necessity of treatment and attention are completely encouraged to undergo one. The recent Covid pandemic that lead to the destruction of many lives and livelihood across the world was also a massive learning phase. It posed another challenge and over the past few months, many families with children started to emigrate. “Some of them lost their jobs and their income was not stable, it was like a recession and spending was a challenge for many including my patients”, she said.
One of the most crucial factors that stands out with Katie is the amazing admixture of sophistication and being grounded. Dr. Katie clinic wastes no time to incorporate novel technologies and leverage them to serve her patients. Parallelly, deep down she also has a great affinity towards traditional bread and butter methods that are still highly effective to cater to many ailments in aesthetic treatment. Katie is completely abreast of the changing needs of her patients, especially when it comes to the younger generation and the millennials. Understanding their growing demands and being able to cater to their desires and pain points is very much a driving factor for Katie. “There are boys and girls belonging to a very young age group who are vulnerable to many types of dermatological problems, including skin inflammation, acne, skin allergies, which often turn to redness, pain and swelling”, says Katie. She efficiently alleviates those worries off her patients by injecting in them a great deal of confidence. Her non-invasive techniques and methods are churning incredible results, upon that her patients are finding her treatment less cumbersome, less time consuming and cost-effective; and all these have resulted in a definite patient loyalty which indicates that Dr. Katie Clinic experiences less client attrition. Katie has also made sure to leverage and gradually incorporate artificial intelligence AI and robot-assisted technologies that are playing a key role in the healthcare sector.
Katie is all welcome and completely open when it comes to learning of her patients’ expectations. Katie does not mind sitting and explaining to them patiently the newest in market might not be the best for them. “I would review the result post treatment and make them understand the changes they are going through. This approach of mine is making my patients really happy”, says an ecstatic Katie.
According to her, people have a great collection of knowledge, which causes them to be keen and curious. With the rise of mobile technologies and social media, people have on-hand information and have also learnt the smartest methods, i.e. do thorough researches prior to visiting a doctor. Katie adopts a sensible and pragmatic approach which is bearing great results for her patients as well as for her medical journey.
Most of Katie’s patients come through references from colleagues, family members etc., and most of them are dealing with common skin issues such as dermatitis, maskne (skin problems related to prolonged wearing of surgical masks) apart from the other specialties that Katie treats. Non-invasive methods and injectables have become Katie’s signature treatments which are delivering instant results and with less downtime. For patients with acne problems and scars, Katie prefers combination therapy with oral medications, energy-based devices, and hyaluronic acid, which are proved to be the most effective. “I use high intensity focused ultrasound treatments for the more mature age group which is actually a breakthrough for them, because it involves less downtime, is highly effective and affordable, and most importantly, patients are happy.”
Katie narrates an incident about one of her patients who went into tears after she was relieved of her long time oblique scars over her nose. Katie expressed that she is very open to try new techniques and methods from any corners of the world. “I modulated certain European techniques to try on Asians, be it moisturization regimens, hyaluronic acid injections I specialize. I share my techniques and interact in academic exchanges with my colleagues in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and across the Asia Pacific”, she claims.
Katie is keen to publishing medical literature, authoritative medical journals, and is also coming up with her own book on her wonderful journey.
