STANDING ON THE SHOULDERS OF GIANTS

The Aesthetic Consultant Vanessa Bird explores imitation in aesthetics

"If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants"

Whether it’s attending conferences, investing in training, voraciously reading scientific journals or watching webinars, we all have a constant desire to learn and grow. There is a lot of information and experience out there and we can all access and use it. Sharing and collaborating is what drives our industry forwards at an exciting pace, yet this brings the risk, intentional or not, of copying another person’s work. It’s important we are aware of this risk, mitigate it and together encourage a culture of integrity and recognition.

INSPIRATION OR IMITATION?

Inspiration is a thing or person that inspires or motivates a thought or action. It could be the creation of a signature treatment, a new technique, a business idea or a brand. It’s taking an idea previously learned, adding creativity and knowledge and turning it into something new, original and unique. Imitation is a duplicate or copy. In our industry it could be using someone’s presentation slides, copying content from an article or attending a lecture and presenting that content as yours. Taking someone else’s original thinking or work is intellectual theft. Key phrases are reused, frameworks duplicated and no credit or acknowledgement is given to the original source. With this in mind, how do we walk the line between inspiration and imitation and ethically credit others?

WHY PEOPLE COPY

The aesthetics industry attracts ambitious high achievers who are excited and passionate about what they do. Keen to learn, they have spent their lives absorbing knowledge and putting it into practice and there’s a real hunger for growth and development. Often there’s a desire to stand out, be noticed and make a name for oneself. This drives progress, growth and development for us all, however the dark side is that a minority, intentionally or unintentionally, copy rather than innovate in order to fast track their own success, credibility or income. Scarcity mindset can trigger a need to grab opportunities before anyone else. A lack of direction or creativity pushes people to search for ideas externally. Occasionally there’s a complete lack of self-awareness, mistaking inspiration for imitation. Yet there seems to be a belief among imitators that no one else will notice and that ‘no harm is done’.

THE REAL IMPACT OF IMITATION

Imitation has a detrimental effect on the inspirer, the imitator and the industry. For the inspirer there is a loss of competitive edge. Their brand or offer is diluted, and they may lose money and opportunities because of it. This is very demotivating for the inspirer, triggering feelings of disrespect, distrust and anger and discouraging them from sharing their knowledge freely in the future. The imitator may initially see short-term gain from imitation, but when discovered they risk lasting damage to their integrity and brand. Peers, suppliers and patients lose trust in the imitator questioning their professionalism and authenticity. It can also lead to the imitator being silently blacklisted from events and future opportunities, damaging their professional growth and revenue. The impact of imitation on the industry is significant. Practitioners, brands and business professionals start to look and sound the same, diluting what makes them stand out. Toxic competitiveness increases as people rush to copy the next big thing or grab business opportunities. The industry suffers as fewer people share ideas and learnings, holding back innovation and education. More worryingly, the industry sees a loss of professionalism by normalising plagiarism and imitation.

RECOGNISING COMMON IMITATION AREAS

Let’s examine more closely what imitation looks like and where it’s most likely to happen.

Presentations and talks

The inspirer, a well-known doctor, presents a lecture on their signature treatment for perimenopausal women. The lecture outlines protocols and key messaging along with demographic-specific branding. The imitator launches a virtually-identical signature treatment, targeting the same audience with the same treatment protocols and tone without crediting the original concept.

Written content

The inspirer, a business consultant, writes an article in an industry magazine on ethical communication. The article introduces original frameworks, training around patient communication and ethical ways to upsell and cross-sell in clinic. The imitator, a brand, publishes an internal training guide using similar language, tips and structure, reworded but clearly based on the consultant’s article without any reference or permission.

Treatment packages

The inspirer, a clinic, promotes their Bridal Glow package, a six-month comprehensive treatment plan including skincare, supplements and a branded cosmetic bag. Weeks later, the imitator, a nearby clinic, launches their Glowing Bride package with the same structure, format and pricing, failing to acknowledge the original source.

Social media

The inspirer, a laser brand, posts a reel focusing on the ROI of their laser. The reel includes bold messaging, testimonials and the tagline “Step into the Light”. The imitator, a device brand, shares a near-identical reel featuring their own device and using the tagline “See the Light”. No attempt is made to tag or credit the original brand.

Training and coaching 

The inspirer, a training academy, delivers training called “Future-Proofing Faces”, a structured model for assessing, consulting and injecting. The imitator, a practitioner, later creates their own training webinar and workshop using the same structure, language and techniques, rebranded under their name with no credit to the training academy.

The examples above demonstrate how easy it is to cross the line from inspiration to imitation. Remember, we build and expand content to turn it into something valuable. That’s why it’s important to credit others when necessary.

HOW TO ETHICALLY CREDIT AND REFERENCE OTHERS

There are many occasions where we need to share the work and insights of others. If a technique, idea, format or even a turn a phrase has helped positively shape your thinking, development and progress, it’s good practice to share and credit the original source. Ask yourself, did I adapt this or replicate it? Re-naming or paraphrasing is not enough. Have I added original thought, experiences or structure? Would the person who inspired me recognise their influence in my version? Have I acknowledged where and who the idea came from and credited them? By being self-aware you can avoid crossing the line into unintentional plagiarism.

You can ethically credit others in several ways:

• When presenting on stage or writing articles for publication, include footnotes or visual references such as logos, social media handles or citations.

• If you are sharing online content, clearly tag and name the originator in your caption or image.

• Be transparent when adapting someone else’s format, techniques or method, using phrasing such as, “This has been adapted from The Aesthetic Consultant’s framework shared by Vanessa Bird” or “I want to credit (Brand name) here; they’ve done some great work and I’ve adapted elements of their approach.”

• If you are hosting a webinar, be open about who inspired you. “You may have heard Dr Dougal speak about this. I’ve taken that idea and expanded it into a practical way to use in clinic.”

• If you’re not sure where you first heard the idea or learned the technique, be honest by stating “This isn’t my idea, I saw it somewhere.”

Referencing the work of others in no way diminishes your expertise or reduces value. In fact, it maintains your authority and credibility.

HOW TO PROTECT YOUR WORK

It’s immensely frustrating when someone takes your work and passes it off as their own. But by taking steps to protect your own intellectual property, you can reduce the risk of plagiarism. Being proactive enables you to share knowledge and expertise without having to gate-keep information that significantly benefits the industry as a whole.

Focus on creating content that has a clear identity and is traceable to you. Date-stamp documents, articles and visuals to demonstrate ownership. Use visible branding including your name and logo in any presentations, PDFs, training courses or workbooks. Look into discreet watermarks, especially on clinical images. Develop your tone across all platforms, as this is one of your strongest assets. Your style of writing, speaking or teaching is almost impossible to replicate convincingly and is easily recognisable.

DEALING WITH IMITATION

What should you do when you discover someone has been replicating your work? First and foremost, fact-check! Review the content and objectively assess whether it is structurally identical, has large segments paraphrased or visuals reproduced without permission. Seek feedback from others. If it is a copy, reach out directly to the imitator and politely express your concerns in a professional manner. “I noticed your recent presentation includes elements very similar to work I’ve previously created and shared. I’m sure this may have been unintentional, but I’d appreciate if future references could include credit, please.” Be open to discussion as occasionally imitation is unintentional. However, in more serious cases, if it impacts your business, opportunities or reputation, you may need to seek advice from a legal expert.

THE WAY FORWARDS

Exploring imitation in aesthetics leads to greater awareness and best practice. Be mindful that it’s possible to be both a victim and a perpetrator of imitation. No-one is immune to influence, especially when absorbing the ideas and teachings of others, but be aware of when influence may cross over into unintentional imitation. If you are the victim, don’t let the few who steal from you stop you from sharing valuable content. We want to be seen, heard, respected and remembered, so share freely but take proactive steps to protect content. There is room for everyone, without imitation.

VANESSA BIRD

The Aesthetic Consultant Vanessa Bird is a global business consultant with 16 years industry experience. She advises clinics and global brands on business growth, ethical sales and strategic development. Bird regularly presents at leading conferences in the UK and oversees and is on the editorial advisory board of Aesthetic Medicine Magazine.