To prepare dermatology patients before procedures, send clinician-approved instructions timed to the appointment, confirm that the patient has read them and give a way to ask staff a question. Cosmetic and medical visits need different flows. This guide covers booking, prep and follow-ups.
How do you separate medical and cosmetic bookings?
Ask one question at the start, such as whether the visit is medical or cosmetic, and route to the right schedule, prices and instructions.
Cosmetic visits are often self-pay while medical visits may involve insurance, so the right path matters. Keep photos and skin concerns out of the chat; use your secure upload instead.
What belongs in pre-procedure instructions?
Only what the treating clinician has approved for that procedure, such as products to avoid or arrival time.
Version the instructions per procedure and keep one owner. If a patient reports a reaction or new symptom, hand over to the clinic. The AAD's public pages are a good link for general skin-health information.
How should follow-up messages work?
Send a check-in message at the planned interval with a way to book follow-up, and send any concern to a clinician.
Do not interpret photos or symptoms in chat. A standard reply explaining how to reach the clinic urgently is essential.
What problems does chat automation solve for dermatology clinics?
It takes the repetitive, factual first replies off your team: cosmetic and medical booking, prep, follow-ups.
Medical and cosmetic requests arrive in the same inbox with different booking rules. Procedure-specific prep instructions get explained one call at a time. Follow-up and post-procedure check-ins are easy to forget without a reminder system.
What must dermatology clinics decide before using chat at all?
Decide first what the chat will never handle. Use it for logistics such as hours, directions, forms and reminders, keep sensitive personal details out of it, and have your compliance lead or attorney approve every flow before launch.
Do not interpret photos or symptoms in chat; send them to a clinician. Primary sources worth reading before you build: Public resources (American Academy of Dermatology), Summary of the HIPAA Privacy Rule (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services), and WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy (WhatsApp). Chat does not replace professional judgment, and nothing in this guide is legal, medical, tax or financial advice. Rules change, so confirm current requirements with your own advisor before launch.
How do you know the automation is working?
Track first-response time, the share of conversations resolved without a person and the reasons conversations were handed over. Review a sample of real chats every week.
Start with a baseline from your last month of messages, then change one flow at a time so you can see what helped. The most useful list is the questions the chat could not answer: each one is either a gap in your answers or a case that should stay with a person. For dermatology clinics, watch these topics first: cosmetic and medical booking, prep, follow-ups.
How do you try this on your own account?
Start the 7-day trial at app.reflys.com: a card is required and you are not charged until day 8. You can build and test your first flow on your own account before any customer sees it.
Pro starts at $12 a month and suits one person answering messages; Business adds team seats and assignment. If you would rather see it first, book a demo and we will walk through your own questions.
Related guides
- How to use whatsapp messaging in a healthcare practice
- How to schedule fertility treatment cycle appointments
- How to confirm caregiver shifts for home healthcare
Sources
- Public resources — American Academy of Dermatology
- Summary of the HIPAA Privacy Rule — U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
- WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy — WhatsApp
About this guide: written by the Reflys Team from Reflys product documentation and the public sources above. It describes general practice and does not report customer results. It is not legal, medical, tax or financial advice.
