Consensus Guidelines on Opening Up of Aesthetic Practices in India During the COVID-19 Era

INTRODUCTION: The COVID-19 is a pandemic which has affected most people directly or indirectly. It being a communicable disease, the best way to control the disease is to prevent its spread. Lockdown in India has resulted in aesthetic practices all over the country being shut down indefinitely. As things return to normal, most aesthetic practitioners are looking forward to opening practices. Hence, there was a definite need for a consensus on how to safely open up practices in India and at the same time reassure patients coming into these clinics that their safety is paramount. METHODS: This consensus guidelines use the PICO model in its structure. Five critical areas for opening up clinical establishments were identified and approached independently. A questionnaire was prepared using the modified Likert scale, and all the stakeholders were asked to answer the same. Any differences were then resolved with discussion among the stakeholders. The entire study was divided into five subgroups which were then analyzed in detail. RESULTS: Key recommendations and consensus guidelines were made after detailed analysis. Handy flow diagram reviews of these key areas have been provided. A thorough review of literature was also done on each of the critical areas and recommendations incorporated wherever feasible. CONCLUSION: These recommendations have considered the difficulties and cultural issues faced by aesthetic practices in India. They are user friendly, easy to understand and implement. These guidelines would help in reassuring practices to open up safely and continue serving patients with utmost care. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level V, Consensus guidelines.