Charge for touch-ups or not: a clear policy for HOF

The question "is the touch-up charged?" appears in two places: in the patient's mind, who wants to know how much they will spend, and in the clinic's, which has to decide how to avoid losing money or anyone's trust. When there is no rule, every case becomes a negotiation on the spot, with the patient already on the chair or already dissatisfied. That wears down the relationship and gives an impression of improvisation.

The solution is simple: decide the policy beforehand, write it down and explain it before the procedure. This guide covers the types of touch-up, the policy options, how to calculate the cost to the clinic, the wording for agreeing with the patient and how to record it. The values in the examples are fictional. Legal and advertising questions should be checked with a lawyer and with your professional council's rules in Brazil. The concept of a touch-up is in the glossary.

What exactly is a touch-up?

The word covers very different situations, and mixing them is the source of most conflicts:

Note that only the first three fall under a commercial policy. The last two are clinical and legal matters: treating a complication or correcting what departed from the plan should not wait on a discussion about who pays. As a safety rule, define with your lawyer and your council how the clinic handles these cases and write it down separately from the ordinary touch-up.

Why must the policy be written beforehand?

• It prevents conflict. Patients accept a rule presented at the consultation better than a surprise charge at the review.
• It protects the clinic. An agreement recorded in the patient chart and in the informed consent form is evidence of what was disclosed.
• It standardizes the team. Front desk, assistant and professional give the same answer, with no case-by-case favors.
• It gives cash flow predictability. Knowing how many touch-ups come with no charge, you build them into the price and do not cut margin without noticing.
• It shows care. A review scheduled from the start conveys follow-up, not improvisation.

What policies are possible?

There is no single best one for every clinic. These are the most common:

The most used in practice is a mix: the review visit is part of care and the product used in the adjustment is charged, with the price stated beforehand. But that is a management choice, not a rule. See also procedure packages in HOF and staged plan.

How much does a touch-up cost the clinic?

Even when the touch-up is "included", it is not free: it consumes product, chair time, supplies, disposables and schedule slots. Knowing this cost avoids deciding blind. The numbers below are a hypothetical example.

If the clinic does 40 procedures a month and half ask for an adjustment, that is 20 touch-ups and R$ 5,900.00 in monthly cost, even if no one sees it on the spreadsheet. The math shows two possible decisions: charge at least the product and supplies, or build this cost into the price of the original procedure. To understand cost per ml, use the price per ml and margin calculator and read pricing by ml.

How do you agree on it with the patient before the procedure?

The best moment is at the consultation itself, together with the quote and the informed consent form. Three points must be clear: what the review is, until when it applies and what is included. Without promising results, without hinting that a touch-up will be necessary and without using the touch-up as a sales argument.

Avoid phrases like "if you don't like it, I'll redo it for free" or "the touch-up is on me". They become a promise of results, and may be claimed later in a way different from what you intended. As for the right approach of applying less to assess later, the qualified professional decides, after assessment.

What should the written policy contain?

A short, one-page text attached to the quote or the consent form:

1. Review window: from how many days and until when, counted from the date of the procedure.
2. What is included: review visit, assessment, photo record.
3. What is charged: product, supplies, additional procedure, and the amount or how it is calculated.
4. What is not a touch-up: new areas, volume beyond what was agreed, another procedure.
5. What happens after the window: it becomes a new visit, at the current list price.
6. Complications and corrections: handled separately, by clinical decision.
7. Record: signature or digital acceptance, kept in the patient chart.

The procedure package contract template and the cancellation and no-show policy template help maintain a standard of wording.

How do you handle a patient who asks for a touch-up outside the window?

Some requests show up months later, with the expectation that it is still a review. A sequence that works:

• Schedule an assessment visit, instead of replying on WhatsApp. See assessment consultation.
• Assess the case clinically: what changed, whether the effect has worn off, whether an adjustment is indicated.
• Explain the rule with empathy: "The review window has passed, so now it is a new visit. I can show you the price".
• Consider exceptions with judgment, not under pressure: a loyal patient may get a one-time courtesy, as long as the decision is yours, recorded, and does not turn into a parallel rule.
• Never decide under pressure: ask for a moment to assess and reply later.

And when the dissatisfied patient asks for a touch-up?

If the request comes with a complaint, the conversation changes subject: it is not commercial policy, it is relationship and record-keeping. Listen, assess, document and only then decide. The full script is in dissatisfied patient: how to lead the conversation and document it. When there is a risk of conflict, prevention is also covered in how to prevent a lawsuit over harmonization.

Common mistakes

• Deciding case by case, depending on the mood of the day or the patient's insistence.
• Promising a "free touch-up" as a way to close the sale.
• Not writing the deadline, and hearing "but you said I could come back".
• Mixing the touch-up with correcting a complication.
• Not counting the touch-up cost in the procedure's margin.
• Giving each patient a different rule, and breaking the trust of the others.
• Forgetting to record the review and the agreement in the patient chart.
• Advertising the free touch-up as a promotion without checking advertising rules.

How Harmy helps

Harmy does not define the touch-up policy, but it helps make the conversation more objective. The projection is made from the frontal photo and the ml of each area, and the History per patient keeps the sessions. At the review, the "Add actual result" option saves the photo of the result aligned by the eyes and lets you compare Projection vs Actual. This gives a visual basis for telling the patient what was planned and what changed, before deciding on any adjustment. The flow is in history and actual result.

Touch-up policy checklist

• Is the rule written, with deadline, inclusions and prices?
• Did the patient read and accept it before the procedure?
• Did the review already leave the consultation scheduled?
• Do I know the real cost of a touch-up (product, supplies, time)?
• Are corrections and complications separated from the ordinary touch-up?
• Does the team respond the same way?
• Was the agreement recorded in the patient chart?
• Did I review the text with a lawyer and check the advertising with the council?

Charging or not charging for a touch-up is a management decision, and both answers can be right. What does not work is having no answer. Define, write, explain beforehand and record: that way the review becomes part of care, and not the start of an argument.