The first thing to emerge from a chat with the founder of Dr Chong Clinic is his innate sense of decency. Dr Marcus Chong is a man with a sound moral compass who cares deeply about his patient in delivering a great service. He speaks as passionately yet gracefully about his business and staff. For him, he believes that Dr Chong Clinic wouldn’t have any opportunity for success without the team.
Having operated the business since 2016 has provided Dr Marcus Chong with a wide perspective of the industry and how to tackle the business efficiently. As the aesthetic industry is showing significant improvement and the competition is getting stiffer, he is certain that he can sail the ship smoothly together with his great team.
Dr Chong Clinic: certified medical doctor with a special interest in aesthetic medicine
“Aesthetic is widely neglected in the medical field because people tend to think that problem related to the skin can be done in a beauty centre which is untrue as we need a proper medical doctor to carry out medical procedure or treatment, ” said Dr Marcus Chong who obtained Masters in Dermatology from Cardiff University, UK. As a licensed medical doctor, he believes that he holds the responsibility to educate the public.
Dr Chong Clinic was first commenced when the competition is barely any. There are many beauty centres available in most regions but with a very limited number of certified aesthetic medical doctor. Armed with his excellent medical background and an avid interest in dermatology and aesthetics, he decided to open up the first branch in Kepong, KL.
Dr Chong Clinic offers quality treatment at an affordable price
“Skin problem could happen to everyone regardless of their social group and income. Some problems require certain treatment by a dermatologist and it could cost them a fortune. So, we see the need for us to fill in the gap by making the treatment accessible for everyone,” emphasising that Dr Chong Clinic doesn’t only limit their services on improving patients’ external appearance but internal too by restoring their self-confidence.
“We want our patients to walk out from the clinic with a happy face and satisfied with the treatment provided”
As skin and aesthetic clinic, Dr Chong Clinic offers a comprehensive range of procedures for face and skin including medical facials, slimming treatments and laser treatments to name a few. Equipped with top-notch facilities and proven records, they have successfully treated many patients.
Hard work reaps rewards
He believes that without the team, Dr Chong Clinic wouldn’t have any opportunity for success let alone in expanding the physical branches. “I’m very blessed to have such a dedicated team to assist our clinics. This is one of the factors that contributed to our success in opening more branches,” adding that currently, they have a total of 14 staff with 9 medical doctors.
“To make someone feel pretty inside out is utmost important and that’s what we at Dr Chong Clinic are trying our best”
He shared one of the proudest moment is when they were awarded The Brandlaureate SMEs BestBrands Awards 2018-2019 for the BestBrands in Healthcare – Skin and Aesthetic Clinic. He further explained that all the trophies and awards can’t beat the biggest achievement – which is having a dedicated team and the ability to work together as a unit.
Educating the public
As a medical practitioner, Dr Marcus Chong believes that he holds the responsibility to educate the public about the importance of seeking a registered aesthetician. “Such treatment can only be done by a qualified aesthetic physician, not in any unlicensed beauty centre or medispa. People need to aware that our face is very precious and we couldn’t afford to have a single mistake,” adding that he often gives talks relating to the skin problems on TV and radio.
At Dr Chong Clinic, they provide free consultation for patients. They often received cases where the patients seek treatment at unlicensed beauty centre and their skin is getting worse. “We’ll try our best to treat and provide a solution for the patients but such cases shouldn’t be happening if they aware of the danger seeking unlicensed and non medically trained doctor,” emphasising that beauty centres often overclaimed their treatments.
Thriving to the greater height
Currently, Dr Chong Clinic has 4 branches focusing more on the populated area. With the robust growth of 25-30% annually, they would like to take the opportunity to expand so that they can cater to a larger market in different regions.
Most of the customers derive from Johor Bahru, Singapore and some even come from Penang. So, they are planning to open up more branches soon. But for now, Dr Chong will focus on Klang Valley first and most likely open up one more branch in a populated area that can serve a bigger business prospect by the end of this year.
“One day, I would like to bring my clinic to the greatest height and be one of Asia’s largest healthcare group in aesthetic but of course we need to tackle the local market first (chuckles). We target to be the leader in the local market and I think it’s doable since we are now in the top 10 biggest aesthetic groups,” he ended.
