My interest in medical aesthetics began as I began to notice signs of ageing on my own face and realised how difficult it was to find a well- qualified, medical aesthetic practitioner.
The industry was still in its infancy at that time and largely unregulated, so as I am very risk-averse, I became one of the first medically trained professionals to study for and obtain a level 7 qualifications (master’s level) in medical injectables.
Dentistry is a profession heavily focused on study of the head and neck, with injections forming a large part of a dentist’s everyday life, so ideally suited to a transition into medical aesthetics. During my dental training I also read for a bachelor’s honours degree in pathology.
As a medical aesthetician, I believe “less is more” – a natural look is where we should always be aiming in medical aesthetics- so an emphasis on restoration rather than beautification; restoring what was rather than aiming for an artificial, unnatural ideal . We should also ,always be prepared to say no, if we feel that something requested is not in our client’s best interest, whatever the financial incentive.
This unwillingness within the industry, to say no, has I believe resulted in the often distorted images we see in social media today. These have given medical aesthetics a lot of bad press as we see a new “norm” of swollen lips and exaggerated cheekbones in social media….
My philosophy is about working from the inside out with the basics of a healthy diet, exercise and good skincare before progressing to injectables. There are many natural ways of stimulating collagen too, for those for whom injectables are always going to be a step too far, such as skin cosmeceuticals, micro-needling and LED phototherapy. I have qualifications in teaching yoga and cosmetic dermatology, which tie in with my approach to “wellness” rather than a focus on a superficial, skin- deep approach to treatment.
