Aesthetics – Shall I? Shall I not?

I’ve been reflecting on the clients that I’ve treated and the drivers which led them to come to me to receive aesthetic treatments. What prompts them to pick up the phone and book that first consultation? I’ve discovered they many fall into one of two groups, but one thing they all share is a desire to have greater self confidence and feel better about their appearance. Read on to find out which group you may identify with…

The Two Groups of Clients

During the time that I’ve been practising as an aesthetic clinician I’ve treated clients who have been having regular treatments for a while and clients who are new to aesthetics and considering their first treatment. Generally the first group of clients are confident about what they want from their aesthetic treatments and the results they can achieve. To sum this up, a client who has been having aesthetic treatments for a few years said to me last week “Theresa, to me having my ‘Botox’ is the same as going out to have my hair and nails done. I’m making the best of what I have, the effects make me feel good about myself”.

I’ve been thinking about this comment. Chloe* was so right, if your hair was straggly, out of shape and condition, wouldn’t you get a good cut and colour? I wouldn’t think twice about getting this done and enhancing what I already have to make me feel better about myself. So is there really such a difference between this and having some small injections using a drug which has one the highest safety profiles to help relax your wrinkles and make you feel better about your appearance?

The other group of clients that I see are those who come to me considering their first aesthetic treatment. I feel privileged to work with this group. Firstly, to be able to support them in this big step, that initial appointment for your aesthetic assessment can be very scary, and secondly, that they have chosen me to consult and hopefully provide their aesthetic treatments.

Research by Allergan suggests that prior to stepping through the door of a clinic for aesthetic treatment, clients have usually thought about this for around 10 years! That first step can be the scariest step you will take towards getting aesthetic treatment. Speaking from experience you can feel vulnerable, have many questions and worries about what you might look like after treatment, wonder if people will look at you and accusingly ask ‘have you had work done’, or just think you’re being silly trying to turn back the clock by trying to look younger than you are.

I know these feelings as I had all of these prior to my first wrinkle relaxation injections, my biggest fear being ‘What if this goes wrong?’ ‘How am I going to hide my face for the next 3-6 months if this goes wrong?’.

Interestingly, I have now ‘morphed’ into a member of the other group that I talked about. Apart from having lots of injecting experience and understanding that botulinum toxin is one of the safest drugs used in the UK, I feel very comfortable with the effects and know that it doesn’t change my face, it just gives me a fresher look. It’s ’10 hours good sleep in a syringe’. Oh, and you’ll be glad to know that I didn’t have to hide my face at all, it all worked out very well!

What I Believe About Aesthetics

For me in my clinic, the most important thing about aesthetics is really getting to know what my clients want to achieve and then being able to offer my professional advice on what might help to achieve this and be of benefit to them. I believe aesthetic treatments should ‘enhance’ rather than change your natural looks. As an Advanced Nurse Practitioner it’s very important that I listen carefully to my patients to ‘hear’ their stories, make a diagnosis and develop a management plan with the patient, this is the exact same model I use for my aesthetic assessments.

For many of the new clients I see I understand that our first meeting is a major step forward for them. I always offer my time and patience to help them to decide whether they want to go ahead with treatment. Most clients do go ahead and that’s great, a few decide now isn’t the right time, and that’s ok too. Having said that, so far not a single client has regretted their aesthetic procedure, most say afterwards ‘I don’t know why I was making such an big deal about this’. Some clients cry after their treatment. It’s truly humbling to see someone cry because the thing they have disliked about their faces has been reduced or no longer exists, even more so because you have helped them to feel so much better and more confident in themselves.

The most positive thing that is apparent with every client I have treated is that they have a new confidence about themselves, and feel more comfortable about their looks. Only last week a client said to me “I no longer look the other way when I pass the mirror, I look at the mirror every time”. Another client recently said “Theresa, I don’t want to put make up on my skin anymore. Since having my ‘botox’ I love my skin, I don’t want to cover it up”.

If you’re thinking of taking that step forward in your journey towards aesthetic treatment, whether it’s to make the jump and commit to treatment or just to find out more information about treatments, give me a call or send me a message, I can help and hold your hand in your next steps.