My journey into non-surgical aesthetics 02/03/2022

Back in 2015, non-surgical aesthetics was a growing side hustle that a few other doctors were talking about. Being a surgical trainee interested in facial surgery, it naturally piqued my interest. I looked up a few courses and decided one at the Royal Society of Medicine should be a decent course so I went ahead and booked a weekend of Foundation training in Botulinum Toxin Injection and Dermal filler injections. At that time, Level 7 Aesthetic Training was still a distant rumour. 

I remember leaving the course that weekend thinking “Sweet, I can do this.” I spoke to one of my closest friends who had deep forehead lines and he was keen to be my guinea pig so I thought “Why not?”, the rest is history. 

One year along I had done a fair number of Botulinum Toxin injections but not very many dermal filler injections. By this point, I was juggling a busy NHS career coming to a milestone of applying for my registrar training in surgery and establishing my aesthetic career so I made a decision to temporarily take it easy with my aesthetic career. When I was ready to embark on my aesthetic journey again, I was lacking confidence in dermal filler injections and also wanted to increase my portfolio of treatments offered. So I went on to do 2 more advanced level dermal filler injectable training, plasma-rich platelet therapy training and also medical grade chemical peel training within the span of 18 months. During that time, I was doing a lot of reading to equip myself with the best anatomical knowledge because deep down I knew that injecting was never an issue, it’s knowing the complications that can occur that was more a mental barrier for me. The irony is that the more you know, the more cautious and fearful you become, precisely because you know what can go wrong. 

Having been through this journey, there are a few tips I can offer anyone considering a career in non-surgical aesthetics. 

1. Know your anatomy very well, what you learn at courses might just be touching the surface so it’s important to do your own learning. 
2. Have a vision and plan on how you intend to embark on this journey. This includes researching the courses available (Level 7 aesthetic course as you may know is the gold standard now so if you’re considering it we compiled all the centers offering it so you can read it here. 
3. Explore options of where you want to practise. Will this be at a wellness clinic? A hair salon? Or will you set up your own clinic? You’d want to consider the financial cost of these options and weigh them out. 
4. Don’t forget your indemnity cover. There are many aesthetic insurance providers out there such as PolicyBee, Cosmetic Insure, Hamilton Fraser and many more. Be careful with who you go for as I’ve also had experience with certain providers who are not particularly responsive when you have queries. We partnered up with PolicyBee to offer you a great option so do check them out here. 
5. When I first started my aesthetic career, I did find it frustrating having to do my own marketing, managing my calendar, keeping track of the  mountains of paperwork with consent forms and medical questionnaires etc and having my personal phone camera roll flooded with pictures of clients. This is why I co-founded SafeAP Partner. I’m biased but I had spoken to many medical professionals with an aesthetic side hustle to fine tune the delivery of SafeAP Partner hence why I think it’s a great platform for aesthetic practitioners from all experience levels. We empower you to grow your aesthetic business. For those interested, you can download it here if you are an Android user, and here for you iOS users.