A typical working day…
Mornings are my biggest challenge, but I have no choice in getting up at 6:30am with a six- and seven-year old! I spend time with them in the mornings alongside having a masala chai (tea) and a couple of pieces of wholegrain bread and marmite (controversial, I know). On days where I need an extra boost, I treat myself to a bowl of Lucky Charms or Chocolate Shreddies instead.
I head into my clinic Aestheticology at around 9:30am, with my first patients arriving at 10am. I know when I work best, so I prefer to work later rather than start earlier – my patients also appreciate that as they can come in after work to fit their treatments around their schedules. Some days, I pop out to the gym at around lunchtime in the perpetual fight against the dad-bod.
I offer botulinum toxin, dermal filler, biostimulator, skin booster and thread treatments predominantly in my clinic. Fillers and threads have to be my favourites! There’s nothing quite like seeing a patient get that immediate gratification and walk out of the clinic looking instantly refreshed and happy. I also provide medical weight management solutions in my clinic as this is an area I’m really passionate about. I’m a GP at heart, so helping patients holistically to improve their overall health and longevity by reducing the risk of obesity-related disease is important to me.
I leave clinic around 7-8pm, and rush home to spend some time with my kids. I enjoy putting them to bed as it gives my wife a break, and their unwinding process helps me unwind also. That is, except on Thursdays which are dedicated to playing football. I’ve been an Arsenal fan for over 30 years, and I stick with them through thick and thin (fingers crossed for the rest of the season)!
Other work commitments…
Outside of running my own clinic, I’m very dedicated to training other practitioners. Continued education in any field is crucial and I find being a trainer not only allows me to help others, but it also solidifies my own knowledge as you need to understand a concept thoroughly to teach it well. I love when students suddenly understand a concept or technique, the penny drops, and they can start creating great results as well.
I’m grateful to train on dermal fillers with Teoxane, on MINT PDO threads with Hansbiomed, on weight loss solutions with Novo Nordisk and on skincare with AlumierMD as a global key opinion leader. This has allowed me to travel all around the world to share my knowledge: from the Middle East to Macedonia, from Italy to India, and most recently Monaco at AMWC 2023. I feel really lucky to have all these opportunities to travel, teach and spend time with some amazing peers.
I’m also the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) National Aesthetic Medicine lead, representing aesthetics amongst GPs. This role gives aesthetic medicine a voice, and I’m open to enquiries from GPs who might want to venture into aesthetics, or those who are seeking aesthetics-related advice. With the specialty growing so rapidly, I’m glad I can keep up this role with the RCGP so we have much-needed representation in official channels. Through all these commitments, it’s super important to me to maintain a decent work-life balance. Organisation and planning ahead are the key to protecting this – I’m already taking bookings for November to make sure I don’t get overwhelmed! You need to weigh up all the opportunities you get offered and make sure enough time is left for you and your family. If you can get a personal assistant to help you out even for a couple of hours a week, that really helps.
Most memorable day in aesthetics…
I thought it would be difficult to come up with my most memorable day, but it sprang to mind immediately. It was at last year’s AMWC Congress in Monaco when I was asked to inject live to open the first symposium. It didn’t quite go to plan as my assistant didn’t speak English so we ended up having a filler ‘malfunction’ with a loose cannula! Apart from causing some temporary embarrassment, it didn’t impact the patient’s safety and I managed to create a great result in the end. It was such a privilege to be asked to present and inject on the aesthetic world’s biggest stage. It was definitely a ‘wow’ moment for me.
Career if you weren’t a practitioner…
My original ambition was to study astrophysics and work at NASA!
Country you’d move to…
I’d have to say Canada – it’s got a great combination of cities and amazing outdoor spaces.
Your guilty pleasure food you’d eat every day…
I love any fried carbs – nachos with all the toppings are a go-to cheat meal.
