As a medical doctor interested in Oral and Maxillofacial surgery, I was naturally drawn to the non-surgical aesthetic industry. Or what I like to call medical aesthetics, because they don’t involve going under the knife.
Venturing the world of medical aesthetics, I had no idea what to expect. A few years ago, I did not know much about this industry apart from the usual Botox® and lip fillers that most of you are aware of. However, I was keen to learn more.
I remember coming across a foundation course in Botulinum toxin and Dermal fillers while browsing through the Royal Society of Medicine (RSM) website and thought:
“Why not?”
I would be lying if I said this was an easy journey. In hindsight, if there is anything I wish I knew, it would be to have a plan on how to be a junior doctor, an aesthetic practitioner AND a business owner. After I completed my course, I was rearing to start treating clients. In the hospital, I’m used to seeing patients all the time but it’s not quite the same when you’re starting your own practice.
So quite frankly, I left it for a few months. During this time, I only treated close friends and family. Fast forward 6 months, I left my career as a General Surgeon in-training and moved to London. As part of the speciality training pathway in Oral & Maxillofacial surgery, I am currently undertaking Dentistry for Medical Graduates at King’s College London.
I have since completed advanced training in injectables such as Botulinum Toxin and Dermal Fillers, as well as in skin treatments such as chemical peel and Platelet-Rich Plasma therapy. All these experiences demonstrate how one’s anatomy and identity are interlinked and being able to enhance a person’s confidence gives me a huge sense of fulfilment and pride.
I now have a private clinic based in London. However, marketing my services has never been my forte. I started an Instagram page and a website because that was the advice I was given. As my client base started expanding, I found that maintaining all my paperwork was starting to get tricky. Speaking to colleagues, I realised I wasn’t the only one having these issues. Some of my colleagues have even missed client appointments! I also purchased a separate phone for my business because the messages and photos from clients were getting all mixed with my personal phone.
During this time, I have always wished there was a platform that would manage this all for me – marketing, client management tool for all my paperwork, a pocket organiser and a messaging tool that would be GDPR-compliant and not save all the images onto my phone photo album!
I have always been a strong advocate for the delivery of safe, high-quality and compassionate care to all my patients. However since venturing into the medical aesthetics industry, it became apparent how poorly regulated this industry is! Check out our previous blog post on safety in the industry here.
This is when I decided to take matters into my own hands. I approached Subha with my idea of a platform and the rest is history. One year on we have developed The Safe Aesthetic Practitioner (SafeAP). Our marketplace connecting clients to qualified healthcare professionals. At SafeAP, we combine safety with convenience and accessibility. As a practitioner, we market your services, provide you with a client management tool where you can complete all your documentations, manage your own diary and stay in touch with our in-built messaging tool.
Find out more by downloading our practitioner app (SafeAPractitioner) available on iOS and get started today! (To our Android users, fret not. This is coming very soon.)
Stay safe always.
Much love,
Sieuming