Meet Karen….

Tell us about your career and what inspired you to open an aesthetic clinic?

I have been nursing for over 30 years, predominantly in Critical Care throughout Queensland. I studied a Post Graduate Degree and received Masters qualifications in Critical Care, devoted to nursing, education and delivering the highest quality patient care. I was the Nurse Unit Manager of a large Critical Care Unit in Brisbane and a leader in my field. I was fortunate to work alongside some of the best in this specialist field. Critical Care is a very specialised area of medicine and I felt it an honour and a privilege to care for patients during their most critical time of need.

So, with four children in quick succession and constantly changing circumstances. I made the difficult decision to change nursing careers and start a career that would fit in better with my young family. It was then I took a leap of faith and jumped into the challenging and dynamic territory of cosmetic medicine.

I have always enjoyed all forms of art and craft, life drawing, painting and floristry. Having a natural eye for art and finer detail has given me a huge advantage in the field of aesthetic medicine. What others had to measure, I could automatically envision. It just came naturally to me.
So this unexpected career change ended up being a perfect fit.

How has the industry changed over the past 12 years?

Twelve years ago the aesthetic industry and cosmetic clinics were reasonably new phenomena, unlike the plethora of clinics we see today. I dived head first into the aesthetics world determined to be as educated and skilled as I could possibly be.

One of the first hurdles I faced was with cosmetic training and the trend of super sizing facial features. Big round cheeks, out of proportion lips and heavily frozen faces, features which did not align with what I believed were good aesthetic results.
I was fortunate very early in my career to meet French facial surgeon, Dr. Herve Raspaldo. After attending a live demonstration, Dr. Raspaldo produced an album of before and after photographs. I was very impressed with his injecting finesse and the natural looking results he produced. That night gave me the confidence to trust my own aesthetic vision and deliver elegant, timeless, natural looking cosmetic outcomes, I would be proud of.

What is the key to a good client / clinician relationship?

Education is the key. When you explain and educate clients on aesthetics, facial proportions, the risks and benefits of treatments, there is clarity in their decisions and a suitable, bespoke cosmetic plan can be formulated.

The Skin Clinicians Website, Facebook and Instagram allow potential clients to get a very good feel for our clinic, our staff, our ethos and the type of cosmetic work we like to perform. With a reputation of producing natural results and our growth from predominantly direct recommendation, we most often start our client relationship with a very similar aesthetic philosophy.

What are the words you hear most from patients?

“I trust you to do what you think!”

What an honour it is to have clients on a daily basis feel so safe in our hands that they trust and accept the cosmetic or skin treatments we recommend. Why? Because we have built a longstanding, trusted relationship with our clients and they know we would never recommend a product or a treatment we don’t believe will benefit them in achieving a result we know they will love.

We don’t have targets to meet or work on commission, we are all here because we are passionate about what we do and we all want our clients looking and feeling their confident best.

What is often your first recommendation to a new client?

Look after your skin first! Getting your skin it’s healthy best is a priority. It ensures optimum results are achieved with any other cosmetic treatments.

What is your favourite treatment?

I don’t have one favourite treatment. It is a combination treatment approach to aesthetics that achieves the very best results. My priority is always achieving plump, healthy, glowing skin and then delicately choosing treatments suitable to achieve the desired natural looking outcome.

Karen what have you had done?

My priority is always my skin!

Medical grade skin care and medical grade skin treatments.
Ultraformer 3 treatments to lift my face and tighten my skin approximately every 6-8 months.
Anti wrinkle injections approximately every 4 months.
Subtle Lip augmentation approximately every 3 years.

What would you recommend to someone thinking about having a cosmetic treatment for the first time?

Do your homework!! Remember this is your face, so invest wisely. You most often get what you pay for. Once you have chosen a clinic, book a consultation and ask lots of questions. Discuss all treatment options including potential risks and side effects. Don’t be pressured into having a treatment performed on the day. If the consultation doesn’t feel right, trust your gut and don’t proceed! Remember, being fully informed is the key to making the right decisions.