Gladly, we live in a world that is becoming more and more inclusive, we are raising our kids to be confident in their appearance and embracing individuality, and this can only be a good thing. A very good thing.
Where the lines become a bit blurred for me is, politeness regarding beauty and aesthetic treatments that we might benefit from. Bear with me.….
If I were to book into a clinic for a specific treatment with the hopes of looking younger or improving my appearance, surely my practitioner should be able to say if I have chosen the right treatment for my goals without being accused of ‘up-selling’ or playing on my insecurities? As an example, if someone booked themselves in for forehead Botox because they thought it would make them look younger, but instead, the practitioner thought that a small amount of filler in strategic areas to restore volume lost with age would give them a better result, would we not prefer them to say that? I certainly would.
At White Swan Aesthetics, they first ask you what your concerns are and what your current skincare regime is, and then they listen very, very carefully. As experts in their field, they fully understand how to get the results you want but not necessarily via the treatments you thought you needed/wanted.
I booked in with Dr Charlotte D’Souza at the Clapham clinic with a few concerns but lots of intrigue about her opinion of my face! The first thing I noted (and the absolute most important factor to me) was that I liked Charlotte’s face! By this I mean, in regards to her own personal aesthetic work – this is always a good indication of the type of ‘look’ they like. After a very thorough consultation, Dr D’Souza discussed her thoughts with me in a totally honest but considerate and thoughtful way. I had stated that I believe my nose-to-mouth lines have become very visible but that I don’t like the idea of filler at the moment, Dr D’Souza didn’t disagree with my thoughts, she explained the different ways in which she could use filler to improve the appearance of the lines here and I actually started to consider having it done but she recommended I go away and think about it some more as I had been very clear I wasn’t keen on having filler yet. She was absolutely right! I went away and decided that no, I still don’t want to fill those lines (at the moment!). Instead, Dr D’Souza had noted how expressive my face was when I was talking – she wanted to keep this natural movement but soften it slightly to prevent frown lines, in other words some gentle Botox to maintain movement but eradicate lines! That one I didn’t need to think about – yes please! The results were just as she described, I don’t look ‘done’ or have a ‘surprised’ face, I just look much fresher.
Dr D’Souza is very particular when it comes to Botox treatments though, she doesn’t always see it as such a quick fix; if your skincare routine isn’t up to scratch, she may recommend you delay your treatment while you improve your skincare in order to get the best results from the Botox. This is music to my ears! So often, I see people having Botox to totally freeze an area to make it ultra-smooth but on skin that hasn’t been looked after this approach only highlights the areas that aren’t so smooth, giving you a mismatched appearance, which I believe actually makes you look older. Again, this is not about the hard-sell, I told Dr D’Souza which products I am using (ones which White Swan don’t happen to stock) but she knows and likes the brand so didn’t try to sway me elsewhere, which I appreciated and respected her for.
I really like White Swan’s approach to aesthetics, I think expert advice and opinion is not only welcome but often necessary with aesthetic treatments – these types of treatments are becoming so readily available and with the rise of the ‘Instagram look’ a little bit of honesty can go a long way in preventing a face faux pas.
www.whiteswanaesthetics.co.uk tel: 03335777926
Multiple locations, see website for details.
Botox from £180