The news has been full of “bad news stories” involving the cosmetic/beauty/skin industry. Currently this has mostly involved doctors practicing as cosmetic surgeons. Many horrifying practices have been uncovered – poor medical standards of practice as well as Clinics advising patients treatments based solely on money making rather than having the best interests of the patient in mind.
At the Mayah Clinic, I adopt skin treatments and protocols that are evidence based and place the best interests of my patients first. All our therapists at the Mayah Clinic have the same approach. Applying Evidenced Based practices every day, means when I see a patient, this is my mental process.
1/ Will this treatment improve my patients skin concern?
2/ Is there good unbiased research to support this? – are the studies not only performed by the company that makes the product or device? Are they double blind studies? Meta analysis? Randomised controlled trials? Are they reviewed by other experts? How many people were in the studies (a study involving 3 family members of the researcher is not solid evidence, even if there is a picture of a researcher in a white lab coat.)
3/ Does this research apply to my patient?
4/ Have I seen good results in our Clinic in similar situations?
5/ Then, always following up the results in my individual patient. They may have some condition or skin type that isn’t responding the way it should? Etc. We want best out comes.
In the world of YouTube beauty, TikTok and Instagram there are millions of self proclaimed “skin junkies” sharing masses of anecdotal personal experiences that are accepted as fact all over the world. Selfie posts asking “what’s wrong with my skin” leads to wrong diagnoses, bad at home treatment, purchases of ineffective expensive home devices, or wrong skin care from non-medical, non-professionals.
At the end of last year after the last lockdown, I saw a number of patients who had taken the opportunity during lockdown to get skin diagnoses on zoom calls and had bought strong Retinol products (seemed to be the trending thing), which had peeled off their skin and caused terrible irritation. It is actually quite hard to visualise skin in a computer image. There is nothing like an in-person consultation.
And a good thorough history followed by personal in Clinic follow up. I appreciate that people were desperate to care for their skin in difficult times. I would suggest though, that advising a very strong topical approach was not best practice here.
I am a Cosmetic Physician. That means in my case, that I trained as a general practitioner but now I am not practicing as a GP, but have done extra study in skin care and treatments involved in skin care – some dermatology (but no, I am not a dermatologist), some skin cancer medicine, some laser and injectable training involving advanced anatomy training etc. I am a Fellow in 2 cosmetic colleges – the Cosmetic Physicians College of Australasia (CPCA), and a Founding Fellow of the Australasian College of Aesthetic Medicine (ACAM). You can always google these colleges, to check the qualification of your doctors, and nurses.
At the Mayah Clinic, all our staff operate in an ethical, patient first, caring model, from our receptionists to our clinic staff – that is our goal every day.