By Grace McGettigan
12th Feb 2019
12th Feb 2019
Aestheticians have what some people describe as a ‘magic touch’. They have the incredible power to instil confidence in people who may have lacked it before; helping women and men all over the country to feel better about themselves. But what does their job involve, and what are the success stories? Here we find out…
What is an aesthetic clinic?
While beauty salons offer pamper treatments for hair, skin and nails; aesthetic clinics have the option to use medical-grade tools and ingredients to treat specific beauty woes. Whether it’s targeted anti-ageing treatments, chemical peels or lip fillers; aesthetic clinics can treat clients in a way that most ordinary beauty salons can not.
Most qualified aestheticians are specially trained nurses or doctors, while some obtain their qualifications from the Aesthetic Training Academy of Ireland. Always check your aesthetician’s credentials before having any treatments done.
A rewarding job
With aesthetic procedures becoming more popular across the country, we caught up with two industry women to hear what it’s all about. “The most rewarding part of the job for me is seeing clients happy with their results after treatment,” says aesthetic nurse Kerry Hanaphy, at Kerry Hanaphy Ltd. “When they look in the mirror, you can see the confidence it has given them and that’s amazing.
“Most of the time people will jump off the bed and give me a big hug at the end and it makes it all worthwhile,” she adds.
Nuala Woulfe, owner of the Nu Aesthetics Skin Clinic, echoes that sentiment, saying, “I aim to give everyone the confidence that comes from healthy, clear, glowing skin.”
Irish success stories
Aesthetic nurse Kerry Hanaphy says, “In an unregulated industry, our clinic has become a safe haven for clients. We often have young girls come to the clinic very upset over having work done badly by non-medical therapists, but by the time they leave our clinic, their confidence is restored and they feel relief that there was someone there to help. They know they can trust our whole team of trained and registered professionals.”
Nuala Woulfe, meanwhile, says one of her favourite success stories came from a young mum who had developed extensive melasma in pregnancy. Melasma is a condition whereby brown/grey patches appear on the skin, usually across the face. Nuala says, “I did a series of peels combined with LED therapy, and she used SkinCeuticals skincare at home; antioxidants and sun protection being an important part of her routine.
“We actively worked to strengthen the skin to make it more resilient,” Nuala explains. “She had a very good result – the pigmentation went completely. She has continued to use the skincare, with periodic treatments.”
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Nuala also remembers a client who had severe dermatitis on her hands and face, particularly across her eyes. “She has three doctors in her family who had all tried to help; she used steroids, Protopic, anti-inflammatories – to no avail.
“I used Eminence, an organic skincare line,” she explains. “I worked very gently with limited skincare products as the skin was very sensitive. I did three treatments to begin and actively worked to calm and soothe the skin. After three 30-minute treatments, within 10 days, her skin was looking a lot calmer and moist.
“I was able to improve her skin to a point where the client was very happy with the outcome. Her skin has, in time, become much healthier.”
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Top photo: Jason Lloyd-Evans
Kerry Hanaphy and Nuala Woulfe are nominated in the best Aesthetic Clinic category in this year’s IMAGE Business of Beauty Awards. To vote for them (or any of our nominees) click the link below:
More like this:
- Karen Constantine on what it takes to be a successful beauty influencer… click here.
- Lucy McPhail shares her three must-have beauty treatments for 2019… click here.
- The dos and don’ts of voting for the Business of Beauty Awards… click here.
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