The choice of a cosmetologist is a very responsible matter, especially when it comes to injection procedures. Not only your beauty, but also health depends on the work of a specialist. Petruk Olha Olexandrivnasurgeon, aesthetic medicine doctor, tells how to choose a truly highly qualified specialist who can be trusted.
What should I look for in order to find a specialist who can really be trusted?
First of all, we must pay attention to education. In my opinion, a person working in the field of cosmetology and, in particular, injection, should first of all have a higher medical education. But this should not be a proctologist or therapist who has retrained and changed his profile to aesthetic medicine.
We must come to aesthetic medicine. It is impossible to do something completely different, and then once - and switch to aesthetics. As for me, I have always been interested in medicine and, in particular, in the field of aesthetic medicine. And while I was on maternity leave, I realized that what I really want to do is to help women become more beautiful. After pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, the woman has a tired look. She wants to give herself a little attention to look fresh. Then I realized that the aesthetic sphere is close to me. I like it.
What, in your opinion, should be the minimum work experience?
This should be at least two to three years of ongoing practice. Although it sometimes happens that a person has ten years of practice, but ... Therefore, it is worth paying attention not only to the experience, but also to get feedback about this from a specialist. But sometimes it’s not easy at all.
Firstly, often people are in a hurry and too busy to spend time writing reviews. Although they can be very pleased with the result. And secondly, women often hide the fact that they did cosmetic procedures, they say, have always been so beautiful. Therefore, it is better to ask for feedback and recommendations from people from close circle.
How do you feel about those professionals who provide a wide range of services?
If a specialist deals with everything in a row and provides a very wide range of services, there is a risk that some of them will be provided less qualified. It is much better if the master has a narrow specialization. For example, I also limited myself, focusing on injectable minimally invasive procedures.
I work and develop in this direction and this area.
Now aesthetic medicine is developing very intensively, one might say, by leaps and bounds. New technologies are constantly emerging, new drugs. Therefore, you need to constantly improve yourself to keep up with innovation. For the same reason, you can not use all directions at once.
For me personally, the important fact is that I have not moved away from medicine and have a constant surgical practice. And this is very closely connected with aesthetics, because I work in the field of aesthetic surgery - I participate in plastic surgery.
How to find out if a cosmetologist really uses good drugs?
They must be certified, time-tested. For example, it is important for me that the preparations are certified by European countries and the USA. So, in the United States is the organization U.S. Food And Drug Administration (FDA). Until it checks the products, they are not allowed on the market. If the product is FDA certified, it can be trusted. I use such drugs.
What should be the first consultation? What do you need to tell a specialist?
The specialist should devote enough time to the client to learn more about her/him, provide exhaustive information, perhaps convince her/him of something, and, finally, just talk and make contact. The specialist should ask in detail what diseases are or have had, allergic reactions, take into account indications and contraindications for the procedure, season, cycle and the like.
It should also be noted that for some time after the injection procedures, some visual manifestations are possible, for example, bruises, etc. Therefore, it is not advisable to do such procedures immediately before any important events, such as a birthday. It happens that a client arrives who has read about a procedure on the Internet and wants to do just that. If I see that it will not be productive, I will discourage it. But I’m trying to convince that it’s better to do what really gives the desired effect.
What is modern injectable cosmetology capable of?
In some cases, injectable cosmetology can be an alternative to plastic surgery. It is effective when age-related changes have just begun to occur and are unexpressed. Injection cosmetology can do a lot if you turn to a qualified specialist and masterfully carry out the procedure.
I am a supporter of maximum naturalness, the preservation of individuality.At the same time I want to achieve the effect of grooming and freshness.
Have you come across women who have had negative experiences with cosmetologists?
Yes, such women came to me. But it should be noted that experts are not always to blame for the fact that a woman is unhappy with the result. The client may have exaggerated expectations, she/he can “see” what is actually not there. In aesthetic medicine, this happens quite often.
Although, on the other hand, there are such “specialists” who cannot be allowed to work at all. You can get a cosmetologist certificate in two months, and take courses even faster - in two days! Having a higher medical education, I can say that the level of knowledge that is given at such courses is extremely low. It is impossible to master the injection technique without in-depth knowledge of facial anatomy! And this is impossible to learn in two-day courses!
Due to the fact that I have a constant practice of assisting in plastic surgery, I have enough experience and knowledge in this area. And I can’t imagine how women can go for injection procedures to somebody who is casual specialist. It is simply dangerous to health aside from the fact of the result in terms of aesthetics.
What could be the consequences if a woman gets services from a low-skilled cosmetologist?
Bruising is the smallest problem that can occur after the work of such a "specialist." The face is a continuous danger zone, because the vessels on the face are in very close contact with the vessels of the brain. And if something is wrong during the procedure, it can even affect the functioning of the brain. You can also cause blindness, skin necrosis. In a word, if you turn to a casual cosmetologist, there is a real risk of harming your health. There are special techniques that a specialist should possess in order not to harm the client and, having completed the procedure, achieve the desired result.
In addition, the specialist must be conscientious. I know cases when they inject a drug from one syringe to two people. And it doesn’t matter if the needle was replaced with a new, sterile or not. It is unacceptable! You can’t inject two people with one syringe! It is strictly forbidden, but they do it in our country.
Once I refused to do this even for mom and daughter. Suddenly, one of them has some kind of dangerous disease that they don’t even know about? In this case, it is necessary to use sterile syringes and connectors (they connect two syringes) and to carry out the procedure in the presence of the client, by prior consent, it is necessary to divide the drug into two sterile syringes, each of which has its own sterile needle. And only after that you can start working with two people.
What is your attitude to the fact that the client asks to show documents confirming the qualification of a specialist? Quite normal. It should be so! But keep in mind that the main document is not a certificate of a cosmetologist, but a diploma of a medical university confirming the presence of a higher medical education.
At least, such an education should be with a specialist who is engaged in injection techniques. She/He must have in-depth knowledge of anatomy, physiology and pathophysiology, and also have a well-formed clinical thinking. And this is impossible to learn anywhere but a medical university, and then an internship. No courses provide such knowledge.