Criteria This award recognises the important role that both patient-focused and professional campaigns play in promoting consumer education and patient safety. It is open to associations, companies and individuals. In selecting finalists, the Aesthetics looked for evidence of activity designed to benefit the industry as a whole, along with tangible outcomes. The winner will be selected from the finalists using a combination of Aesthetics reader votes and judges’ scores. Voting will constitute a 30% share of the final score.
Medical aesthetics is developing as a specialty, however, there is no specific training pathway or assessment to ensure consistent standards of practice by practitioners for better and safer patient care.
The Keogh Report raised concerns regarding the attainment of competencies (which include knowledge, skills and performance) in medical aesthetics to a level that provides confidence that the practitioner is fit to practise.
The MBCAM Examination is designed to address these deficiencies and respond to concerns raised by the public, its members and the General Medical Council (GMC) regarding medical aesthetic practice and the question of credentialing (Ref 1).
The MBCAM Examination has been developed to a postgraduate “Membership” level to ensure that those practitioners who attain the level are at a credible level of education and professional development to ensure that patients are provided with competent medical aesthetic management.
The MBCAM is designed as a Part 1 (knowledge based ) and Part 2 (clinical skills and performance) which includes the educational competencies and assessment instruments that are objective, reproducible, credible, validated and appropriate in order to meet GMC credentialing requirements and that can be measured against recognised academic standards, such as those of the QAA UK Quality Code of Higher Education (Ref 2).
The Consulting Room built and hosted a free open access Covid-19 Relaunch Resource centre to help aesthetic businesses reduce the time taken to research and prepare for safe trading after lockdown.
We invited clinic owners, suppliers and industry groups in the aesthetic community to contribute in helping to build a centralised set of resources that would guide clinics in providing the safest possible working environment for their staff and patients/clients over the coming year. As there were still many unanswered questions, and as most aesthetic clinics and suppliers were working at reduced capacity, we hoped that providing a centralised resource that we could all share and contribute too would help to reduce the time taken to provide practical solutions, and be more efficient than sharing ideas across a multitude of different social media platforms.
The resource was launched with a limited amount of information on 10th May and has grown to have over 150 key documents/webinars/checklists and surveys pertinent to COVID-19 and aesthetics.
A web-based platform allowing aesthetic businesses to create their own AlumierMD e-commerce business.
How it works:
1. Professionals enrol to their own AlumierMD Portal
2. They invite their patients to register under their clinic
3. Patients receive education and their digital recommendations following a mandatory consultation
4. Patients securely buy skincare online which is delivered to their door
5. The practitioner receives the profit from the patients’ order
To promote patient education and safety:
• AlumierMD patients must have a consultation. Only then can they register for a profile under their clinic’s portal and purchase
• Digital recommendation notes from their practitioner are available online 24/7
• They can securely buy genuine, safe, effective and personalised skincare, through contactless payments
• Ongoing support shopping under the care of their professional = better patient outcomes, optimised in-clinic results and reduced risk of undesirable outcomes
For industry benefit professionals can:
• Access extensive AlumierMD resources to drive patient education
• Trust our pioneering tracking technology which prevents AlumierMD products being sold through unauthorised, online channels
• Build long-lasting patient relationships using digital skincare recommendations and patient profiles to extend their support at home. This also includes remote ordering and at home delivery.
• Maximise time spent with patients in clinic after a digital consultation
• Use the integrated reports centre for sophisticated data analysis, tracking business performance and identifying areas of opportunity (tailored marketing and patient education)
We want to create an open space, free of any negativity to allow growth, education and unity in the industry to ensure patient outcomes are maximised.
The basic concept of this group is a regular monthly meeting with 10-15 aesthetic doctors and surgeons to discuss:
1. Case presentation on a particular topic in the field of aesthetics (For example, Meeting 1 was on Tear Troughs) and anatomy, with current research discussed
2. Research article presentation and discussion (Journal club)
3. Discussion about new research projects on current topics to be completed as a group, with the aim of publishing high quality research within the aesthetic medicine field.
The podcasts topics were varied but aimed to always educate and inform the listener. Topics included; ‘What to expect during an aesthetics treatment journey’, to ‘Treatments that help with self-esteem’. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Episode 5 was created and recorded during lockdown and is dedicated to three leading aesthetic Drs who returned to the NHS frontline during the global pandemic to support their colleagues. Their actions are an accolade to the aesthetics industry and were recognised during the programme; the HCP’s included were Dr Tijion Esho, Dr Sophie Shotter and Mr Apul Parikh.
The Beauty Decoded Podcast Series can be found on all major platforms including iTunes apple, Spotify and Audioboom.
What is the Plastic Fantastic Podcast?
Initial conversations revealed that black practitioners were experiencing higher discrimination and less progression opportunities within the specialty, whilst black consumers also reported difficulties in accessing practitioners confident in treating their aesthetic concerns.
The aim of the BAAB is to:
- Attract more black professionals into the specialty
- Support the development, training and progression of black professionals to senior organisational levels
Engage brands and companies to adopt a broader diversity strategy that ensures representation and progression of black professionals
Assist non-black aesthetic professionals in developing their knowledge and expertise to safely treat black skin
Positively impact the experiences of black patients in the aesthetics field.
An experienced doctor in;
o General & plastic surgery
o Dermatology
Left the NHS, completed medical aesthetic training, set up my own clinic in Harley Street where I developed a specialism in facial feminisation and masculinisation within the LGBTQ+ community after getting involved with/supporting Pride for many years and treating many patients from the community including celebrities and well-known drag performers.
Being deeply involved in the LGBTQ+ community I understand the issues many face when thinking about who to approach to help them in their aesthetic/wellness journey;
o Many are unaware of the possibilities to achieve what they want without surgery (lack of education in the LGBTG+ community)
o Many don’t know who to go to
o Others feel that some aesthetic practitioners wouldn’t be able to relate to them/what they wanted
This led to my creating/launching the world’s first LGBTQ+ campaign (#IAmMe, launched June 2019) in medical aesthetics with the aim of promoting safety and inclusivity in wellbeing and medical aesthetic beauty. The campaign’s supported by;
o Actor/musician Duncan James
o Britain’s Next Top Model’s trans contestant Tallulah-Eve
o Global pharmaceutical company Allergan
The campaign reflects my wholly inclusive approach to cosmetic consultations, expectations and treatments. Its ethos is about creating a safe space for the community to discuss the daily issues they face and empower/enable the community to find strength, power and inner belief through aesthetics and embracing diversity. Whilst I appreciate that medical aesthetics isn’t for everyone, for some it helps with channelling the confidence, courage and strength to be their truest and best self.
My professional initiative is called “In The Consulting Room” (ITCR).
The aim of ITCR is to educate, empower and enlighten consumers to help them make safe and informed decisions, when considering undergoing non-surgical aesthetic treatments.
ITCR has delivered educational and engaging content in-person and virtually for over 5 years now, since the launch of my own clinic, S-Thetics, in May 2015. ITCR aims to increase consumer knowledge and confidence in the field of aesthetic medicine, with myself as the curator of this experience.
Since launching ITCR I have personally hosted 46 patient masterclass events in-clinic covering the full spectrum of aesthetic treatments from skin imaging, non-surgical body contouring, injectables, topical skincare and lasers. In-clinic events typically have an audience of between 5 – 20 attendees and are frequently supported by the relevant supplier partners.
I have also hosted an annual large patient education event each year for the past 5 years, with between 65 to 244 attendees.
The scope of my ambitions for ITCR culminated in our last major in-person event in November 2019, when S-Thetics organised and successfully delivered what we believe to be the UK’s largest ever clinic-run patient education event at Hedsor House, a private country house and 100-acre estate 10 minutes away from S-Thetics Clinic, with 244 attendees in a single day.
Ultimately ITCR aims to literally bring patients into my consulting room, to demystify the sometimes conflicting information surrounding aesthetic treatments, and to connect my ITCR audience with the world of innovation and science in aesthetics that I am privileged to be a part of.
The National Medical Weight Loss Programme (NMWLP) is the brainchild of Nurse Consultant, Sandy Green who wanted to increase accessibility to medical weight loss services for the public where national health services are no longer available, and to offer registered healthcare professionals (RHCP) support in setting up private medical weight loss services.
Sandy started on her journey to create the NMWLP in February 2019, but the last twelve months have really seen this initiative grow amongst aesthetic healthcare professionals.
The certified programme offers live-streamed webinar training for RHCP on the medical management of overweight and obesity, which was co-written and is co-delivered by Dr Matt Capehorn. Matt is an expert adviser to NICE on obesity, a professional adviser to the Obesity Empowerment Network, and part of the author group for RCGP-accredited obesity education. The CPD-certified training course is also accredited by the Royal College of Nurses (RCN) and the World Obesity Federation, through the Strategic Centre for Obesity Professional Education (SCOPE).
Becoming a Certified Partner of the NMWLP is available exclusively to RHCP including doctors, dentists, prescribing pharmacists, nurse prescribers and nurses (who must work with a prescriber who attends the training).
The programme helps RHCPs set up successful private weight management services, in order to deliver a standardised model of care using evidence-based practice, to people living with overweight and obesity who want to achieve a healthy weight. RHCPs who join the NMWLP will receive a wealth of training, business and marketing support, plus benefits and discounts from our preferred partners.
The Safe Aesthetic Practitioner, better known as SafeAP, is a marketplace designed to ensure that non-surgical (medical) aesthetic procedures are delivered in a safer environment by connecting clients to only qualified aesthetic practitioners. SafeAP challenges the social stigma associated with medical aesthetic treatments, raises public awareness and protects the safety of clients. It is built to improve safety by empowering clients to make an informed decision, based on their practitioners and treatment of choice.
SafeAP serves as a dual platform for clients and practitioners.
For clients (SafeAP):
1. SafeAP ensures that treatments are provided by qualified and fully insured healthcare professionals (doctors, dentists, nurses).
2. Clients can review and rate practitioners, filter based on ratings, treatment, price and location to make an informed decision.
3. Clients are able to communicate with practitioners before and after treatments using a GDPR-compliant messaging service. This is to provide them with continuity of care.
For aesthetic practitioners (SafeAPractitioner):
1. SafeAPractitioner is a one-stop platform that strategically markets the practitioner.
2. A fully functioning client management system. Practitioners are able to organise bookings, document procedures, gain consent, receive payment and generate invoice.
3. Practitioners can conduct e-consultation and follow-ups using a GDPR-compliant messaging service.
Aesthetics Media Ltd, 70 London Road, Regal House, Twickenham, TW1 3QS
Aesthetics Media Ltd, as part of Easyfairs
