What Women Want

Talking is very much at the heart of what we do in our clinic, but why confine it to within those walls?! Talk to the FACE is an idea I’ve had for a long while, I just couldn’t shake the feeling of wanting to take what we do in clinic, take my thoughts and ideas around aesthetics and grow it in a wider environment, to promote and encourage learning and education, inspire others and create a change.

The age-old question of what (do) women want? A question that has echoed through the ages (they even made a film about it!) and for me, the further question of why does this end up with a woman sitting on our sofa in clinic discussing the possibilities of aesthetics? This is something that I have only recently began to feel some understanding in. I feel that the answers to this question stem from within. It is so easy to become crestfallen, negative, defeated and to lack self-confidence and worth. Social influences, expectations from others and from within and our own assumptions often work against us to formulate a dim view of ourselves.

If someone was to take pleasure in paying you a compliment, maybe on your hair, makeup or outfit, what would your response be? It is fair to say that the majority (myself included) would blush, mumble a reason as to why they’re mistaken and quickly change the subject! Why?

For the very same reason that when I am sat opposite a woman (majority are women) in my clinic and I ask them, “what is it that has brought you here today?” Without fail, each one will start to point out elements of their face that they don’t like, wish was different or want to eradicate altogether. Most grab their face with both palms and pull it back and up to show what it is they’d like, “I’d just love you to do this” they say laughing as they yank it all back. Their hope is that aesthetics will fix the problem.

But what IS the problem?

I smile (sometimes I laugh) because really this is the answer in a nutshell to the question of what (do) women want. My aesthetics clinic has very often been referred to as a counselling room, with myself in the role of a councillor, understanding what it really is about themselves that these women want ‘fixing’… and my answer is always the same, nothing needs ‘fixing’. My clinic offers a sanctuary to women who come in seeking treatment for one thing or another, which although is present on the surface, is often a reflection or enhancement of existing feelings within them of self-consciousness, lack of self-worth, doubt, lack of confidence and sometimes a general unhappiness in themselves or their life.

That seems deep for aesthetics, right? But my experience in aesthetics over the past few years and my much wider clinical experience has taught me that you will never get answers unless you start asking questions… my job, is to LISTEN!

Our aesthetic treatments do wonders for our clients, but where they do the greatest good, and why in all of our clients we see such a high success, is because we utilise aesthetic treatments in such a way that we reshape and convert a client’s opinion of themselves.

For us, aesthetics is not about how you look to others, rather how you look at and feel about yourself. If you can look in the mirror and believe that you look and feel nice, this changes everything about you; how you smile, how you interact with others and how you approach your life. It’s like having a personal joke all to yourself, something that is just for you, that no one need know about, but that makes you feel… like you. After all, is this not what women want?