It all started, with a kiss

Dr. Etemad Shahidi April 6, 2017

DYCD

Botox, Fillers, threads, peels…the list goes on. Every day we are bombarded with ways to become more beautiful, to improve what we already have, and, in some cases, obtain something we never had to begin with. Living in a world that is obsessed with physical perfection, naturally one would become curious to see what is available. This is a little segment about how I fell into this world of aesthetics.

When I was young, I never thought much about beauty, surrounded by male cousins and friends, I was more of a tomboy than anything else. The first time I used makeup was at the tender age of 18!! Having progressively accepted and enjoyed being a girl, I began my interest in aesthetic beauty soon after that first application of eyeliner (the ancient Egyptians really knew what they were doing #cleopatraswag).

Having undergone training as a dentist at university, I began appreciating the importance of not only beauty, but symmetry, subtlety and other factors combined to result in an aesthetically pleasurable final product. This piqued my interest in cosmetic dentistry and so I spent a lot of my time in perfecting my fillings and would get a warm fuzzy feeling when my patients were unable to locate their fillings post treatment. Having attended several cosmetic and aesthetic dentistry courses, I soon began to realise that a lot goes into making a smile beautiful…the teeth are just the beginning! From this thought, and some helpful advice from some friends, I decided to explore the realm of aesthetics. Having very little knowledge on what goes on and what is available past Botox, I thought this would be a nice excuse to see what this stuff is all about. As a result, I ended up on a weekend Botox and fillers course, which was full force intensive training, cramming years of knowledge and skill, into two days. Having left that training course was like hitting that first high. I was pumped, I was excited, I was SO ready to inject, the aesthetic world had no idea what was about to go down. But like most good things that come quick, it goes quick. I soon realised I’m actually pretty scared to haphazardly inject people in their faces…what if I end up making things worse in the hope of making things better?? The stress was too much, so other than practicing on a few friends and colleagues, I laid the idea to rest. The aesthetic world was going to have to wait.

You know when they say everything happens for a reason? They’re right. Aesthetics had become such an integral part in my brain, every dental patient I would assess, I would subconsciously see all the other imperfections that could be rectified with a simple Botox here or a simple filler there. My inability to practice confidently as an injector was becoming agonising. I so desperately wanted to provide my patients with the full package but I just felt I would be let down by my skill level, and would never want to subject a patient to anything less than my best work. This frustration led me to look elsewhere for some guidance.

One submission click and 3 interviews later, presto! So began my journey as an Aesthetic Fellow in Harley Street. I was fortunate enough to come across Cosmedocs and their offer of Aesthetics Fellow. It was exactly what I was looking for, exactly what I needed! Finally some guidance! Structured learning (never thought I’d be excited about that…but oh well)! With the GMC recently clamping down and upping regulations in the aesthetic industry, what better way to learn safely and properly than in an actual clinical setting, shadowing experienced amazing doctors, on a daily basis! I couldn’t have asked for anything better.

I know there are many of us out there, who also have an interest in aesthetics and a keen eye for beautification, but have no clue where or how to start, let alone inject with confidence. In this blog series, I endeavour to give you guys an idea of how the aesthetics industry, in one of the most esteemed streets of the world, is run and what really goes on behind those closed doors of Harley Street. I wish to share my journey in the hope that others, like my past self, will also have an opportunity to find their way in this big bad world of aesthetics.

Dr. Etemad Shahidi

I am a graduate of King’s College London School of Dentistry. As a dentist I have complete command over the sophisticated skills and manual adroitness that is required by dentistry and now I am able to use and apply those skills to the field of medical aesthetics as I became aesthetic practitioner. I have intensive knowledge of facial anatomy and have developed a keen eye for the imperfections.

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