By Sarah Bywater owner of Brewood Skin & Wellness Clinic.
As a newly qualified nurse in the mid 90s, I had a clear vision of what I wanted to be, a Macmillan nurse. I started out on an Acute Medicine ward and quickly moved to a Chemotherapy unit. However, it soon became clear that life had a different plan for me and in 2000, having injured my back badly helping a patient I was sadly forced to take a break from the NHS to allow my back to recover.
I took a job with Boots Healthcare Services as a laser and travel clinic nurse, with no heavy lifting I was certain, within months I would be back on my chemotherapy unit and on track to be a Macmillan Nurse.
I quickly realised I had a deep passion for all things skin and laser and couldn’t get enough of the Intensive training Boots put all their nurses through. I had found my calling and enjoyed every aspect of the role. I stayed with Boots for four years and then worked in private Skin Clinics in Shropshire learning new skills and treating more and more conditions as I went, until I eventually started my own clinic in my home village of Brewood in 2020.
I remember clearly, my NHS friends being quite dismissive of my new career path, considering me as selling out; what a waste of my training they would say, and won’t you get bored? But in truth the area of Aesthetics and skin treatments varies massively dependant on what your true passion is. I have met incredible people and believe I have been privileged enough to change some people’s lives. I remember one of my first laser hair patients was an 18-year-old girl who was suffering from quite severe Polycystic Ovaries syndrome. Her facial hair had such a profound effect on her that she would no longer leave the house. She had to have a full beard shave twice a day and was understandably very low in mood. Her mother started bringing her to me and she was treated discreetly and professionally in a medical clinic. I saw that girl come back to life, get a job, start meeting up with friends, it was quite life changing for me also. I have similar stories with Transgender patients; patients that had been hiding away, treated appallingly by society and I was lucky enough to play a small part in their journey to freedom.
So, as you can see this isn’t something I have taken on lightly. I’ve spent years studying all things skin. I’ve also been involved in training other practitioners. Over the years I’ve learnt what works, what doesn’t work and what the most important things are when it comes to skin health. I’m very proud of the treatments that I now offer in my small clinic and believe that I have the best treatments available with the best equipment. I have seen only too often the devastating results that “set up quick clinics with cheap equipment” can cause, so I will only use the highest quality lasers such as Lumenis M22® and Lumenis®. I realise those names won’t mean much to most of you, but please research what brands of lasers are available in the best Harley Street clinics; I think it’s pretty cool that I am bringing these to you in lovely Brewood (but then I’ve always got a little bit too excited about lasers! So that could just be me.)
Every new client starts their journey with a consultation. Yes, this is a fact-finding appointment, but also a crucial first step, where patients tell me all about themselves, everything they’ve tried over the years and exactly what they’re looking for, enabling me to create a bespoke plan just for them. If you ever come to the clinic, you’ll soon realise how passionate I am about skin and most importantly, healthy skin! There is so much that you can do at home through lifestyle and diet which can then be added to with treatments in clinic. Whilst I do carry out the ever-popular injectable procedures, I also treat skin conditions such as Acne, Rosacea, Psoriasis, Leg veins, Pigmentation, Facial flushing, laser hair removal and more. Even after 22 years, I still attend at least one training event or Conference a month, in such a changing speciality I believe it’s crucial to be up to date with this evolving area of Medicine. Plus, I just love learning all that I can about all things skin!!
