By Mya Smith

My name is Mya Smith and I am a student at University College Birmingham, I’m currently studying beauty therapy level 3. I am on the road to further my education- and study the FdA Aesthetic practitioner university course. I have always had an interest in the beauty industry and after studying 2 years in college completing my beauty therapy courses, I believe l am ready to further my knowledge and delve into more invasive treatments. The course I am going to be taking part in during September 2022 for 3 years will be The Aesthetic practitioner electrotherapy course, there are two different routes to go down: aromatherapy and electrotherapy. I chose electrotherapy because I have more of an interest and passion for the treatments on that course what career paths they offer.

Before I could complete my level 3 beauty therapy course I needed a certain amount of placement hours. Due to COVID-19 not many businesses were taking on any students, I messaged many clinics, salons and spas but l was unsuccessful. However, I made contact with Vanité Clinic a respected Aesthetic and healthcare Clinic based in Solihull, West Midlands, within a few days the clinic responded and let me know that they would be happy to help accommodate me for my placement and we arranged a date so I could meet them in person before my placement began. Before meeting at the Clinic I did my own research at home looking at their website and many social media platforms. Upon my research I found that the clinic was ran by two medical professionals. Asif mukhtar B.Sc.(Hons), M.Sc, MR Pharms/GpHC and Clinical Director and Farishta Farhang Independent Prescriber specialised in HTN, SCOPE certified, Aesthetic practitioner (PRP, IVNT& IVDT specialist), Pharmacist, WM specialist (injectables), remote consultation specialist for obesity and Director and CEO. After meeting both Asif and Farishta on the 12th of October 2020 and understanding what treatments they offered and what I will be spending my time doing I was very intrigued and looking forward to starting my journey at Vanité Clinic.

When The placement began on the 19th of October we were very busy in the healthcare section of the clinic, doing COVID PCR and Antibody tests, this was because due to the lockdown no salons or salon treatments were allowed to take place therefore I was mainly assisting within the healthcare section. Although I was there for the aesthetic experience, due to it being closed for lockdown I had to focus on the healthcare side. However I learnt so much while doing this, both Farishta and Asif helped me build my knowledge and confidence in my admin work e.g. answering phone calls, typing up Covid-19 results and inputting data. Farishta also guided me and helped me prepare for university by giving loads of advice on how to study and which books to purchase to help me reach my full potential. When working at Vanite clinic I helped in setting up their blogs which enabled me to learn so much about the treatments they offer by me doing this it has also pushed me to look for additional courses for me to complete alongside my university course. With their help and advice I feel fully prepared for university and I am very much looking forward to my course.

Once salons were allowed back open and treatments were allowed, the medically trained aesthetic practitioner Farishta allowed me to sit in and sometimes even help assist her in many aesthetic treatments. I shadowed Farishta when she performed the PRP treatment on a client which I really enjoyed watching and learn how the treatment is performed and the many benefits, while shadowing Farishta I also learnt the legal side of treatments, meaning I learnt how to correctly fill out a client treatment sheet and how to analyse medical conditions that would prevent the treatment from going ahead. I also shadowed Farishta when she performed a Botox treatment which I really enjoyed because that was something I wanted to do in the future I learned how to medically and correctly complete the treatment I made many notes on this as it’s something I want to do in the future. On the weekend the clinic performed many laser hair removal treatments Farishta offered me to come in and shadow Michel completing this treatment. I really enjoyed that because I will studying this in my university course and the knowledge I have gained from Vanité Clinic will help me in being more prepared for this. All of this I have learnt from shadowing Farishta will help me become a better aesthetic practitioner and student, my knowledge will give me the chance to achieve my full potential in this industry. While completing my placement at Vanite Clinic I also improved my confidence and professionalism in talking with clients and understanding how to build a relationship with them.

Overall, I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at Vanité Clinic ending my placement on the 10th of June 2021 although it has been a hard few months I have made some great friends and learnt so much that will help me further along in my career and life. While speaking daily to Farishta she really inspired me to focus on my studies and accomplish everything I want in life and not to let anyone ruin that. Farishta has accomplished so much and is already very successful at such a young age, after having our conversations she has taught me that I can accomplish that too with hard work, dedication and resilience. Asif has taught me that through professionalism and good communication skills I can build a great relationship with clients and customers which can help me to build my business. Asif has also taught me many admin skills including, how to professionally converse over the phone and how to organise data. Everything I have learnt at Vanité Clinic I can use in daily life, in university or in my own aesthetic business. I want to thank both Farishta Farhang and Asif Mukhtar for the opportunity during these hard times for me to learn and grow here at Vanité Clinic and for helping me in every way they can. I would really recommend any student looking for placement to really consider Vanité clinic it is an amazing clinic with the best treatments and the best staff. It has been a pleasure to accompany Vanité Clinic on this journey and I am very excited for my future and Vanité Clinic.