First up in our Eden Medical Professional in Facial Aesthetics interview series is Dr Ciara.
An Honours Dentistry graduate from University College Cork, Ciara completed her aesthetics training at the Royal College of General Practitioners in London and is passionate about all areas of facial aesthetics. She likes to ensure all her patients leave the clinic feeling confident and looking natural.
Dr Ciara 
What about Aesthetic Medicine inspired you to move into this area?
I am a qualified dentist and have always enjoyed the more aesthetic side to dentistry. I always get great job satisfaction by improving someone’s smile with tweaks such as whitening, composite bonding or Invisalign. I love the feeling of helping a patient feel great about themselves. So, I suppose it felt like a natural progression to move into facial aesthetics where small tweaks can make such a difference to someone’s confidence.
What is your favourite treatment that you perform?
I particularly enjoy treating the lips. I get to combine my knowledge of facial anatomy with my artistic skills, and I find it really satisfying. I am all for natural enhancements, and I want my patients to feel like the best version of themselves.
Were you nervous about performing your first treatment?
Not particularly. Before moving into aesthetic dentistry, I had worked for a number of years in Waterford and Cork as a dentist and so had a lot of experience in injecting and performing intricate and delicate procedures. In UCC, as an undergraduate, I received an excellent education in head and neck anatomy, the location of blood vessels and nerves etc. We even carried out some dissections of human cadavers to help consolidate our knowledge of anatomy!
I had already completed several highly regarded courses in the area of facial aesthetics. I felt totally at ease and excited to start treating my first patients.
What’s your favourite part of your job?
I love meeting new people every day and hearing their stories! Every person that walks in the door is different, and I relish making people feel more refreshed and happy in their own skin.
Where do you think the industry is heading?
I think the industry is growing all the time. I think people are certainly becoming more open about telling their friends and family about what cosmetic work and tweaks they have had done.
We are seeing more men coming through our doors also, and I expect that trend to continue.
Do you think the industry needs more/better regulation?
Yes!
