I am delighted to introduce myself as one of the Journal of Aesthetic Nursing's two new Consultant Editors. The second Consultant Editor joining our freshly forged duo is Tracey Dennison, who will introduce herself in the next issue.
My name is Dr Sophie Shotter, and I practise between my two clinics in Kent and Harley Street. I have been practising aesthetics for over 12 years now — what started off with a short training course and an intention to run my own business alongside my NHS role as an anaesthetist, turned into an absolute passion. I founded Illuminate Skin Clinic in 2014, and now have an amazing team of doctors, nurses, therapists, managers and support staff who allow me to provide our patients with the best care we possibly can.
My practices encompass all things aesthetics, in addition to ‘well ageing’, great skincare, top quality injectables and evidence-based devices. I also have many other roles – I am a Trustee for BCAM, I am a thought leader and speaker for several companies including Allergan, I have my own podcast, Age Well with Dr Sophie Shotter, and I am very passionate about providing high quality patient education via my social media channels. When it comes to my professional passions, there are a few. First and foremost, I am passionate about standards. I think we are all too familiar with the variable standards across aesthetics in the UK, both in terms of product and practitioner. My commitment to preserving standards is something I carry through the treatments I perform, the training I deliver and the regulatory change I do my best to help drive. Delivering treatments at an exemplary level is of great importance to me. My utmost satisfaction truly comes from helping to bring people's smiles back. In fact, that is why I called my clinic ‘Illuminate’, because the smiles we help to bring back, light up our patients' faces. This, for me, is the single most emotionally rewarding moment of my day.
Longevity medicine and well ageing is a huge passion of mine. I noticed early on in my injecting career that so many of my patients were coming to me, struggling with the impact of ageing, not just on the outside, but on the inside too. This drove me to pursue hormone education in the US, and I have continued to educate myself on this subject. We all age differently, and as aesthetic clinicians we have the privilege of helping our patients' skin to age well — and as the largest organ in the body, this can have a profound impact on internal health as well. So, whether you step into the realms of health management more widely or not, we are all, in some way, contributing to the ‘well ageing movement’.
Last but not least, I love to see and nurture other people's growth. Be it my team, the people I mentor and train along the way, or other people in the aesthetic space who I notice flourishing and who inspire me. I hope I can bring these qualities to my new role as Consultant Editor, helping to bring high quality information and education to the readers of the Journal of Aesthetic Nursing, so that we together can continue to raise the standards within our specialty.