Emerald Medical Aesthetics

It’s funny how that question sneaks in, isn’t it?

You can be halfway through an idea — researching a treatment, scrolling through before-and-afters, starting to feel that flicker of excitement — and then your stomach drops.

What will people think?

It’s a quiet fear, but a powerful one.

Maybe it’s your friends. Maybe it’s your partner. Maybe it’s that one colleague who always has an opinion about everything.

You can already hear the comments:
“She doesn’t need that.”
“Oh, she’s one of those women now.”
“Why can’t people just age naturally?”

And even though no one’s said a word, you start defending yourself in your head.

You close the tab, scroll past the post, pretend you weren’t interested after all.

People will always have opinions.
And most of them aren’t really about you.

They come from their own insecurities, their own discomfort, their own fear of being judged for caring.

Because it’s easier to criticise someone else than to admit you wish you had the same courage.

You’re not doing this for them. You’re doing it for you.

To feel lighter. To feel more at ease in your own skin. To wake up and not spend ten minutes hiding from your reflection.

That doesn’t make you shallow. It makes you self-aware.

When someone says, “I’d never do that,” what they usually mean is, “I wish I could, but I’m scared.”
And maybe they never will. That’s okay.

Because your choices don’t need to make sense to anyone else — only you.

You’re allowed to want to feel confident again.

You’re allowed to take up space, quietly, without apology.

You don’t have to explain, justify, or shrink to make other people comfortable.

So next time that thought creeps in — What will people think? — try answering it differently.

Maybe they’ll think you look happy.

Maybe they’ll think you look rested.

Maybe they won’t think anything at all.

And maybe, finally, you won’t care.

I forgot to pay for my coffee last week because my brain was so full.

The lovely lady had to follow my mum and I out the door to politely check if we were intending to pay.

Slightly embarrassing but understandable given the perimenopausal brain fog that my crossword book doesn’t seem to be sorting out!

When I trained in aesthetics and set up my clinic 4 years ago I had absolutely no idea what it was to run your own business after working in NHS hospitals for 20 years.

Let’s just say it’s been a massive learning curve.

One of my first hurdles was learning how to post on Instagram being the social media dinosaur that I was!

But seriously, the mental load sometimes feels like my brain can’t possibly fit another thing in alongside all the home / admin/ kid stuff that needs to be retained. The reminders app on my phone is a life saver!

Don’t get me wrong. I love everything skincare and am obsessed with my little aesthetic clinic but sometimes it would be nice to dial down my overactive brain.

That’s why when I need some me time I close the door to my clinic room, hop on my clinic bed and listen to some soothing music under my LED mask. I know! Skin obsessed.

Us working mums can’t keep running on empty. Some days your to-do list feels overwhelming.

Thats when you know you need some time just for you.

🎓Advanced clinical prescribing pharmacist-led clinic
📍Wheatlands Road, Harrogate

Somewhere between the laundry, the deadlines, the drop-offs, and the never-ending to-do list… I forgot about her.

Me.

The version of me who used to take her time getting ready.

Not just slapping on a bit of mascara in the downstairs loo before I run out the door.

Who felt confident in her skin — or at least, more connected to it.

Life got loud.

Busy.

Demanding.

And somewhere along the way, I slipped to the bottom of the priority list.

Everything else came first.

Everyone else came first.

And then one day I caught a glimpse of myself — not in a posed selfie, not in good lighting, just in the back camera on a rushed morning — and I thought…

"When did I start disappearing?"

It wasn’t about ageing.

It wasn’t about vanity.

It was about recognition.

I just wanted to see a version of myself I still felt connected to.

That’s what led me back to aesthetics.

Not to chase youth — but to reconnect.

To feel refreshed.

To soften the tiredness etched on my face that didn’t match how I felt inside.

To take back something that was mine.

And it was never about trying to be someone else.

It was about remembering myself.

That’s the thing no one tells you:

Sometimes, the most powerful self-care isn’t bubble baths or affirmations…

It’s giving yourself permission to say,

“I matter too.”

Even if it’s just an appointment.

Even if it’s just a subtle tweak.

Even if no one else notices — you will.

When is the last time you did something just for you?

🎓Advanced clinical prescribing pharmacist-led clinic
📍Wheatlands Road, Harrogate

I was so tired the other night I hopped into the bath with my bra on…

This was a first for me, but also slightly worrying.

Thankfully, my brain cells whirred into action and alerted me to the fact that “something was wrong with this picture” before I fully submerged myself.

And it got me thinking; are working mums the busiest people on the planet?

I keep being told recently that in a few years the kids will have left home & the house will feel empty…so we must embrace the chaos as long as it lasts….but seriously I could do with some less life admin.

The thing about running around like a headless chicken making sure everyone else’s life runs like clockwork…is that your life doesn’t & the end of the working week feels like you’ve run an Ultramarathon. (I have never run anywhere near this, but you know what I mean!)

You look in the mirror and you start not to recognise the edging towards haggard, dull, uneven skin on your face & neck.

Let’s not even mention the adjective “turkey” in the vicinity of “neck”. It’s too depressing!

You’re moisturising, you’re using expensive skincare - but you still keep looking older.

The brutal honest truth is…
that your skincare routine and the odd facial when you get a gift voucher just isn’t cutting it anymore.

Your skin needs more than surface level care to stay fresh and hydrated.

The secret?

It’s all about skin renewal - boosting hydration from within and stimulating collagen.

If it’s time to schedule some self care message me.

If you can book everyone’s else’s appointments why can’t you book this?

🎓Advanced clinical prescribing pharmacist-led clinic
📍Wheatlands Road, Harrogate

Has summer left its mark on your skin?

Summer skin damage.

Yep, it’s real and it doesn’t take prisoners.

You finally took that well deserved holiday, headed off somewhere for a bit of sunshine and plonked yourself on a sun lounger for a week or two.

Why wouldn’t you?

Nothing feels quite as luxurious as an early doors cocktail in the sun, the sound of waves in the background, and the blissful absence of your daily grind.

You’ve earned it.

But then, you get back home, unpack your suitcase, put 22 washes on….and as the tan fades something looks different when you look in the mirror.

Holidays, sunshine, heat, travel and disrupted routines can leave our skin looking and feeling a little different by the end of summer.

You may be noticing dehydration, duller, uneven skin tone or pigmentation, fine lines or changes in texture and skin quality.

September is the perfect opportunity to reassess your skin and give it what it needs.

⏰Time to put yourself back on your to-do list.

🎓Advanced clinical prescribing pharmacist-led clinic
📍Wheatlands Road, Harrogate