In this Glowday Practitioner Spotlight interview, I was lucky enough to chat with the amazing Anna Baker, award-winning nurse practitioner, BACN board member and owner of Anna Baker Aesthetics. She describes a typical week in her life, as well as why she’s so passionate about Profhilo.
Hi Anna! We love how passionate you are about continued learning. Why is this so important to you?
Until aesthetics becomes recognised by our statutory bodies, the danger is that it’s easy for people to create their own definition of what an expert is.
Everyone in the speciality has a responsibility to the public to keep learning. Aesthetic medicine is evolving all the time; so much happens in a month, let alone a year. So, for me, you can’t just assume that because you have a post-graduate qualification in aesthetics that you should just stop learning.
It’s dangerous to think that you know it all in this speciality. I’ve been working full-time in this speciality for a long time and will always be learning. Continued study gives you more credibility, helps you be safer, and the public deserves it. Even if you’re a specialist in a certain area, you can still go beyond that.
You’re an award-winning nurse practitioner. What does this mean to you?
I’m very humbled. Awards like the Aesthetic Awards Nurse Practitioner of the Year are amazing and have a lot of credibility to them. If you look at others who have won the same award, they are all nurse practitioners who strive to go above and beyond in terms of their aesthetic careers, education or their clinical premises. They have something quite special to bring to the speciality, and it’s a privilege to be recognised. I don’t know how the judges make their decision - there are so many phenomenal aesthetic nurses out there.
So, is the nurse practitioner community as close knit as it seems?
We really do try to support each other. People can come and talk to us at the BACN whenever they need to. I remember when I was first starting out and felt like I was completely alone. Walking into conferences on my own for the first time could be really intimidating. I felt like I always wanted to make sure I was welcoming and inclusive. It’s important to be human and to be kind.
What advice would you give to nurses looking to join the aesthetics industry?
I would say to consider joining an association like the BACN, becoming involved in peer support groups, reaching out to people, joining regional events, and going to conferences. There’s an increasing amount of awareness now about the risks of working in isolation - with regards to confidence, skill set, safety and awareness. Building a network of people and professionals from other specialities around you is increasingly important
Continued personal development (CPD) is also important. There are so many workshops, post-graduate courses, webinars and online learning opportunities like, TED Talks, MOOCS and so much more.
You're a busy woman. What does a typical working week look like for you?
No two weeks are ever exactly the same for me. Over the course of a week, I spend a minimum of two days training, usually in the London area but this can also be nationwide. I do a lot of HA-Derma’s training sessions, which are often any time from Monday to Sunday and are booked well in advance. Then I spend around three days of the week in the clinic. Other additional days in the month are for training sessions with either AestheticSource or with Mr Dalvi Humzah and I generally try to have one admin day per week at home. It’s usually a six to seven-day-working-week.
What’s your favourite treatment to perform?
I absolutely love Profhilo because the science behind it is so incredible and unique. The grade of material used in the product is so pure - there are no chemicals - and it’s such a different type of technology. IBSA are the pharmaceutical company who manufacture the product and they are true innovators in hyaluronic acid science, research and development, by producing their own raw hyaluronic acid material.
Profhilo’s main indications are for addressing skin laxity, skin quality and hydration through it’s unique regenerative bioremodelling effects. There is continual research being performed which is exploring the regenerative properties of Profhilo.
