The shortest day and Matariki (the Māori New Year) should traditionally mark a quieter time of year for us, but this year June has been super-busy with lots of training (both internally and externally), media exposure, baby announcements, and wonderful new team members!
We are beyond excited to welcome two phenomenal new (but experienced) nurses to The Face Place family. It’s made even more exciting by the fact that once again we have an industry first, with Esme being NZ’s first cosmetic Nurse Practitioner! The Nurse Practitioner role is pretty special in NZ, as there are only about 500 NPs in the country, and they have advanced studies and skills beyond a registered nurse, meaning they are able to diagnose and prescribe in a manner similar to a GP.
I’m personally excited to have Esme joining the team as she adds another layer of support for our incredible nursing team from both a clinical and organisational perspective. She is also super-lovely!
Both of our new nurses, Hannah and Esme, are not only incredibly lovely humans, but they also bring a wealth of previous injecting experience with them. It’s always wonderful to have new energy and ideas coming into the team.
You may have noticed we have had a lot of nurses join the team recently – partly as we grow, and partly to prepare for our amazing senior nurses, Kaitlin and Marjorie, going on maternity leave in July and August. We are super excited for them – it’s a highly anticipated baby #2 for them both – and also sad that we won’t be seeing their gorgeous faces every day for a wee while… although we know they’ll be back in no time! In the meantime, we have some superb talent in Esme, Hannah, and Felicia, and we’re all totally confident you’ll find the transition seamless if you have been seeing Marj or Kaitlin, and move to one of our newer faces
We’ve been doing huge amounts of training to have our new faces indoctrinated in ‘The Face Place’ way of doing things (because we do things a bit differently around here ), and all of the ladies have been amazingly quick to embrace the new philosophies and treatments. They are fast learners and each one has been handpicked for their exceptional skills and passion for the industry. I had an O-Shot with Esme last Monday and it was one of the best I’ve had! (Which is pretty amazing, as Dr Charles Runels, who invented the procedure, did my first two ). I think Kaitlin might have to be handing over the O-Shot crown
– Injecting on stage at the recent Allergan workshop
I have also been involved in a lot of external training of the industry this month, being the sole trainer for an all-day workshop with Allergan (the makers of BotoxⓇ and Juvederm) that had both a live audience and was live-streamed globally (hence having to wear a mask!); we ran our popular Hyalase Workshop – not once, but twice in the last month – teaching cosmetic injectors how and when to use the filler-dissolving enzyme Hyalase; and Kaitlin and I facilitated an internal tear trough training session for our whole medical team. Kaitlin has been a huge help in pulling so much of both the internal and external training together, despite being heavily pregnant. She really is a superstar!
– Advanced Senior Nurse Kaitlin with me at our recent Hyalase Workshop.
We’ve been featured in some great media pieces this month – one of the stand-out pieces being a huge front-page article about the menopausal transition in Viva magazine, part of the NZ Herald. If you missed it, you can read it online here.
We’ve also had some great articles on sexual rejuvenation in Channel magazine and you can click here to read all about avoiding ‘pillow face’ in Headway magazine. I was also proud to speak up for raising industry standards in this piece for BusinessDesk – to read it, click here. Keep an eye on The Hobson for more!
Amongst all the work I’ve managed to have a couple of fun celebrations, including my ‘lockdown wife’/flatmate Shareen’s 50th birthday party! My gorgeous friend @ranishortland_makeupartist made us look super-glam for Shareen’s sparkle-themed night! We thought Shareen looked a little bit like Marilyn Monroe with her blonde hair and shimmery dress… She certainly looks amazing for 50!!
I also managed to get down to Queenstown for one day of Winterfest (I was meant to do five, but was already booked up with patients). The snow at The Remarkables was incredible, and it was a stunning bluebird day when I got up the mountain for an afternoon session, after some virtual meetings with my team. I was a bit rusty on the snowboard at first, but by the end of the afternoon I was carving it down the mountain again
– A stunning day on the slopes!
Our leadership team popped across to Waiheke last week for a full strategy day, integrating Esme into the leadership team and exploring our strategies for the next six months to five years. We had an incredible time at the beautiful Mudbrick Lodge, topped off with dinner at Mudbrick restaurant and an after-dinner spa! We’ve come back invigorated and focused on how we can take TFP to even higher levels, while the team leaders will be more empowered with greater responsibility and I’m excited for the next few years ahead of us! I’m so proud of our leadership team and how they support and inspire our phenomenal TFP family.
– A brainstorming session in a beautiful location with our leadership team.
With the shortest day now passed, I’m looking forward to the days getting longer and the first signs of spring announcing that summer is on its way!
The borders are looking unstable, and with my schedule booked 2-3 months ahead, it’s unlikely I’ll be heading overseas into the sunshine any time soon. If you were wanting an appointment with me but struggling to get in when you want, I can recommend either going on my waitlist (sometimes appointments come up!) or even better, seeing one of our brilliant new faces on the team… I know you won’t be disappointed!
As always, we are extraordinarily grateful for your continued support – it’s seeing patients like you that give us the extreme passion for what we do!!
Have a fabulous July!
Love,
Dr Cat
