A decade of success

Dr Leah Totton speaks to editorial assistant Erin Leybourne about her clinics and changes in the industry since winning The Apprentice

Dr Leah Totton has had a remarkable career, moving into a business partnership with Alan Sugar at just 26 years old, navigating a growing clinic chain, and even launching a skincare line.

Looking back on the past decade, she shares her pride in the patient loyalty created by her clinics and her team.

“I think I’m most proud of our patient retention rate,” says Dr Totton. “I have patients that I’ve treated for ten years; there’s no greater compliment than someone who chooses to utilise your business. To be able to say that you’re their doctor of choice, you’re their clinic of choice, for a decade, is a great accolade.

“My team of doctors are honestly exceptional. We have eight clinic doctors who are all industry leaders in their own right. I have doctors who have worked with me over the last decade who have gone on to have amazing careers and practices within the industry, and it’s great to know that you have helped by giving them the opportunity, confidence, and experience working within an established chain of clinics.”

IN THE PRESS

Dr Leah Cosmetic Skin Clinics opened initially with a branch in London, to some backlash from the press and industry itself. Dr Totton shares that there was “a lot of negative commentary” about her age, appearance and gender.

“I think that we, as an industry, have moved past that. As a society, the stigma around having cosmetic treatments has decreased. What has also improved over that time is the understanding amongst the general population for the need to regulate this sector.”

Regarding regulation, she is confident that change isn’t too far away but insists it must be done correctly. As a member of the British College of Aesthetic Medicine (BCAM), and a close contact of the Care Quality Commission (CQC), Dr Totton is hoping that attention will be paid to the details.

“I’m completely behind the consultation that has taken place, I made some recommendations to it. We need to make sure that it’s set in law and that it isn’t just applicable to people who are part of a medical body. Although thread lifts are regulated now, the reality is that only doctors and healthcare professionals performing them are regulated.”

BUSINESS ETHICS

She recalls that, at the time of opening, it was important for her to create an ethical business.

“The industry was very different ten years ago,” she says. “There wasn’t anyone in that middle-market space where you could get doctor-led treatments. We wanted to make high-quality, nonsurgical treatments available to the general population. We offer doctor-only treatments at reasonable prices, so people can access high-quality treatments.

“We advocate a very natural approach; we don’t overfill or over-treat. We use energy-based device treatments as much as possible, to meet natural outcomes.”

In October of 2022, Dr Totton launched her skincare line, Dr Leah Skincare, which currently consists of two products, and took seven years to formulate. The formulations are paraben-free, fragrance-free, vegan, and safe in pregnancy, all of which were important to her.

“Alan Sugar was very keen that we had a product line. I insisted it was clinically and scientifically exactly as I wanted. I feel they represent the brand and that, for me, is what a product line is about. It’s not about making a quick buck. It’s an extension of me and Dr Leah Skin Clinics, and of the quality that we offer. ”

A BALANCED OUTLOOK

Offering some advice to women moving into the industry, she talks about the importance of balance: “I think it’s a great sector for women. It allows you the flexibility that sometimes an NHS career doesn’t afford. I’ve had a daughter in the last 10 years, and that’s brought home to me the importance of work-life balance. I think the cosmetic sector offers that.

“That said, it can also be very consuming. My advice to any woman who is setting out in aesthetics is to set boundaries. Aesthetics does give you more flexibility, but anyone who’s working in aesthetics will know that your day doesn’t stop when your last patient leaves the room or leaves the treatment couch.

“It was only really when I had my daughter that I realised how much of my evening and weekends I would spend going back to emails and social media. Now, for me, that is protected time.”

Going forward, the goal is to maintain the quality of the brand, by keeping the same ethos she started with.

“If you do things well and take care of your patients, they will always come back. I’m not in this industry to scale to a hundred clinics, I’m here to build a business with the right ethics, the right principles at its core, that will be around for a very long time.”