In the limelight

In January of 2024, ITVX released a documentary, ‘The Price of Perfection’, looking into the aesthetics industry, hosted by Olivia Attwood. Dr Mahsa Saleki was approached by the production team around a year before filming started.

“They already knew what treatments they wanted, and they asked whether I’d be happy to be filmed doing the procedure. I did a casting tape, spoke with the producers,” she explains, “then we chose a patient, and they interviewed her to make sure that she was happy to be involved.”

The filming day was straightforward. Dr Saleki gave the producers and crew an explanation about the procedure, a ‘fox eye lift’ using threads, and what they should expect.

WAITING GAME

The production team got back in contact about two days before airing to let Dr Saleki know that she would definitely be featured.

“To be honest, it was daunting; you put the control in the hands of the producers and editors, and hope that the final product reflects your values and ethics.”

Thread treatments are controversial, mostly due to their lack of regulation. In 2022, Save Face saw a 30% increase in thread lift complaints in comparison to the year before, with a total of 118 complaints.

Dr Saleki has teamed up with Save Face on the Thread Bare campaign, designed to support the safe practice of thread treatments and drive-up industry standards by raising awareness of the risks of improper thread lift procedures. It focuses on educating the public on the importance of finding a regulated aesthetics practitioner.

She initiated the idea with Ashton Collins from Save Face, who was keen to tackle the subject: “Ashton and I both agree that there’s not enough regulation around thread lifts, particularly with the increase in complaints about procedures done badly.”

“Thread lifts are a very good entry point treatment to open up the discussion about regulation because there is such a discrepancy between medics and non-medics,” Dr Saleki explains. “For medics, you must be CQC-registered. You have to operate from a registered premises, you have to have regular inspections. Non-medics can just crack on and do it wherever they want to. That discrepancy deserves lots of attention from a patient safety perspective and then, hopefully, that can translate into other procedures.”

Her advice for medics wanting to do thread lifts is to gain experience before training for the procedure.

“Don’t do them too early in your career because they’re high risk,” she says. “You should be super comfortable with not just the facial anatomy, but skin structure itself. Go and train somewhere that has surgical expertise, and then, if you do have to manage complications, you have the necessary back-up.

“I think thread lifts are a successful procedure for me because I respect them for what they are, which is essentially a bridging procedure between the surgical and non-surgical. I think they’re best left to medics that have a bit more experience. If you still want to tap into that market, it might be worth creating a referral scheme with a thread lift specialist, rather than taking the risk yourself.”

PAYING THE PRICE

As the name indicates, Attwood’s documentary series has been critical of the aesthetics industry. Viewers get an insight into all sorts of procedures, from intimate waxing, all the way to invasive surgeries. “Would I film for a documentary again?” muses Dr Saleki. “Yes. Would I need more information next time? Yes. Would I recommend it to my colleagues? Definitely.

“I think it offers a moment of true reflection for us as medics, because if you’re happy to be aired on TV doing something, that means you’re confident and competent in performing the procedures that you’re doing.”

Having a celebrity clientele or media presence can bring a certain degree of validity to your practice, especially when those clients are praising you, but Dr Saleki is more interested to see how patients, law makers, and the wider industry, use this opportunity to reflect.

“I think having these uncomfortable discussions about regulations on a more national level, in a more open forum than before, is very helpful. It brings it to the attention of policymakers that may have not been as astute about it prior to this, and it allows the public to be informed. I definitely think it’s a positive from that perspective.”

She suggests that practitioners looking for TV opportunities or a celebrity clientele should aim to be the best they can be.

“I think that’s probably the most important thing,” she concludes. “Rather than having the aim of attracting celebrities or TV shows, have the ethos of doing a good job. Use your skills, your assets, and your technical abilities, to give your patients the best treatment that you can. If you do that well, then naturally, the market will follow.”

DR MAHSA SALEKI

Dr Mahsa Saleki started her medical career as an NHS cardiothoracic surgeon for the largest NHS trust in the country, Barts Health. Always keen on new technologies and wanting to find a contrast to her highly pressurised day job, Dr Saleki sought out training in thread lifting to become a pioneer in the method and introduce it to the UK. With over a decade of industry experience, she has established a thriving clinic in the heart of London.