WOMEN IN AESTHETIC MEDICINE
NO Picnic
Is being a member of the club sandwich generation squeezing women out of the aesthetics workforce?
If you’re a female aesthetic practitioner or clinic owner in your 40s, 50s or early 60s, there’s a good chance you’re part of a club known as “the sandwich generation.” And despite the name, it’s no picnic. The term was coined to describe that stage of life where middle-aged adults find themselves simultaneously supporting ageing parents and growing children. This is largely a result of life expectancy rising and more people starting families later in life.1
Data from the Office for National Statistics2 , published in November 2024, estimated that there were 1.4 million sandwich carers in the UK between 2021 and 2023, based on the Understanding Society study.3
For female aesthetic business owners, there are often extra layers to the sandwich, adding running their practice into the mix alongside navigating perimenopause or menopause.
The pressure can be relentless. As Dr Anna Hemming, founder of Thames Skin Clinic and WIAM board member, puts it: “They call it the sandwich generation, but personally, it feels more like being the plate that everything is piled on.”
THE UNSEEN LOAD BEHIND “SUCCESSFUL” CLINIC OWNERS
On the surface, many women in aesthetics appear to “have it all together” – a thriving business, loyal patients, and a growing social media following, but behind the scenes, they are often holding up entire ecosystems at home and at work.
Dr Hemming knows this all too well. Her clinic has won multiple awards while juggling family life. She says, “There’s a myth that if you are successful, you must be coping. Running a clinic means being the ultimate decision-maker, managing teams, patients, compliance and acting as emotional support for staff and patients. It also means balancing finances, operations, training and marketing.
“At the same time, you are dealing with ageing parents and the guilt of not being there enough as well as the pressure to be the ‘good, available’ parent while your brain is full of everyone else’s problems.”
WIAM board member and founder of East Riding Aesthetics, Tracey Dennison, adds, “When you work for yourself, the perception is you have ultimate flexibility. But because there is some flexibility, you’re also the person everyone turns to when life needs you. It’s demanding, challenging, tricky, but also incredibly rewarding.”
CAREGIVING: THE SILENT SECOND JOB
The UK’s ageing population means more women than ever are supporting elderly parents. Research from the UCL Centre for Longitudinal Studies and the University of Oxford shows that baby boomers are living longer but with poorer health than previous generations, leading to increased caregiving demands.4
This means women in the sandwich generation often become advocates navigating health and social care systems; emergency responders to falls, hospital visits or cognitive decline; emotional anchors for worried siblings or family dynamics and coordinators of appointments, finances, home care or long-term planning.
In addition, whether they’re toddlers, teens or twenty-somethings struggling with adulthood, children (and grandchildren) remain a major pull on time and emotional bandwidth.
This could look like the constant struggle of trying to make a school play, but being tied up in clinic and feeling like the “always late mum” rushing from treatment rooms to pick-ups.
While this load can impact both parents, data published by the TUC5 shows that women are seven times more likely than men to be out of work due to caring commitments.
WOULD YOU LIKE A SIDE OF MENOPAUSE WITH YOUR SANDWICH?
To add a bit of extra spice to the sandwich, many women also find themselves navigating the physiological wildcard that is perimenopause and menopause at the same time.
This is not just hot flushes, it’s broken sleep, brain fog, anxiety or low mood, loss of confidence, night sweats, fatigue and changes in cognition and decision-making, all of which make the mental load even more draining.
For clinic leaders, whose roles require constant focus, emotional regulation and reactivity, these symptoms can hit at the worst possible time. According to multiple workforce studies, menopause is now a major contributing factor in midlife women reducing hours, stepping back from leadership, or leaving the workforce entirely.6
WHY THIS MATTERS: THE WORKFORCE IMPACT WE’RE NOT TALKING ABOUT
The sandwich generation is not a niche issue. As it disproportionately impacts women – according to the ONS2, most sandwich carers are female (61%) – it’s a gendered workforce issue we can’t afford to ignore.
Research indicates that women in midlife experience the highest combined stress levels of any demographic, with a BBC Worklife report describing this as “the most pressurised era of a woman’s life.”7 High-achieving women are quietly burning out, not because they lack strength, but because the system assumes they will cope. And in aesthetic medicine – an industry built on female entrepreneurship – this matters. Women in their 40s-60s are often at the pinnacle of their careers. They are experienced and knowledgeable, and the last thing an ailing economy needs is them hanging up the towel.
YOUR ‘NO-PICNIC’ SURVIVAL KIT
Dr Hemming offers five key things to focus on in order to navigate being in the sandwich generation: 1. Boundaries that protect your time and sanity
“It’s all about what you no longer say yes to”, Dr Hemming says. “Set clinic hours that are realistic, create ‘off limit’ time for family or rest and let go of the belief that you must be endlessly available.”
2. Systems, automation and delegation “Streamline wherever possible”, advises Dr Hemming. “This could mean using online booking and automated reminders and payment systems, delegating admin, social media or stock management and outsourcing finance, HR or marketing instead of ‘doing it all’. Small efficiencies compound into real breathing space.”
3. Medical and emotional support Make sure you put on your own oxygen mask first. This might mean prioritising sleep, getting outside for a walk or making sure you eat properly. You may also want to explore HRT or menopause treatments when appropriate.
“Emotional support is also key”, says Dr Hemming. “Build a professional circle where you can speak openly and access therapy and peer.”
4. Family communication “Accept that some balls will drop, and that’s normal”, advises Dr Hemming. “Share responsibilities when possible and communicate your capacity (what you can and truly cannot do) and consider external support for parents – before crisis hits.”
5. Let go of perfection Sometimes “good enough” is the most sustainable strategy, says Dr Hemming. “This may be a clinic that runs well, not flawlessly; a home that’s lived in, not immaculate and children who see resilience, not martyrdom.”
A COMPASSIONATE REFRAME
If you are stuck in the sandwich generation and it feels impossible at times, remember it isn’t because you’re failing, it’s because you’re carrying responsibilities that were never designed for one person.
There’s no shame in feeling the burden of this load. That’s why honest conversations matter. The more openly we discuss it, the more we can build systems that support rather than strain. Because yes, it’s no picnic being in the sandwich generation, but with the right support, you don’t have to eat it alone.