WOMEN IN AESTHETIC MEDICINE
EMOTIONAL BURNOUT
Could burnout be driven more by emotional strain than workload? WIAM investigates…
As we start a new year, many of us are feeling stressed and overwhelmed. In fact, according to the 2025 Mental Health UK Burnout Report1 , nine in 10 adults reported experiencing high or extreme levels of pressure or stress, leaving them at risk of burnout.
The term “burnout” was first coined in the 1970s by American psychologist Herbert Freudenberger to describe exhaustion in helping professions2 , so it comes as no surprise today that healthcare professionals are among the most susceptible.3
Aesthetic practitioners who still work for the NHS may find themselves particularly at risk, with research showing that NHS staff are 50% more likely to experience chronic stress, a known contributor to burnout.4
In addition, numerous studies indicate that small business owners are highly susceptible to burnout5 and often experience it more intensely than traditional employees, due to a unique combination of long hours, sole responsibility, financial stress, and a lack of formal support systems. Another statistic that applies to many women working in aesthetics.
However, did you know it may not be the workload that’s breaking you?
WORKLOAD VERSUS EMOTIONAL STRAIN
Recent psychological research6 suggests burnout is driven less by hours worked and more by emotional strain caused by social and relational dynamics. Long days, complex cases and business pressures all matter, but what exhausts the brain most rapidly is chronic interpersonal stress.
For women in aesthetic medicine – many of whom are solo practitioners, small business owners, or leaders in emotionally intense, client-facing roles – this type of burnout is particularly prevalent.
WHY WOMEN ARE MORE SUSCEPTIBLE TO EMOTIONAL BURNOUT
UK data consistently shows women experience higher rates of burnout, stress and work-related mental health absence than men.7 Nearly two-thirds of women report burnout, compared to just over half of men, and women are significantly more likely to describe daily, prolonged stress and difficulty switching off.
There are structural reasons for this, but there are also gendered emotional realities at play. For example, women are more likely to carry emotional labour from managing clients’ anxieties and staff emotions at the same time as shouldering family responsibilities. In aesthetic medicine, this is amplified. Patients bring their vulnerabilities, expectations and emotions into the room – and women are often socialised to absorb, soothe and manage this without acknowledging the emotional cost to themselves.
For those with teams, there is the additional emotional load of leadership while still being expected to deliver clinically and commercially.
But we are all also under a different type of emotional strain in the current climate, one on a larger social scale. As WIAM board member Vanessa Bird (The Aesthetic Consultant) says, “You can be emotionally burned out without having any conflict with others. Mine comes from always being switched on – developing ideas, implementing projects, juggling short, mid and long-term plans – while having one eye on the absolute clown show that is the UK right now. There’s an underlying stressor for everyone. Scarcity has hit, people feel threatened, and that’s making environments more competitive, closed off and, frankly, unpleasant.”
All this means our nervous systems are in a heightened stress response state, leading to elevated cortisol levels and a decline in emotional regulation, focus and motivation.
HOW CLINIC OWNERS CAN BETTER SUPPORT STAFF AND THEMSELVES
If you employ others, preventing emotional burnout is valuable to your business. Lost time due to mental health is on the rise, and while compassion is key, the reality is that staff being out of action has a financial impact on your business.
One of the most important things is communication. Set clear expectations for staff and be consistent in your communication. Unpredictable feedback or shifting standards keep people on edge. Set boundaries for you and your team around time and availability – constant accessibility fuels burnout cultures. Importantly, make sure you give recognition and validation where due – feeling undervalued and unappreciated is a contributing factor to emotional burnout.
You can also do an audit of your workplace’s levels of emotional toxicity. Do people feel safe to speak up without fear of reprisal? Are staff respectful of one another and able to disagree without personal attacks? Does the culture encourage being constantly “on” and available at all times? Are you leading by example?
WHEN YOU ARE ALREADY BURNED OUT: WHAT NOW?
One of the most important reframes is this: burnout is not a personal failure; it’s your nervous system signalling that the environment you are in is unsustainable.
And it doesn’t happen overnight. Burnout creeps up on you quietly. You may still be functioning, caring for patients, showing up online to create content and holding the business together. But the telltale signs are there: feelings of exhaustion, a lack of joy in your work, mental fogginess and overwhelm.
So if you are feeling the effects of burnout, instead of thinking about tackling it in terms of reducing workload, perhaps come at it from the perspective of reducing emotional load. Many women report rapid improvement once relational stressors are removed, even if their workload remains demanding.
Start by re-establishing emotional boundaries with patients, colleagues or partners, and where possible, reduce your exposure to stressful relationships.
You may also want to seek peer support outside your immediate business or undertake professional coaching or therapy to help you manage stress. And if all else fails, you always have the choice to walk away from toxic roles, partnerships or environments.
Running an aesthetic business is a passion for many, but pursuing that passion doesn’t have to mean emotional self-sacrifice. Burnout is a reality of modern living, but if you look for the signs, you can take action before it takes hold.