AMY BIRD

WHEN DID IT BECOME A COMPETITION?

Amy Bird reflects on the growing pressure for visibility in aesthetics and asks whether recognition, ego and competition are quietly reshaping the profession’s values

The aesthetics sector has grown at remarkable speed over the past decade. With that growth has come innovation, opportunity and a level of professional development many of us once hoped the sector would achieve.

But alongside these positive developments, something else has crept in quietly, or maybe grown legs quietly; a culture where visibility, recognition and personal status can sometimes appear to matter more than professionalism in many a sense of the word.

THE PRESSURE TO PERFORM

Spend any time on social media, attend industry events or browse the latest awards announcements and it can begin to feel as though medical aesthetics has become a competition. A competition for followers. For titles. For speaking slots. For who can present themselves as the most successful practitioner in the room.

Does this put unnecessary pressure on us? For those of us who are barely keeping afloat with the juggling act of independent practice and life with all its responsibilities.

Does the kindness of colleague support and championing dilute? And is this success?

Confidence is essential in aesthetics. Patients place enormous trust in our hands, and they deserve practitioners who are assured in their ability and knowledge. But confidence and ego are not the same thing and the line between the two can sometimes become blurred in a sector that increasingly rewards visibility.

The rise of personal branding has undoubtedly played a role. And I am here for it (cue all marketers to down weapons). Platforms that allow practitioners to showcase their work have opened doors for many talented clinicians to share standards and education. But when professional identity becomes tied too closely to online perception, competition can shift

away from clinical excellence and toward personal profile. And this is where we need to pause. Just slow it down for a moment. Because beneath the noise of likes, awards and industry recognition lies something far more important that should never leave us; the ethical and professional standards that should underpin everything we do.

WHEN PERSONAL EGO GETS IN THE WAY

Many practitioners in this sector are regulated healthcare professionals. That carries a responsibility that goes far beyond building a successful business. It means working within a moral and ethical framework that prioritises patient safety, honesty and accountability. I have said it before that this strategy is good business, it’s the long game. It builds trust, credibility for the patients, which is who we are talking about, right?

Yet increasingly we are seeing moments where that compass appears to wobble.

Treatments promoted without appropriate caution. Procedures performed beyond an individual’s competence. Marketing that prioritises commercial gain over clinical judgement. Or the subtle pressure to keep pace with competitors by offering more, promising more, and pushing boundaries that perhaps should never have been approached in the first place.

And here is the uncomfortable truth we need to acknowledge – when professional pride becomes personal ego, patient safety is often the first thing to suffer.

The industry does not need louder voices. It needs stronger principles.

Part of that professionalism also extends to how we treat one another as colleagues. The NMC Code reminds nurses that they must “treat people with kindness, respect and compassion” and uphold professional relationships with colleagues. Yet within aesthetics we occasionally see the opposite play out public criticism, competitive undermining, gossip or behaviour driven more by ego and personal gain than by professional respect and acceptance. And this, my gentle reader, is not ok.

Healthy debate and challenge are vital in any developing profession. But they should be grounded in mutual respect and a shared commitment to improving standards, not in personal rivalry or attempts to elevate one practitioner by diminishing another.

THE REALITY OF EXPERIENCE

Another issue that increasingly deserves attention is the way experience is presented within the industry.

Patients often look to experience as a marker of credibility, and rightly so. But there is an important distinction that is sometimes blurred: being registered as a doctor, nurse, dentist or pharmacist for 20 years is not the same as actively practising within a specific scope for 20 years.

Longevity of registration does not automatically equate to depth of experience in aesthetic practice. Presenting it as such can unintentionally mislead patients and inflate perceived expertise. True credibility comes from time spent practising, learning, refining technique and managing the realities of clinical care not simply from the length of time a professional title has been held.

When experience is exaggerated for the sake of marketing or personal status, it erodes trust and creates an uneven playing field within the profession.

PROFESSIONALISM OVER PROFIT

Commercial success is not the problem. A thriving clinic is something to be proud of. Aesthetics is both a profession and a business, and it is entirely reasonable for practitioners to build successful, profitable practices.

But when commercial growth begins to outweigh ethical decision-making, we risk undermining the very credibility the industry has fought so hard to establish.

Professionalism is rarely the loudest voice in the room. More often, it is quiet and consistent. It shows itself in the practitioner who recognises their limits, who seeks advice when needed, who prioritises suitability over sales, and who understands that not every patient is a treatment opportunity.

PRACTITIONERS RESPONSIBILITY

As the aesthetics sector moves steadily toward greater regulation and professionalisation, this moment presents an opportunity for reflection. Regulation will undoubtedly bring structure and accountability. But regulation alone cannot shape the culture of an industry.

That responsibility sits with us. The choices we make, the standards we uphold and the behaviours we tolerate will ultimately determine what kind of profession aesthetics becomes.

Perhaps the question we should be asking ourselves is not who is winning the competition in aesthetics, but whether we should be competing at all. Because the strongest industries are not built on ego, unacceptable behaviours or expectations. They are built on integrity, collaboration and a shared commitment to doing the right thing even when nobody is watching. And if we truly want medical aesthetics to be recognised as a credible and respected profession, then we must also ensure that the playing field is fair, where experience is represented honestly, colleagues are treated with respect, and patient wellbeing remains the centre of every decision we make.

Bird’s THE WORD

Every issue, Amy Bird, our aesthetic nurse on the inside, reflects on life within the sector

AMY BIRD

Amy Bird RGN NMP is an award-winning nurse prescriber, speaker, trainer and KOLwith more than a decade of full time experience in medical aesthetics. She is lead nurse at her practice, KAST Medical Aesthetics in Cheshire, and recently became chair of BAMAN. She is a passionate advocate for best practice, standards and patient safety.