Beauty And Mental Health — Interview w/ Dr. Imaan Joshi, Cosmetic Physician
Cosmetic Doctor Imaan Joshi founded Skin Essentials in 2019 shortly before the pandemic, in an effort to provide ethical, honest beauty that catered to all skin types and ethnicities where the underlying aim was to help you achieve your best skin at any age and stage. Her desire to found her clinic in the heart of SouthWest Sydney was equally driven by a desire to cater to not only ethnic skin, but also to debunk many of the myths around skin of colour, ageing realistically and honestly. It was based on the premise that most women do not want to look 20 in their 30s, 40s and 50s, but to look their best at every age and stage, and true to their ethnic makeup.
What is the role of beauty in life?
The role of beauty is to enhance the other aspects of life; done right, it adds to your self esteem and sense of self and imbues confidence when meeting others, when we know that the first few seconds will cast an impression that will be a win, or a loss. For most of us, ageing represents changes that take away from this inner aspect of feeling youthful, long after we are past 25 and most patients want to honour that part of themselves by committing to their appearance so it aligns with the way they feel about themselves — confident, powerful, cute, sexy- when they look in the mirror.
What are common misconceptions about beauty today?
1. that it is a latest trend or fad to emulate; 2. that it must be heavily filtered because it is unattainable 3. that it is a series of boxes to tick. 4. that it MUST be tied to age and youth.
How does a child perceive beauty?
As something that brings it joy, to look at, to touch, to handle. It is something to engage with and to be transformed by.
How can beauty/self-care practices empower mental health? Please give an example.
For many busy mums, a nighttime ritual of a simple skincare regimen can be soothing, meditative and when personalised, give rise to results that can be seen not only by the self, but by others, thereby creating a positive feedback loop that encourages continued self care, attention to self esteem and a sense that one is caring for the self as much as one does for others that we love.
How can beauty standards affect mental health?
1. when they are unrealistic, they can give rise to a sense of profound distress. I often see patients with ethnic skin, with its particular challenges, who, often due to cultural difference, get unsolicited comments about appearance, which are genetic.
2. when promised that all problem areas are fixable, if you have the money to spend it gives rise to an unrealistic expectation that the only limitation is your bank balance, when the truth is that there are genetic and anatomical limitations to what can be achieved for ANY face, and setting realistic expectations early on is KEY to avoid further distressing patients.
3. unrealistic expectations of how much time, effort, commitment and budget is needed to effect the change they see on instagram, and distress when these expectations are not met
What is a healthy way to approach beauty?
I see it as a spectrum — if you have good skin, it is an approach to maintaining it for as long as possible by judicious and regular tweaks from as early as your 20s.
If you have problems, I see it as an approach to correct some of the more glaring aspects and to bring more harmony to the overall face to effect change that is pleasing to the eye.
At all stages, the emphasis is on you, but better, rather than you such thay no one recognises you any longer.
Ageing is unavoidable, but it is entirely possible to age well with ongoing investment into your skin and facial health as much as with any other aspects of health.
What are trends in beauty that you find healthy, which are trends that are unhealthy?
1. I am loving the body positivity and acceptance of natural aspects of the skin — pore, uneven skin tone, some blemishes etc. I am liking the influencers who are being honest around their use of filters, and their limitations
2. I dislike the trends that use influencers to peddle skincare and other products without any idea as to a purchaser’s skin type, skin concerns etc. I dislike the trends that heavily rely on the use of filters, as well as photoshop and the overwhelming focus on achieving “perfect” proportions/ body/face.
What needs to change to create a healthier image of beauty?
1. honesty and transparency around promotional products — if you are paying an influencer to promote your product, it should be advertised as such so we know.
2. encourage transparency and honesty around use of filters and photoshop.
3. encourage transparency and honesty by celebrities who currently deny having had anything done.
4. acceptance of a vast range of beauty because representation matters and not all of us in Australia today, look like blonde blue eyed beautiful people.
What do you wish people knew about beauty?
1. First, it is an inside job. No amount of beauty treatments will make up for a sense of lack based on low self esteem.
2. it is not “one and done” but an ongoing, lifelong commitment to great, healthy skin for life.
3. it takes time, effort, commitment and with age, budgeting to be able to invest in oneself.
Is there anything you would like to share that we have not asked you here?
With the rapid rise of budget chain clinics everywhere offering injectables and skin therapies, it is understandable that people will shop for a bargain, but unlike price comparison between Coles and ALDI, all skin treatments are medical procedures with rare but serious risk, and the experience of your treating practitioner, their qualifications as well as their ability to recognise and treat complications cannot be stressed enough.
THANK YOU!
Follow Dr Imaan Joshi on Instagram.
Demee Koch about the MEDIUM interview series on Beauty And Mental Health:
Hello! I am a serial entrepreneur with more than 2 decades of experience in the health & beauty industry. This interview series is about the effects of beauty, self-care and the beauty industry on mental health.
For me, beauty is a way to love — it is about self-care, art, nutrition, exercise, life, self-love. With this interview series, I invite experts to become part of a movement that re-defines beauty with its trends, standards and practices. Let’s empower beautiful minds.
Thank you for being the change. I’m looking forward to learn from each one of you. Reach out to me via LinkedIn.
Demee ❤︎
