March is Women’s History Month and to celebrate, we’re talking to a unique group of women who are experts in the field and use advanced beauty in their professional skincare practice. They not only talk the talk, but they also walk it, too! They help clients look and feel their best and believe that well-being is greatly improved by taking an inside-out approach. Today, we’re chatting with Dr Rabia Malik.
Dr Rabia Malik is not only a General Practitioner, she’s also a Cosmetic Doctor with a focus on all things skin. She’s passionate about offering her clients – both men and women – holistic skincare solutions to their skin health woes and helping them create and maintain healthy, glowing complexions.
Having been based at the Grace Belgravia Medical and Wellbeing Clinic in London for the past 5 years, she is now practicing from 51 Harley St, and is a vital part of an internationally recognised integrated team of health and wellness specialists dedicated to helping clients look and feel their best from the inside out.
Medico Beauty: Self-care is becoming a new buzz word. Often clients feel they lack enough time for themselves. What advice do you have for getting started?
I would say choose something small that is easy to fit into your daily routine, whether it’s starting the day with hot water and lemon, making sure you go for a walk at lunch time, or stocking the fridge with healthy snacks to keep you reaching for junk at the end of a long day!
Medico Beauty: What is your favourite wellness ritual?
Definitely, a long hot bath. I find baths to be very restorative and even a 20-minute soak with some salts is rejuvenating and great for the mind and body.
Medico Beauty: How do you recover after a stressful day or in the moment of a serious meltdown?
If possible, I try to fit in time for an infrared sauna session, as I find these really do make me feel better and long term have great health benefits. If I have time at home, I will always try to run a bath and reading a chapter of a good novel before bed always helps me destress and sleep better.
Medico Beauty: What personal achievement are you most proud of?
I am proud of having completed General Practice training while having 3 children aged 5 and under. It was one of the most gruelling and challenging periods of my life but I learnt a lot, and I am so glad I stuck with it, when it would have been far easier to quit!
Medico Beauty: What advice would you give your 18-year-old self?
Believe in your vision and stick with it.
Medico Beauty: How did you get started in the field of Advanced Skincare Health and Wellness?
I started my journey as a GP with an interest in skin health. I have always been a beauty junky as well, but I grew tired of buying products that didn’t work and I didn’t want to down the injectable route as a doctor, as I was far more interested in skin health and in particular, a holistic approach. For example, as a GP, a quarter of our consultations were skin related in some way, but so often we didn’t have time to do anything other than prescribe medication, such as antibiotics for acne. But these didn’t always work, and I realised that the only way we could help our patients with skin issues long term was to look at their condition holistically and address their diet, lifestyle and product usage. Medication such as antibiotics were not always necessary or appropriate when looking at things from this perspective, and I also realised there was a very big range in terms of potency of topical products.
Medico Beauty: What single discovery do you believe has made a difference in treating skin concerns?
Laser in all its form – from hair removal, which has probably made the biggest impact overall, to IPL and ablative lasers for treating various conditions as well as for facial rejuvenation.
Medico Beauty: What’s the best way to get started with using active ingredients?
Start with one product and build up your skincare regime slowly to allow your skin to become acclimatised. I usually have my patients start with an antioxidant serum in the morning and build up from there.
Medico Beauty: Have you had any beauty or skincare disasters?
Many – from trying out skincare products that have irritated my skin to having a treatment that I reacted to, I have had my fair share! Early on, I realised my skin is extremely sensitive to glycolic acid and always reacted badly to it, so I have chosen not to work with glycolic acid in my treatments as I feel there are many less-irritating alternatives.
Medico Beauty: What skincare advice do you have for those on a budget or who would like to save money?
Invest in a good quality serum and buy pharmacy brand/inexpensive moisturiser.
Jojoba oil is also a great all-around product for cleansing, hydrating and removing makeup and can be bought relatively inexpensively.
Medico Beauty: Tell us about any new exciting projects you’re developing in 2019?
I am in the process of developing my own product, which is a capsule collection of 5 products, designed to be used alongside my patients’ existing regimes. It will focus on delivering a high percentage of active ingredients in non-toxic formulations at an affordable price point.
Medico Beauty: How do you see advanced skin health evolving in the future?
I think there will continue to be technological advances and new ingredients/patented ingredient combinations that will deliver good results.
Medico Beauty: What is your favourite face mask right now?
I love the
Nannette De Gaspe dry masks right now. They are really easy to use!
Medico Beauty: Favourite CosMedix hero product?
Rescue Balm – it’s a product I have in my hand luggage every time I get on a flight and it always calms my skin down after a treatment as well.
To learn more about Dr Rabia Malik, visit her
website or follow her on
Facebook,
Instagram or
Twitter.
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