So, over the last few weeks I have been gathering data and collecting my thoughts..should I tell y'all about the importance of retinols, or Managing Pigmentation in Ethnic Skin types, or the role Hormones play in skin throughout a lifespan (These Blogs are coming soon!!) ...but..
Something else kept coming to the forefront of my brain.
And it's not really related to skincare in the clinical sense, but more the 'WHY' I got into this field in the first place.
Humanity lost one of its most treasured gifts last week.
So, I'm putting those Blogs on the back burner for a moment to pay a little tribute to Maya Angelou.
Ssshhhhh. Just keep reading. TRUST ME. It's not going where you think it's going.
I have always been inspired and captivated by this woman. As I started pinning and posting my favorite quotes from her and reading other peoples tributes... it started to dawn on me....just how many times in my life I have repeated her words in my head. Especially during rough times.
There are dozens of others of sayings that I put in a special little folder on my iPhone dedicated to inspirational quotes *nerd alert*
I've repeated them so often that I know them by heart and rarely think much anymore about the author. So, when I started reading all these posts, pins and tweets of Ms. Angelou's amazing insightful and graceful words...I realized how big of an influence she was to me.
I began to question whether I could ever be as influential as Maya Angelou.
I mean C'mon. I work in Plastic Surgical Skin Care. I'm a blonde from Texas! Can I make that kind of impact on the world?
I thought about this and started to remember why I was drawn to this field in the first place.
Then, I answered my own question. Yes, I can. And Yes, I do. One person at a time.
We all have baggage. Myself included. (Lawdyyyyy! Don't get me started! I don't have 'issues', I have SUBSRICPTIONS!)
Isn't funny how someone can say one thoughtless, cruel or careless remark in some crucial, pivotal moment in your life...and that seems to stick with you over the years, fuel insecurity and direct the course of your internal monologue for weeks or decades?
Especially for young women and men who have been teased about their appearance or body-shamed during those formative years, this can shape self and body image for a lifetime.
I was made fun of for my 'bologna-lips', my bad home perm, my chub... not to mention my snort-laugh and my innate clumsiness (which I never grew out of ;)
We all have issues and insecurities. If you tell me you don't, I call BS on that.
I have the absolute best job in the world. I get to make people feel better about themselves every. single. day.
I won't ever win a Pulitzer or Nobel or an Oscar (though some days I think I give Meryl Streep a real run for her money! And, I can legitimately tell you that I have a Best Actress Oscar winner as a patient. But that's the closest I will ever get to a golden statue.*sigh* all those hours wasted practicing my acceptance speeches in my bathroom mirror with a hairbrush-microphone ...C'est la vie.)
God knows, I don't do this job for money or lavish lifestyle.
I do it for you!
You, my lovely patients and online followers, let me into your life every single day. You open up to me about your fears and insecurities. You tell me about your loves, your aspirations, your families and your past. You put your faith and trust in me to guide in the right direction (and use lasers on your face! Talk about TRUST!)
What I love most about my profession is watching the transformation happen.
Because it's not just a physical.
Patients come to each appointment with a little more bounce in their step. And as their confidence grows, the narrative of their life starts to change.
For instance, that person, who, the first day I met her at our consult, had tears in her eyes. Her husband just left her. Now she is a 40 year old single mother of 3 and feeling low and beating herself up.
Or the nervous guy who had a hard time telling me why he came to see me. It took me 20 minutes to drag it out of him. Turns out, he wouldn't date or even be seen at the pool/lake or go to the gym due to his Gynecomastia.
It takes real courage to open up to a stranger like me about these personal insecurities. People probably tell me more about themselves than even their best friend in the world knows about them.
I don't take that lightly.
My greatest professional and personal (outside of my kids and loved ones) satisfaction comes on a daily basis when patients hug me and tell me how great they feel.
All of the sudden, their world is changing. They are happier. They have the confidence to take chances they otherwise would not have taken. I get to be your biggest cheerleader, high five and hug you and jump up and down and celebrate in your accomplishments!
Like a proud mama bird, my gratification comes by watching you take flight.
And when you leave my office, I look in the mirror and give myself some Shooter McGavin finger guns. Because, DAMN! I'm good at this!
Nancy and I also volunteer for the Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors annual World Burn Congress as part of the Image Enhancement Team for traumatic burn injury survivors.
If you know anyone who has suffered a traumatic burn injury, I highly recommend this organization.
They are a phenomenal support system.
As part of the Image Enhancement Team, we teach people how to camouflage scars, draw on lips and brows etc to help those who have suffered traumatic burn injuries re-enter society and cope with not only physical limitation but also the emotional trauma associated with disfigurement from traumatic burn injuries. It's not just changing faces, it's changing lives.
This is a wonderful profession and we are privileged to have y'alls continued trust and support.
This is our dedication and calling.
We promise to keep bringing you Blogs you find informative, useful and (hopefully) a little funny and sassy.
I leave you with this last quote because....well...Dammit. YES!
And now..back to your regularly scheduled programming.
Michelle and Nancy
The Skin Gurus
How old you are is your business, how old you look is ours!
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