Q&A With Dr Maryam

What things do people worry about that you wish they wouldn’t?

I think sometimes treatments get a bad rap. For example people tend to say ‘Botox’ no matter which kind of injectable they’re actually referring to, and it can mean that people think Botox is something that is over-used and best avoided. It does sometimes get over-used but in the right hands even a tiny amount can make a world of difference. Good treatments should not be detectable. If it‘s obvious, it‘s too much.

Why Did You Specialise In The Eye Area?

I knew I wanted to work on the face rather than the body.  I loved the detail, precision and the immediate impact I could make on patients in Ophthalmology.  Subspecializing in Oculoplastic Surgery was the natural path for combining the aesthetic with the functional.

What Led You To Facial Aesthetics?

While in my fellowship, I became interested in using hyaluronic acid fillers to treat the periorbital area in patients who had previous trauma or cancers in the eye area.  These patients had numerous surgeries in the past and often were not candidates for further surgery.  All the advances in injectables at the time opened the door for aesthetics.  From there, I became interested in other non surgical treatment modalities that could compliment my surgical skills and felt it was important to learn more about the skin.  I am not a dermatologist but I did a certificate in dermatology to give me another element of understanding the depths of facial aesthetics. It is a true 360 holistic approach to harmonize the face.

Do You Only Work On The Face Now?

I mainly work on the face but I also treat the chest, neck, hands (and sometimes other areas) – the main areas that concern people when it comes to ageing.

How Would You Describe Your Approach To Aesthetics?

In a word, I’d say subtle.  I compare what I do to the ‘no make up make up’ look in cosmetics – it’s about just looking like a very naturally beautiful version of yourself. What we all want is to just look really well – or that we just have very good genes!

I love it when I’ve treated someone and we get to the point where they feel confident with what they see in the mirror.

Do You Believe Everyone Can Have Great Skin?

I do – but it takes commitment, and the answer isn’t always in a treatment or a product. The things I do are the icing on the cake really – it should be a 360 approach including lifestyle, diet, sleep, and skincare.   If you want to look your best, you have to live your best life.

What Are You Favourite Procedures To Do?

I love everything that I do because each treatment can have such a profound impact on the way someone both looks and feels about themselves.

What Are The Most Satisfying Kinds Of Patients To Work On?

The person who comes in having a hang up and then after the treatment, they don’t have the hang up any more. They might have a bump on the nose, or excess skin around the eyes – those are the patients that I love, because you’re really affecting their self-esteem, not just their appearance.

What Is The Most Common Reason That People Come And See You?

It is almost always that they look ‘tired.’ Maybe they have dark circles or bags under their eyes, that they feel jowly, or they feel like everything is dropping. We often talk about it as looking ‘heavy.’

How Do You Approach Working On People’s Features?

I analyze when patients are talking to me to see how everything is moving together and ask them what they see when they look at themselves in the mirror.  Often I see that a combination of treatments can help. Depending on the concerns we create a bespoke plan together to determine how we can improve the issues.

Do You Like It When People Are Very Specific About What They Want, Or Do You Prefer To Be Able To Decide For Yourself?

I absolutely want to hear what has brought my patient to see me.  There is always a reason and a particular area they are focused on and that is what I like to treat.  Looking at older photos is always a great way to help turn back time, to look fresher without looking different.   The patients concerns are always my number one priority.

What Are The Things That Make The Biggest Difference?

There is really no one thing that’s the magic bullet. I would say I have a pretty consistent workshop of treatments that I can offer to get the right result, but it’s normally a combination of tiny tweaks rather than one big thing.

Is There Anything You Don’t Use?

I would never use permanent fillers.

Would You Describe Yourself As A Perfectionist? How Do You Think That Impacts Your Work?

Yes and no!  It is complicated.  Perfection can be imperfect in many ways and beauty is not the same for each person.   Not everyone sees the same faults or likes the same features. You have to build trust – then you can create a plan that is better overall. You have to have that relationship with them where they trust you and they know you’re going to do what is best for them in the long run. The majority of my clients are quite long-term and that makes a big difference.

What Do You Think Is Most Exciting In Aesthetics At The Moment?

I think it is a really exciting time for non-surgical treatments. The biggest breakthroughs are around treatments becoming less harsh, with less down-time and excellent results.

Why Is It Important To You To Have Your Own Products Too?

I think of myself as an accidental entrepreneur – I’ve always loved skincare.  Around the time I moved to London, it was when all the ‘doctor brands’ became more popular and suddenly everything looked and felt so boring and clinical. I was like a non-compliant patient, I would start a doctor led brand and then just stopped using it because I did not like entire experience, even if I liked the result! I started working with a formulator and just tinkering around, making things for myself to use, using prescription strength of certain ingredients and combining them with other great actives. My husband suggested I gave them to my friends to try, and everyone was asking for more. Then a friend introduced me to a buyer at Harrods who said they had no female doctor brands and loved the ethos. I’ve always felt that I like things to look and feel chic and feminine, and why should I have to choose between products that work and products that provide that experience?

MZ SKIN is inspired by all the women I have met and treated. It is a doctor-led brand made for women by a woman. I have deliberately focused on creating an exquisite capsule collection that translates into a skincare regime that will endure to Reveal, Enhance, & Protect your skin.