Aesthetic Pharmacist from RS Specializes to Have More Contact with Patients

For this aesthetic pharmacist from Porto Alegre (RS), staying in a laboratory without seeing patients' results is not as rewarding as being fully in touch with them. In search of that closer contact, she chose to pursue a Postgraduate Program in Aesthetics.

“It's so much better to have our patient tell us they liked the procedure or the treatment than to see them, rarely, come to the pharmacy to give that kind of feedback. That personal contact makes a big difference because it shows the results”.

Today's success story is that of Priscila Costa do Amaral. And it's an interesting one because the aesthetic pharmacist knew from a very early age that she would work in healthcare. She just didn't imagine she could become a professional in aesthetics.

Choosing Pharmacy Came Naturally

Priscila says she went into Pharmacy because she had contact with the field from an early age. Her cousins are pharmacists, one working in industry and the other in clinical analysis. In addition, her grandfather was a pharmaceutical sales rep and her mother has a degree in nutrition.

“Since there were so many people in my family in healthcare, I knew there would be a good job market. And that was something that encouraged me to go into Pharmacy. Besides, I've always really liked chemistry”.

The aesthetic pharmacist says she graduated from PUC (Pontifical Catholic University) in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul. And during her internships she was able to try several areas: laboratories, clinical analysis, hospital pharmacy, industry, etc.

“At first, I intended to go into clinical analysis because what I saw of my cousin's profession caught my attention more than my other cousin's, who was in industry”.

So, after completing her Pharmacy degree, she got a job at a Compounding Pharmacy. And that was when she began to learn more about the option of working with aesthetics in the future.

The Aesthetics Market Became an Option

Her professional path after graduating was entirely in the Compounding Pharmacy. She even worked in the drugstore area, where she had a bit more contact with customers. But then she moved to the laboratory, creating cosmetics.

“That's how I started seeing more of the cosmetics and aesthetic health side. That's what attracted me most to this field. Then came the interest in aesthetic procedures, like harmonization and fillers. That part became even more appealing to me”.

And that was when the aesthetic pharmacist decided to pursue a specialization in aesthetics. Because unlike her current job, where she is inside a laboratory creating formulas, Priscila began to see a chance to treat patients more directly and effectively.

“Even though we manage to develop one thing or another, it ends up being a routine that's always the same. So the day-to-day ends up becoming tiring. And since I really like the aesthetic side, I want to focus on doing things based on the option of choice”.

The Lack of Patient Contact Was Decisive

For this decision, which leads to the move from working in a laboratory to aesthetics, Priscila says that human contact with the patient carried a lot of weight.

“When I worked in the drugstore area, I was able to have more contact with the patient. Now that I'm very focused on the laboratory, I only have contact with the team and the interns. So that's who I get to interact with and get direct feedback from”.

She says that this personal contact makes a big difference because it shows results. It is through it that you can tell what is working. For the aesthetic pharmacist, it is very rewarding to have contact with the patient while promoting aesthetic, physical, and mental well-being.

So she made the decision and is already attending the Clinical Immersion in the Postgraduate Program classes. She knows what the goal is: “to work the shift I want, as many times as I prefer, and, above all, to be able to see the results in patients”.

The Postgraduate Program in Aesthetics Classes

The Aesthetic Pharmacy Postgraduate Program that Priscila is taking allows greater flexibility in her studies. First, because of the hybrid classes, where one part is online and the other can be scheduled in advance. She was surprised by the course. See the highlights.

Ozone Therapy

“Before the Postgraduate Program, I rarely heard about ozone therapy. I saw it more in scientific studies because in college we had to research a lot. But I only did the hands-on part in the Postgraduate Program. Afterward, I started seeing the benefits of ozone on the internet”.

Benefits

“From the published studies you can see that whatever I manage to combine with ozone, I'll be able to get a better result, because it brings much greater benefits than an isolated treatment, like ozone therapy alone, mesotherapy alone, or dermotherapy alone”.

Procedures

“Ozone therapy brings benefits within aesthetics because it lets us combine it with any protocol: facial, hair, body, aesthetic, therapeutic, etc. And you can do a noninvasive procedure, with a protocol that adds a lot of quality of life for the patient”.

Protocol

“Another differentiator is the encouragement to create protocols. Not every patient will respond well to a standard procedure. That's why we should learn to build the protocol, for both equipment and products, to meet patients' needs”.

Theory + Practice

“It's very important that we know how to handle everything. And when we start studying, we have a direction. Then comes the practice, where we get the Immersions, even to create protocols so we can meet the various demands of our practice”.

Pugacode

“In the Hands-on Injectables Class, we saw the Pugacode marking method. I especially liked the Botulinum Toxin part. It gives a lot of confidence that we don't run risks of complications. It's a very safe and easy methodology to apply”.

Return

“One thing I saw that gives a lot of return in practice is the hair area. And ozone combined with other procedures generates very fast results. For the patient, who sees it happening, it's fantastic. So in ozone therapy we see those returns happening”.

Is It Worth Specializing in Aesthetics?

Priscila says it wasn't easy. Since she chose to take the Postgraduate course, she has had to adapt to a new study routine on top of her work routine, which can run past 8 hours a day. “It's a very challenging routine”.

In recent months, the aesthetic pharmacist has scheduled her Immersion classes on weekends, which lets her fit them in with her other activities. But she knows this effort will pay off. “It was a tough year, but I'm close to finishing the program and I know I'll get a rewarding return”.

Success Stories>Aesthetic Pharmacy