In today's article we bring you two great stories of determination and competence. Maicon Siqueira, an aesthetic physiotherapist, and Beatriz Saluque, a specialist in ozone therapy, although from different fields of healthcare, have one thing in common: courage. The impact of specializing in aesthetics on the lives of these two professionals is what we will see next, starting with Maicon Siqueira.
Aesthetic physiotherapy and the recovery of a purpose
From an early age, Maicon Siqueira had a deep passion for healthcare and for people's well-being. Motivated by the desire to make a difference in other people's lives, he entered a Physiotherapy degree program, believing it would be the ideal tool to reach his goals.
At the start of his degree, he was especially drawn to sports physiotherapy. The possibility of helping athletes overcome injuries and reach their full potential motivated him and drove his studies.
During his degree, Maicon had the opportunity to learn about chiropractic, a therapeutic technique based on manipulating the spine to relieve pain and improve joint function. Fascinated by how effective and fast chiropractic is compared with conventional physiotherapy, he decided to specialize in that area.
After completing his specialization, he dedicated himself to chiropractic, finding great professional fulfillment. Through that technique, he was able to help many patients overcome pain and dysfunction, contributing significantly to their well-being and quality of life.
Despite the fulfillment he found in chiropractic, Maicon still felt a void. He was looking for a new challenge, a field that would let him expand his knowledge and keep making a difference in people's lives. It was in this context that he discovered aesthetics.
Aesthetics turned out to be the perfect field for him. Growing rapidly, it combined his interest in beauty and well-being with the possibility of contributing to people's health and self-esteem. Maicon saw in aesthetics an opportunity to complement his work as a physiotherapist and offer his patients an even more complete experience.
Specializing in aesthetics and its transformative impact on the lives of healthcare professionals
In search of a quality specialization that would give him the support and confidence he needed to start his new journey, after researching several institutions, he found Nepuga. Maicon felt his search was over when he saw the institution's facilities. For him, the highlights are the excellence of the courses offered, the innovative teaching methods, and the highly qualified faculty.
With Nepuga, Maicon found everything he was looking for in a specialization. The professors' teaching style made it easier to learn and understand the content, making the teaching and learning process light and enjoyable. The results were quick to appear. Little by little, he began performing some procedures and was able to see his patients' satisfaction and joy with the aesthetic treatments, which motivated him even more to keep going.
Maicon saw a chance to grow as a professional and embraced it with all his strength. His performance in academic life was reflected directly in his work. Today Maicon carries two great achievements: the Academic Excellence Award in 2023 and becoming an aesthetic physiotherapist of quality and commitment to his patients.
Maicon says he feels fulfilled by his choices and by the courage to put them into practice. He combines his physiotherapy knowledge with his new aesthetics training, offering his patients complete, personalized care. Every day he works to refine his skills and learn new techniques to offer the best to every patient who comes to him.
“I felt like a shopkeeper. I said goodbye to pharmacy”
Well, if we are talking about courage, the next story is a good example. Aesthetic pharmacist Beatriz Saluqui is proof that with determination and focus on your dreams, it is possible to reach all your goals.
We will start her story while she was still in college. Her great dream was always to work in healthcare and positively impact people's lives. Determined to reach that goal, she earned a scholarship for a pharmacy degree. She threw herself into her studies, facing the difficulty of traveling every day, but believing all the effort would be worth it. And it truly was: she completed her degree successfully.
Newly graduated, she began working in pharmacies and drugstores. However, this start was not what she expected. She felt undervalued, often having to meet absurd targets and seeing herself more as a salesperson than as a healthcare professional.
“As soon as I graduated I started working in my field, in pharmacies and drugstores. My first experiences were of not being as valued as I imagined and often having to meet unrealistic targets. I felt like a shopkeeper, not a Pharmacist.”
Those years were long and exhausting, filled with grueling shifts that made her feel she was not where she wanted to be. The routine seemed unchangeable, unless she herself brought about a change.
The courage to change – “I quit my job and invested in myself”
That was when Beatriz decided to invest in a specialization. The lack of time, the lack of freedom to enjoy important moments with her family and friends, and the drift away from her life purpose of helping people led her to the specialization in Ozone Therapy. After completing it, she made the brave decision to leave her job. Although the process was not simple and she faced fears and insecurities about losing her stability, she felt it was a necessary step.
“It was not easy, but I do not regret it. It was a necessary change for my life. I was willing to face the difficulties because I believed in myself, I knew my abilities and where I wanted to get.”
Her life changed completely with that decision. Ozone therapy gave her the opportunity to care for people in a unique way, exactly as she had always dreamed. With more freedom and time, she was finally able to practice the profession she had always dreamed of.
Today, Beatriz firmly believes in her process and in the path she chose. Every day she learns a little more and feels more and more confident that she is, at last, on the right track.
Rafael Alves
NEPUGA content team — Núcleo de Especializações Ana Carolina Puga.
