Fabíola Tolotti is 43 and worked in drugstores for more than 20 years. The job wasn't bad, but it was tiring because of the routine. The salary was always the same: the industry's base pay. Today, she is an aesthetic pharmacist and wants the freedom to earn more.
This is the story of Fabíola, who is from Porto Alegre, in Rio Grande do Sul. But it could be yours, couldn't it? Many times, we find ourselves in a job that doesn't allow the flexibility to reach higher. Aesthetics became a solution in 2015.
Keep reading to learn more about this aesthetic pharmacist's journey.
The Start of the Pharmacist's Career
Fabíola Tolotti says she began her pharmacy degree because she found the profession interesting. “I took the first entrance exam, got in, and never doubted this was what I wanted. What changed is that now I've flipped a switch”.
But before we get to that professional life change, she worked for more than two decades in drugstores. After all, that is the most common path for those who graduate in Pharmacy. The routine, however, was much more intense than she had imagined.
“It was pretty exhausting. Monday to Monday. On rotating schedules. Sometimes you're on the morning shift. Sometimes the afternoon. And sometimes it goes into the night. And there were times when staff was short, so we ended up doing several roles”, she recalls.
Interest in the Aesthetics Field
The aesthetic pharmacist began thinking about the possibility of changing fields in 2015. The reason is that it was that year when it became official that pharmacists could work in aesthetics, an effort that carried the signature of Dr. Ana Carolina Puga.
With the news and agenda of her professional council, she began to notice a new opportunity. “During the pandemic the switch flipped. Because I thought: I don't want to work with illness anymore”.
What she started to want, at that moment, was exactly the opposite. “I want to promote self-esteem. I want to make people happier”. You can imagine the result: she enrolled in a Postgraduate Program in Aesthetic Pharmacy.
From the Drugstore to Aesthetics
So you can fully understand Fabíola Tolotti's outlook at this point in her life, we've pulled together some word-for-word quotes she gave during a recording that is on YouTube.
“Generally, people who go to a pharmacy to buy medicine are sick and didn't want to spend money on that medication. They are forced to buy it. It becomes an expense that doesn't make them happy. And the medicine isn't what will improve their health”.
“In aesthetics the hours are more flexible, we can set our own schedule, plus we work with something that brings pleasure. You see the patient happy and confident in your work. In return, they give that back to you immediately”.
The Aesthetic Pharmacist's Next Steps
After she finishes her postgraduate program, Fabíola says she already has the next steps of her career planned. “At first, I'll look for some partnerships to gain experience. Then, I plan to have my own space. Maybe teach courses”.
She says that in the South of the country, where she lives and works, there is a pharmacist base salary. “And pharmacies only pay that amount”. So, aesthetics can bring a better quality of financial life to those who specialize in this field.
“You'll get a higher return than being a CLT employee [Consolidação das Leis do Trabalho, Brazil's labor law], where you work earning only the pharmacist's base salary”. The aesthetic pharmacist says there is a market for everyone. “We have to be good professionals and know how to perform the procedures”.
The Advantages of Specializing in Aesthetics
Beyond theoretical knowledge, one of the advantages of the postgraduate program at Nepuga is the clinical immersion. “My first hands-on class was on ozone. It's a field that still needs to be explored more and it's very good for patients. There is scientific material proving its effectiveness”.
The aesthetic pharmacist says she took a class on ozone applications for stretch marks, dark circles and localized fat. “Afterward, we saw that ozone can also be used in nursing, on wounds, in a more therapeutic way. Ozone is good for many things and it's worth investing in”.
Fabíola also comments on the Pugacode method, developed by Dr. Ana Carolina Puga. “It has been on the market for a long time, which proves it is well established because it's super safe”.
A Life Mission
And to close out the content, here are more of Fabíola's words. She said it was during the pandemic that her switch flipped, and today she feels fulfilled. Or rather, as the aesthetic pharmacist herself puts it: “I found my life mission”.
“I'm very happy to spend the whole day here in clinical immersion. It's very calm and light because it's something good to do. Each colleague doing a practice. We chat, exchange ideas, look at products…”.
“It's really cool, it enriches you a lot and I'm sure I found my life mission. I'm 43. After the pandemic I decided to find what I really wanted to do. In aesthetics I found the answer”.
More Inspiring Stories in Aesthetics
Anny Gabriele Pereira de Oliveira owned a pharmacy in Marabá (PA). After a sudden realization, she decided to specialize in aesthetics and became an aesthetic pharmacist. She now has two clinics offering ozone therapy and facial and body harmonization services. She also teaches in the postgraduate program.
Beatriz Mees Botion worked for a long time on exhausting, undervalued shifts. But she never gave up on the dream of professional freedom. Today, her aesthetics clinic is recognized with the Top Of Mind Brasil Quality award in Balneário Barra do Sul (SC).
Juliana Tironi Machado Barberato specialized in aesthetics right after graduating. She became a doctor's secretary, and from that experience came the dream of having her own aesthetics clinic. Once a secretary, she is now the doctor's business partner.
Success Stories>Aesthetic PharmacyIrving Malaguti
NEPUGA content team — Núcleo de Especializações Ana Carolina Puga.
