Health, beauty and wellness are three things that have most definitely been trending over the last few years. As people strive to refresh their appearances and look a certain way, Amar Suchde and his team at AMS Aesthetics offer a range of catered non-surgical treatments to help you look and feel your very best.
We caught up with Amar to discuss all things past, present and future from AMS Aesthetics to holistic approaches and non-surgical treatments.
How did it all start?
I started in aesthetics in 2013/2014. I specialised in skin and I went into the world of aesthetics, being mentored by the lovely and wonderful Dr Vincent Wong. I went everywhere with him, I went to every clinic that he would work at. We did some work together on some aesthetic publications, and I was then being mentored and observed and got to understand the art of consultation skills, and the art of handling aesthetic patients, which is completely different to the art of NHS patients.
The difference is, is that in the NHS sector patients need to come to you if they’re not well. Whereas in aesthetics, they don’t need to continue they want to come to you. So, it’s a different type of conversational style, different type of approach with things, whilst still being natural, whilst still being very artistic and I learned all that under Vincent, and he invested in me to get my first clinic in Harley Street. Since then, I’ve always had that clinic in Harley Street, and we’ve now expanded into London Bridge, and now we have the tallest clinic in Western Europe as we have a clinic at The Shard.
What should people think about when considering non-surgical aesthetic treatments?
I think the growth of aesthetics has as risen over the years especially since I started. I think social media has become more popular, TV media, some reality TV shows have become a lot more popular. And I think there’s a lot of pressure nowadays on society to look a certain way, feel a certain way, be fresh in a certain way. When considering non-surgical aesthetic treatments, you’ve got to make sure that you’re going to someone who is very trustworthy, is a medical professional i.e. a doctor, pharmacist, dentist or nurse. They have to be medically trained and have a level of experience. It’s a relationship at the end of the day.
I’ve had one barber for many years and I trust him to cut my hair and make me look and feel better and it’s the same with non-surgical aesthetics, we’re dealing with people’s facial anatomy. Everybody’s different and I think feeling comfortable with your injector, making sure that you’re not just going to anyone just because of pricing or location. A lot of research needs to be done and I think with patients nowadays there’s a lot of power in the patient’s hands as they choose who they want to go to. They choose what treatments they want to have. They don’t need to do this. They want to do this. Therefore, you should be very comfortable, with who you should be going to and that they know what they’re talking about.
Tell us about the consultation process especially for first time patients?
We have to be respectful with first time patients, like all patients, we’re not there to tell people what’s wrong and this we need to do. We open the door to sort of allow the patients to give us the permission to be in a position where we can consult with them and suggest a few ideas to just freshen them up. I think the concept of natural beauty is coming back into aesthetics. A more Kiera Knightly and Kate Moss appearance where people just want to look themselves, just a little bit more tweaked and fresher and better.
I love when a patient comes in for a first consultation. We have an open conversation. It’s a relationship building process. I get to understand their needs, their goals, and I’m able to sort of work with their facial compartments that are anatomy and suggest certain things that we can do, such as giving some support to ligaments or to tissue refreshing muscle contractions in certain areas. That’s the art of using very little to create a big difference.
Tell us about your clinics in London especially the one at Shangri La The Shard, London?
We just launched our clinic in 2022 on the 41st floor of Shangri La The Shard London so we are now officially the highest clinic in Western Europe! It is an incredible venue and it’s a luxurious experience when you know that coming to a clinic that’s given the approval of the Shangri-La family. The clinic room overlooks the skyline of London. So while you have your aesthetic treatments, facial injections or skin treatments, you can take in the beautiful views of the skyline, the sunset of London, the sunrise of London. The night time views are even better.
We also have a clinic at the in Harley Street. That is where we tend to focus more on certain patients for consultations. Then we have a little pop-up shop in London Bridge which is where we have our creative zone. It’s a very secret clinic ‘if you know you know’ type of venue and it’s a zone which is completely different to the Shangri-La clinic and the Harley Street Clinic. We have more time with patients and we’re able to be more creative in that time. So, I’ve tried to create a different feeling and its very neon, very dark in appearance and it’s just a secret little venue. Once you enter and once you leave, no one will ever know you’ve been to an aesthetics clinic.
Tell us about the holistic approach you take to aesthetics from consultation to follow up?
I’m a massive, massive believer and I’ve been taught to be a believer in tweakments, to just give little tweaks here and there. What I love to do when a patient comes in to AMS Aesthetics is look at everything from top to bottom. We give complimentary follow ups, so we’re able to sort of assess you in two to four week’s time and see how everything is settling in. It allows us to sort of understand and see how you’re adapting to tissue fillers, Botox and skin treatments and see how that actually benefits a lot of what we’re doing with your facial features.
Are we lifting or tweaking? Are we aligning? Are we contouring, or refreshing? The holistic approach is looking at all compartments of the face is because, you know, I think long gone are the days where it’s just you come in and you say ‘oh my smile lines are a bother’ and you just treat the smile lines. Sometimes you have to look at not just treating the symptoms but actually treating the cause and seeing why? Is there poor facial fat distribution? Is there loss of bone material? Is there loss of ligament support and elastin support in the area? So there’s a there’s an overall complexion that we need to look at and once we understand what the desires are, we understand what the causes are and what’s causing the symptoms. We target each point to really give you a more natural, refreshing appearance and just make you make you look like yourself. Just fresher and better.
What treatments can people have at AMS Aesthetics and why should they come to you?
We offer a range of different treatments ranging from skin treatments to botulinum toxin to dermal fillers to HydraFacials and we’re bringing in laser machines as well. It’s a full rejuvenation treatment which is above all non-surgical.
I can’t say why people should come to us but what I do feel is that I’ve spent years training and focusing my skills to become a better injector. I recently got chosen as one of the top 24 injectors in the UK and I was scholared into a training programme with some of the top surgeons in the in the world where I was trained to a high standard, so I bring a level of expertise and quality to the treatments with an understanding of the artistic and holistic approach to face and facial dynamics.
I think that’s what allows us to be in a position where we have generated nearly 900 five-star reviews online and that resonates quite nicely with where patients are and how they feel here. Because we’re not just here as a one stop shop. We’re here to just understand everything from bottom to up and turn it into a facial compartment and features which is just you but better. Being fortunate to be trained by Dr Vincent Wong , being backed by some of the top industry leading experts, being chosen as one of the top 24 injectors in the UK and also having been voted top rated clinic three years in a row in London is amazing. I have tried to dedicate a lot of my time to become a better injector and understand the art of injection in a more natural and holistic approach.
How do you honour that natural beauty in people?
When I’m assessing the face, we want a more Nike tick approach. We want a very swoosh, gentle approach to the jawline, gentle contouring to the cheek, emphasising certain features that bring harmony to the face, that brings light refraction to the face and creates focal points on the face. Once you understand that you can really create some absolute beauty results.
With men for example, I change my style, we want more stronger appearance and certain male features, obviously take into respect how their body looks and how they hold themselves. Sometimes men desire squarer cheekbones and I would pass that more as an Adidas type of look, giving that muscular appearance and making a man look fresher, more lifted, and less downward and more upward. So, I take into consideration all elements, all angles, all ratios, all proportions and once I understand what a patient’s goals and desires are, we create a structured plan and get to those goals.
What is the future for aesthetic treatments in the UK?
Aesthetics is growing year by year. The industry is now valued at around £5 billion and when I started it was £3 billion. There’s a stark difference between non-surgical treatments and surgical treatments and I think people are moving more towards non-surgical because they love the freedom, the flexibility of allowing the facial shape to adapt and grow as time goes on. The technology of products nowadays especially dermal fillers like Teoxane is incredible, and it mimics a lot of your facial movements and dynamism. As you lose or gain weight, get a little bit older, it stimulates your own production of collagen, your own production of polymeric acid, improving the elastin in the area. So actually as time goes on, it can make you look fresher and better. People are also starting to consider aesthetic treatments as a more preventative measure to slow down aging.
What is next for you and AMS aesthetics?
We’re continually growing and learning different skills and different ways of creating even better and natural results. Every year new studies come out of certain features that a lot of people didn’t even know about a few years ago. So you’re constantly learning and adapting, and I think that’s the sort of thing I want to continually do for many years to come. I want to bring that into AMS aesthetics and be the place where I want to help people I want to make people feel great inside and out. It’s an honour the amount of people I have helped over the years and made them feel great especially during tough times through COVID, for their wedding day, and many other occasions.
I will also continue to be a better injector and that’s through the process of continual learning, being around experts and reading studies, educating my team, and growing my team. I think once we bring all those components together, we build a centre of excellence where we are bringing the highest quality treatments, the highest quality research, and then in turn, bringing that natural look to be the best you can be.
We want to grow and continue to grow our new clinic at The Shard too. That is such an exciting project for us to be chosen to be the main clinic at the Shangri-La The Shard London, and part of the Shangri-La group. I want to continue to provide that level of luxury in all our clinics. We want to continue learning and bringing that level of quality to AMS Aesthetics for many years to come.
To discover more, visit: amsaesthetics.com
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All imagery courtesy of AMS Aesthetics.