Dr Anuya Deshpande – perfecting the art of cosmetic medicine and varicose veins treatments

For many, the global pandemic which plunged New Zealand into a mandatory lockdown felt like having the rug whipped away from beneath them. It did for Tauranga cosmetic and veins Doctor Anuya Deshpande, whose “heart sank” as the enormity of the situation became clear. focus talked to Dr Anuya about what she learnt during lockdown and what got her up and moving again.

Up until late March Anuya’s medical career had followed a meticulous and structured path of study, work and more study, with three brief maternity breaks along the way. Come lockdown, chaos and uncertainty suddenly prevailed, and Anuya found she wasn’t prepared, and if there’s one thing she hates, it’s not being prepared.

Cosmetic medicine and varicose veins treatments are elective procedures and were therefore considered non-essential services. Dr Anuya had to close the doors of her Tauranga clinic, and her consulting work for a veins treatment centre in Auckland also came to an abrupt halt.

Despite the rug being brusquely pulled away, she didn’t tumble – as one might expect following the sudden disappearance of one’s livelihood – but teetered through that first week in a state of mild shock.

“As confident as I am in most medical emergencies I felt some rising anxiety with all the uncertainty and so it was a relief to have Suzie, my clinic coordinator, quickly sort out the practical side of how we were going to organise things from home,” she says. “I applied for the wage subsidy for my staff and looked at how we could minimise outgoings, but the uncertainty and confusion of what Level 4 really meant for us caused a real disconnect in how I functioned that first week.

“Then it was a real blow having my Auckland veins contract temporarily suspended, even though I was able
to help them with virtual skin cancer consultations in the meantime. To keep these worries in perspective, I just kept thinking about the reality for so many other families, including many of my patients, who wouldn’t be offered their jobs back again, and I realised I wasn’t in that bad a place.”

With business matters sorted as much as possible, and staff kept on full pay, Anuya hunkered down at home with her husband and their three children – Ariana, 3, Marcus, 4 and Safia, 9 – with several weeks ahead to consider what really mattered in life.

SMALL BUT SAFE

Before Covid-19 swept the world, Anuya was pondering New Zealand’s small size and limited career opportunities in her area. She had considered the pros and cons of moving the family overseas so she could gain more international experience at a specialist hospital, and indulge her love of travel at the same time. She looks back now, happier than ever to be in New Zealand.

“Last October I travelled to Seoul for advanced training in cosmetic medicine, which was incredible and made me think how isolated I was in New Zealand. Now I’ve come to realise there’s nothing wrong with being in a smallish pond. My family are safe here and we have our health – what’s more important than that?

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“And I’ve realised I don’t have to feel isolated in New Zealand after all. During lockdown, I took part in several live webinars with people around the world. One was a conversation with Elle Macpherson and her cosmetic doctor on skincare and beauty tips; another between two leading plastic surgeons on the effects of the pandemic – it was fascinating! Under normal circumstances, I’d learn from them by attending overseas conferences, but the pandemic has opened up lots more opportunities to connect with people globally and learn in new ways.”

As the lockdown continued, Anuya began to see further opportunities in the situation, with Level 3 providing the impetus for her to refocus her attention on how she could support others. With Suzie, she took part in a 100km in 10 days challenge, and would post a daily Instagram Story to promote local tradies and other business people she met while out walking. Improving her social media skills was an added bonus.

Anuya also became more and more aware of how much she missed her work, and being able to return to the clinic at Level 3, albeit for just a few vein treatments, was “one of the best feelings”. Work was indeed her happy place, and despite regular 12-hour days, she couldn’t wait to be back.

NEW ZEALAND BOUND

In 2001 Anuya completed her medical training in the UK, including elective study in New York and the Mayo Clinic, before embarking on cosmetic medical training. Looking for a change of scenery and climate, she moved to New Zealand in 2006 and began working as a GP locum in Gisborne. It was there she met her Kiwi husband, Marty, and set up her first cosmetic medicine clinic, Skin Deep, in 2008.

As demand for her expertise grew, she gained further qualifications in cosmetic medicine, dermatology, skin cancer medicine and phlebology (varicose veins treatment). She is currently on the final stretch in her four-year qualification to gain her fellowship in phlebology, which will allow her to mentor other doctors studying varicose vein treatments.

A passion for helping others spurs Anuya onwards and upwards in her career. Add to that her love of art and it’s easy to see why she was attracted to the aesthetic side of medicine in the first place.

THE GOLDEN RATIO

“I studied art seriously up to the age of 18 and then had to make a choice between pursuing art or medicine as a career. My heart was into art but my head chose medicine. I don’t have any regrets about completing a medical degree and now I get to combine the two. 

“As a cosmetic physician, you need to understand why something looks beautiful, and there’s a large element of mathematics behind that, so the saying, ‘beauty is in the eye of the beholder’, is somewhat inaccurate.”

Anuya explains that cosmetic medicine involves extensive study of the mathematical ratios – known as the Golden Ratio – that make a face particularly attractive. It’s why certain features on one person look amazing but strange on others, even if we can’t put our finger on it.

“When I perform a cosmetic consultation, I assess a face as a whole. I assess ratios and features which may be creating a distraction or imbalance.Once I see where an improvement can be made it’s a matter of then working out a plan to help restore balance, to bring it closer to the golden ratios. There’s an art to this field of medicine but the foundation begins with mathematics.”

Anuya enjoys working with motivated clients who come to see her because they are looking for a positive result.

“I’m solutions-driven. I like being handed a problem and then working out how best to fix it. I feel pure joy when my cosmetic and varicose vein patients return for follow-up appointments and I see their positive reactions to the results – that’s what drives me to continue in this field because what may seem like a small difference can mean the world to someone.”

As well as her technical ability and anatomical knowledge, Anuya has also experienced injectable fillers as
a patient herself and knows how big a deal it is for a client to trust their face to a physician’s hands. Her focus is on natural-looking improvements to the face and when a client asks for something that won’t suit them, she’ll suggest another solution. Her procedures include muscle relaxant neuromodulators (Botox® andDysport®), dermal fillers, collagen- induction needling, thread-lifting, deoxycholic acid injections (Belkyra®) for double chins, fat freezing cryolipolysis as well as treatment for raised moles and skin tags. Varicose and spider veins are treated with non-surgical heat ablation and sclerotherapy, all under ultrasound guidance.

Services are not restricted to women, and while she’s still growing the cosmetic side of her business for men, she has many male clients coming in for vein treatments.

SAFETY FIRST

In regard to any cosmetic or veins procedure, she cautions people to get professional advice from trained physicians. Even spider veins, for example, need a full assessment to understand what’s happening underneath.

“It’s not beauty therapy; it’s a medical condition and requires a medical professional following best practice. Unless the physician follows proper guidelines, any varicose veins condition can become worse, from recurrence or progression of veins elsewhere. Best practice also involves sonographer-guided ultrasound when injecting and this is mandatory for all of my veins procedures.”

LEARNING FOR THE FUTURE

So, what has the Covid-19 response taught Anuya about business preparedness?

“Before lockdown, I had been reviewing my business insurance but hadn’t actually changed anything. This was an area of risk where I wasn’t prepared, and now I’ve made sure it’s sorted.

“My biggest piece of advice to other small businesses is to work smart and lean. I had already cut back anything unnecessary in the business and this helped enormously as we went into lockdown.”

Another wise decision that paid off for Anuya early on in her business was choosing not to invest in every
big costly medical machine she saw. She prefers to focus on specialist procedures using highly advanced equipment and refer clients elsewhere for other treatments.

And to survive lockdown and other calamities as a full-time working mum?

“I set myself realistic, achievable goals, and seem to get by on minimal sleep. I also have the most supportive husband who ensures the house runs like clockwork so that I can concentrate on the business. I do have the working mums’ guilt of not always being able to attend school events, but the buzz I get from my work means my children get a mother who is happy and fulfilled.

“Feeling elated to get back to work after lockdown confirmed to me that I’m where I’m meant to be.”