Deciding to change your appearance, whether for medical or purely aesthetic reasons, is an important decision, so naturally, you will want to place it in the safe hands of one of the experts.
So, if you are unhappy about the way you look, if you feel you look older than your age, if you are looking for cost-effective international level skincare solutions, you must always consult with the doctor.
Dr Asha Biju, the Founder and CEO, and her panel of doctors’ mission is to carefully listen to your needs and provide thoughtful consultation. They offer a comprehensive service for both men and women that provides you with a range of effective treatments concerning cosmetology. Established in 2009 as Dr Asha’s Cosmetology and Aesthetic Laser Centre, it has been re-branded as Wow Factor MediCosmetic Skin and Laser Centre.
In an interview with Insights Success for its edition of ‘The Women Owning the Business Arena,’ Dr Asha talks about her Wow Factor, its range of treatments, and her assurance of constantly maintaining the highest standards in all the services she and her team of professionals provide.
What was your inspiration behind venturing into the aesthetic industry?
I’ve always been interested in pursuing a career in plastic surgery but unfortunately, I had it as a setback for success. I worked in various multi-specialty hospitals as a junior Surgeon.
In 2009, I took a risk and made a career transition. I trained in various aspects of aesthetic medicine by attending multiple courses all across the globe. Fortunately, my husband was very supportive as he was extremely confident of my abilities. Also, the freedom and excitement of having your own aesthetic centre was definitely lucrative. We wanted to start a centre where our employees could work in a comfortable environment and be free to showcase their skills and talents to the best of their abilities.
Please describe Wow Factor in detail.
Wow Factor is a skin, laser, and aesthetic medical centre, located in the heart of Trivandrum in Kerala known as God’s Own Country, where our experienced and well-trained doctors provide aesthetic dermatology procedures, laser treatments, minimally invasive procedures and medical treatment for skin, hair, and nails for both adults and children. We have a professional and trained team that is sensitive to your concerns and provides thorough care for diagnosing, managing, and treating your skin and cosmetic concerns.
Tell us about Wow Factor’s journey.
We are glad to be a part of the aesthetic medical industry which is arguably one of the fastest-growing industries in the world today, mainly driven by the increased acceptance of safer, more effective non-invasive and minimally invasive procedures. Consumers of all age groups are really interested in looking their best with minimal downtime. They do a lot of research online, talk with their peers on social media, and then walk into your office knowing you and your expertise in advance, as well as the kinds of services you offer. This is a great development that is changing the face of the aesthetic medical industry. They trust you right off the bat without even meeting you. Thanks in part to the internet, television, and social media influencers.
There is also a concern about consumers seeking help from various sham products and non-scientific methods. Fortunately, a growing scientific community is focused on educating the public about evidence-based anti-ageing medicine so that consumers are well informed and aware of genuine, scientifically proven therapies. We are proud to be a part of this scientific community.
What were the initial challenges you faced while venturing into the respective industry?
I can classify the initial challenges into two groups: professional and business.
On the professional side, I had to face a lot of opposition from dermatologists who felt that it was their domain to practice aesthetic medicine. But if you look into doctors practising this field, I’m sure you would have noticed that the most successful ones are those with the right skills and passion in their work. I’m extremely satisfied that today most of these challenges have been silenced with our excellent work based on scientific principles though such problems spring up once in a while.
On the business front, the high cost of acquiring FDA approved machines are one of the biggest challenges, but this has been addressed to a certain extent by the flexible payment options from distributors since the demand has increased now. The rapid growth in the medical and healthcare sectors demands the availability of the latest equipment and tools in order to be updated. Investment in the infrastructure is also very important.
Other than these, the other challenges include having an adequate supervised practice before treating your patients, expensive training and certifying courses, understanding the rules and regulations, start-up costs, competition, making profits, etc.
What are the USPs that highlight Wow Factor’s uniqueness?
Our treatments are customised or framed from our customers’ perspectives. We advise them on how best to achieve their goals using scientifically proven and approved methods. We make sure that each person gets personalised care and always remember something about them from the previous conversation or visit during the next visit to make them feel like they are in safe hands, recognised and comfortable. Our team is also regularly trained and updated to get new skills and advance their career by keeping up with the latest trends in the industry.
We encourage our patients to share their thoughts about their experiences with our doctors and the rest of the team. This kind of feedback can be invaluable to strengthen and grow the practice as it is difficult to see our weaknesses otherwise.
What professional values and qualities do you think your clients value in you and the Wow factor the most?
Integrity, trust, accountability, honesty, commitment to our customers, passion towards our work, continuous learning/improvement, no compromise on quality, excellent teamwork, humility, leadership, and simplicity.
As an experienced professional, what would you like to advise the budding aspirants?
First, have a vision; you need to know your passion and be ready to pursue it at any cost. Identify your expectations from it and turn your dream into a reality. Be thoroughly educated about your industry. Face your fears boldly, take risks, learn from mistakes, believe in yourself, and never give up.
How do you envision Wow Factor’s operations eventually, concerning the changing scenario of your niche, post-pandemic?
We have to adapt to the new reality and reassess opportunities.
The aesthetic medical industry is ever evolving, and new trends are seen almost daily. Before the pandemic, people were more focused on applying products to their skin without much research. But now, consumers are trying to be well-versed about the ingredient/product before using any of it. This is probably because we spent more time inside our homes during the pandemic, taking better care of ourselves than ever before.
Being constantly on social media have also influenced people to learn more about the basics of skin and how to take care of it. This has shifted focus from concealing flaws with makeup to correcting the flaws.
So, we have to update ourselves, keeping the consumers need in mind while trying to bring in new treatments.
