Glow for it
The Glow Clinic has now been open for a full year in Cork and we’ve a Q&A with the founder and owner Dr Jen Owens.
She’s a Cork woman and a qualified dentist, aesthetic medicine practitioner, make-up artist and yoga teacher. Dr Owens is delighted with how the first year in Cork has gone.
Q. Tell us about your background and why you went you opened an aesthetic clinic?
I originally graduated as a dentist from UCC so I feel like I have come full circle!
Aesthetics was something I finally found after a few years of being a dentist (which I didn't particularly like - not so much the work, but 15 people a day telling you they don't want to be sitting in your chair does eventually break you down!).
I sort of fell into it when using botox to treat facial pain and found it fascinating. I went on to do further training with the American Academy of Aesthetic Medicine and eventually did an MSc in London. I was spread across 4 different clinics and I was struggling to balance everything.
Opening my own clinic was kind of my only option at the time (there weren't really the jobs in bigger chain clinics that there are now) so I guess I just went for it!
Q. Tell us more about the services you provide for men and women at the clinic?
We have quite a range of treatments available so that we can properly address the concerns both women and men present with. Things like muscle relaxing injections (aka botox) and filler are always popular, but a big part of our practice is rejuvenating treatments like polynucleotides, laser (BBL and moxi) and collagen stimulating treatments like sculptra and HArmonyCa. All of these treatments work to increase collagen in the tissues which will keep someone looking like themselves, just fresher and with excellent skin quality.
Q. How long does a consultation take at the clinic and is there a cost involved to get a consultation?
A consultation with me is €100. The first time someone attends one of our clinics, they may have a skin scan with one of our therapists and I will see them for 45-50 minutes before we look at booking them for any treatment. This is because is we really need that time to ensure we properly explore what's bothering them, what the factors are that are contributing to those concerns, what their goals are and then what treatment options are suitable. We also want to consider their budget, lifestyle and timeline (big birthdays, weddings and menopause are big drivers for someone to book that first consultation). Consultations with the other doctors and skin therapists are €50.
Q. How is business going since your opening here in Cork?
It has been lovely to be in Cork and I’ve honestly been blown away by the support from our existing patients. It took a few months to become viable, which I had expected, given the start up costs. Since then it’s just gotten busier and happily we have two more doctors doing laser and PRP now, along with our fabulous skin therapist, Lizette.
Q. What is the most common skin concern you see in patients?
Aging is definitely the most common. There’s a huge change around menopause and some of our men equally find andropause can have an effect, so we find a lot of people seeking help at this point in their life, as they simply don’t recognise or even feel like themselves.
The Glow Clinic is on 22 Marlboro Street in the city centre. Contact them at 01-2232264.