Beauty from within is essential to achieve true radiance & grace

Dr. Alice Prethima Michael, Founder & Medical Aesthetic Physician- Ageless Medi Spa

Dr. Alice is a pioneer in the field of Medical Aesthetics & Beauty treatment procedures, having over 20 years of expertise in this area and one of the first in Malaysia to establish the same. Being a OBGYN (Head of Gynaecology) at a leading hospital to various different roles of medicine, she has also studied family medicine intensely as well as sports medicine, before choosing to work in the areas of anti-aging and wellness.

She is currently member of various international medical boards such as Occupational Medicine in Royal College of Physician, Ireland and European College of Aesthetic Medicine, in which she holds the position of head faculty instructor in South East Asia. She is also the co-founder of Society of Anti-Aging, Aesthetic and Regenerative Medicine Malaysia (RMM).

“I saw the need for a different approach, the one focused on wellbeing and preventive medicine. I also began to see a trend of people becoming more self conscious with desire to reverse the signs of aging and try to maintain their youthful figure & looks along with their health, which made me realise the need of the hour”, recalls Dr. Alice.

Dr. Alice, Founder & Medical Aesthetic Physician at Ageless Medi Spa believes that ‘Beauty from within is very essential to achieve the true radiance & grace’. Advocating good health, making sure we are clean and healthy from inside is her philosophy in life. Her greatest passion is to help her patients achieve their beauty goals, improve and better her clients not only externally, but internally and ensure a healthy & happy life to them.

Dr. Alice was presented the Women Icons Malaysia Award 2018 by BERG Singapore. Team ABT captures some more insights from her journey in this interview below.

Who is your greatest inspiration? Why?
I would say that my mother is my greatest inspiration. She always taught me to be hardworking and instilled family values within me while also constantly reminding me that strong women need to forge their own path and don’t look for others to help you all the time. It made me the woman I am today as well as the professional I have become.

Tell us about Ageless Medi Spa and its journey so far.
Its been a long journey and I have seen so much growth already, from my first centre to the opening of my third centre. I have had to learn a lot over the years, but it has been a satisfying one despite the constantly changing times & technology around us. The role of social media in marketing, as well as the various lessons to be learnt about inventory, accounting and other various things have had a great impact in the business.

At my 15th year in practice, I can say that learning and growing doesn’t stop and you must be continuously on the ball. While you get used to the existing methods, you will see new and exciting avenues open in parallel. The constant evolution of technology has been very exciting part of my journey as I find the beauty & wellness industry growing in demand, impact, quality & service excellence.

Could you recall any milestone that makes you happy & proud?
When I received the Excellence in Instruction from ECAMS which represents reaching the pinnacle of skill and knowledge for my field, there was no greater honour for me. I have achieved a few awards in my career including Woman of Caliber award from the Sultan of Selangor. Also, being recognised by the European College of Aesthetic Medicine and surgery was very important to me as it recognised my skill, both as a professional and also as an instructor to other doctors who wish to learn how to attain the needed skills.

Tell us about your Success Mantra
I believe in Sacrifice and hard work, along with necessary investment in various technologies and having the skilled & trusted team to utilise this technology. I have a small team and its important that we work efficiently as a tight-knit unit. Each member of my team has a significant role to play in supporting me when I’m performing my treatments or consultations. Many members of my team have been with me for a long time and its because of them that I can run my business as successfully as I do.

If you were to change anything from the past, what would that be?
I wish that from the start I had done pro-bono work for the people in need, rather than wait to do it later in my practice. I spent a lot of time trying to search for my footing as a doctor but I also wanted to reach the heights.

This pushed me to work in the government hospital for many years till I finished and went into private practice, working in clinics and mainly working to help my family have a better life at the beginning. Had things been different, maybe I would have been able to help people pro-bono and many others with their ailments, before I decided to descend into private practice.

What has been your most challenging assignment so far?
I think there are a lot of challenges in this industry. There has been enormous growth of competition in this industry with so many centres popping up here and there. With this kind of booming industry, I feel that the biggest challenge I face is public perception.

There are many stand-alone centres and in-experienced doctors who are not certified to perform these kinds of delicate procedures within the standards of safety & quality. Customers look at the pricing and see the word “beautician” and just fall for this hoax. Later, when complications arise, they turn to professional doctors like me to help fix their ailment. Overcoming this barrier and spreading the right messages so that customers can make better & informed decisions regarding their beauty treatment is quite critical in my area of services.

What would you like to achieve in the coming years?
It is my goal to continue training and mentoring the right people to build a better industry as a whole. I am hoping to grow my practice to a point where eventually my it will become self sufficient without me, so I can retire and eventually would like to serve as a consultant for other companies in this industry who want to grow the right way and guide them to their path to greatness.

Here is a quick preview of Dr. Alice Prethima Michael at Women Icons Malaysia 2018.