Meet the MD: Skyn Doctor's Aneesha Ahmad on juggling being a GP and MD

Cosmetic dermatology expert Dr Aneesha Ahmad is not only the medical director of her dermatology clinic, but is also a GP Principal.

Aneesha, who became a GP in 2013, is founder of Huddersfield clinic Skyn Doctor, which recently won an industry award for Skin Clinic of the Year.

Founded six years ago, Skyn Doctor is a doctor-led surgery, meaning that it can offer more solutions than other clinics.

Aneesha spoke with Bdaily about her journey from GP to MD, the importance of women in leadership roles, and the growth of Skyn Doctor from a one woman operation to an award winning clinic.

Can you tell the readers about yourself first of all - i.e. your background, where you are from etc?

I am born and bred in Glasgow. I started my medical degree at the University of St Andrews initially, moving to Manchester University for my clinical years and graduating from there in 2008.

I moved to West Yorkshire in 2010 when I married my husband and completed my GP training in 2013.

My husband and I took on a GP surgery the same year and became a husband and wife partnership. We have 2 girls aged 3 and 4 – they keep us on our toes!

What does your role entail?

I am the medical director of Skyn Doctor and this involves researching new treatments to offer our patients – I always ensure our treatments are evidence based and medical where possible.

I am responsible for teaching staff, ensuring our quality of service remains high and patients are treated for the right reasons. I also personally carry out injectable treatments and also skin consultations.

When was Skyn Doctor Huddersfield set up, and how has it grown since then?

Skyn Doctor was set up in 2014 and we have grown significantly over the years. I have never been a business minded person and my aim in opening the clinic was to help people.

Having come from a big city like Glasgow, I quickly realised that there was no clinic local that was offering the services that we do.

In order for people to attend a medical cosmetic clinic they would have to travel to Leeds or Manchester.

Initially I was a one man band - carrying out all treatments, answering the phone and doing all admin work myself.

As we grew as a business, I employed my first therapist 2 years later and I now have 4 members of staff working for me including a clinic co-ordinator and full time receptionist.

What is it about your organisation that motivates and excites you the most?

Where do I start! Probably the biggest factor is the feedback we get from our patients - saying how good they feel in themselves or how confident they now feel after having treatments.

A lot of patients are understandably nervous about having these treatments and it really is so satisfying to see their results and the impact this has on them.

Even the ‘simplest’ treatment, such as laser hair removal, can instil huge confidence in our patients. I love researching new and innovative treatments and bringing them back to the clinic.

Being able to help patients with various issues, which sometimes they have not been able to get help with otherwise, is extremely rewarding.

As a GP, I have wider knowledge of some skin conditions, for example, and we can offer an alternative level of treatment, rather than just medication.

Looking back on the past year, what has been your biggest achievement?

The last 12 months has had some amazing moments for us and we feel proud as a team of our achievements.

We launched Huddersfield’s first Hydrafacial machine very successfully; we were nominated for Best Clinic in The North for the prestigious Aesthetic Awards and only recently we won the industry award for Skin Clinic of the Year.

When I opened the clinic 6 years ago, I never imagined I would have the fantastic team that I do now or that we would be an award-winning clinic.

My initial idea was very small and we have grown beyond what I could have ever imagined.

What have been your biggest challenges during your time at Skyn Doctor so far, and how have you overcome them?

Probably juggling my home life and having 2 young children, and balancing this with the Clinic commitments alongside my GP work – our first child was born in our first year of opening!

I think having a good work life balance can be very difficult to maintain and this has most definitely been the biggest challenge.

Having good childcare in place, a supportive husband and being super organised has kept me sane! It’s ‘work in progress’ but we are getting there.

**Being a woman in charge of a medical company, what do you think could be done to further encourage women in business and in your field? **

I feel passionately about women feeling skilled and capable of running their own business, and being well supported by the wider business community, but it’s not for everyone.

More could be done to increase the number of health professionals in the near future, across all fields.

But it’s my opinion that women are underrepresented in leadership and research positions in the industry, so it would be a very positive move for the wider medical sector if this was addressed and female positions were boosted as a result.

**What does the future hold for your company? Any exciting projects in the pipeline we should know about? **

We are obviously currently closed due to the current COVID-19 situation, but can’t wait to reopen and welcome our patients - old and new.

This year I want to focus on teaching, researching the advancements being made in non-surgical cosmetics and keen to develop all areas of dermatology throughout the business.

Having completed a diploma in Dermatology last year, I am very keen to use my extended knowledge and apply this to helping patients with more chronic skin conditions wherever possible.