With over 25 years of experience as a medical practitioner, Maureen Allem is witness to all the cosmetic changes in the beauty business.



After a decade of running a medical ward in a provincial hospital, Dr Maureen Allem decided in the early 2000s that it was time for a change.



“I saw the opportunity for something different than just working in a hospital,” Allem tells FORBES AFRICA. “And I thought I&#8217;d given enough time back to the community, medical-wise, and I wanted to be able to do so much more in making a difference in people&#8217;s lives, which I did at the hospital. But now I wanted to do it in a completely different way.”



At home with her sisters, she came across a magazine article on Botox and medical aesthetics, which had not yet taken off in popularity then as it has now. Allem and her sisters consulted with a plastic surgeon and that is when it dawned on her that it could be her calling too.



Allem thought: “I can do this! Compared to what I had to do in the hospital, this could be a great new path for me to follow.”



Twenty years later, Allem’s Skin Renewal brand is successful, with 20 clinics across South Africa and over seven million treatments dispensed.



In recent years, it has become evident that Botox injections (which use botulinum toxin) have rapidly become one of the most popular non-surgical cosmetic procedures. In 2022, according to <a href="https://www.spamedica.com/blog/botox-usage-statistics-2023/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">SpaMedica</a>, there was a 26.1% increase in Botox treatments globally with over nine million treatments done that year alone.



“And do not get me wrong, there were many times we&#8217;ve made losses; we&#8217;ve put the branch in the wrong area, and then we&#8217;d have to close the branch down because the area changes and it declines. And then you realize, you&#8217;re never going to make it 100% successful for every branch. You just have to keep on going.”



However, for Allem, it has also been about educating patients about the misconceptions about Botox.



“Many people out there are very nervous about lasers and aesthetic treatments because they look on Botched and they look on social media, and they see all the mess-ups. The foundation of our business is education and ongoing research. Not only for the patient but also for us. If I don’t know something, I will research it,” she says.



When reflecting on her journey, Allem recalls how she had almost put her career aspirations on hold with two young children and a medical degree to finish. But her tenacity drove her to be part of an industry providing cutting-edge skincare solutions as also foster an environment celebrating and uplifting women.



“It&#8217;s so important to celebrate women, especially working women, who have to manage to build a career, look after the kids, and work twice as hard to be successful,” Allem says.



“I remember I had once asked one of my patients, ‘how do you manage with a job and everything you have got going on?’ and she said to me, and I will never forget, ‘you know what, I don&#8217;t think any man has ever been asked, how do you cope with having a family and having this job?’



“So, women really do have to work twice as hard, but that&#8217;s why I celebrate all working women.”

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Survivors & Thrivers: From Botox To Beauty, The South African Doctor With An Aesthetic Sense