Dr Maureen Allem is the founder and medical director of SkinRenewal. She is an HPSCA-registered general practitioner with 25 years of experience in aesthetic and holistic medicine and procedures. Dr Maureen was one of the first female doctors in South Africa to train other doctors in administering botox. Here is how she went from working in the ER to owning 20 branches of SkinRenewal nationwide.
“I started at a provincial hospital in Klerksdorp. I used to rotate between the two hospitals. I eventually started running the female medical ward at the Klerksdorp Hospital, reminisces Dr Maureen.
Dr Maureen Allem
“One day, I came upon an article of Marika de Klerk, FW de Klerk’s wife and she always had that stern face. People didn’t realize that she couldn’t control her frown. And the way you look, it’s very effective on how people respond to you. When people see you frowning, immediately your fear centre kicks in, your limbic system, and then your sympathetic system kicks in, and then you start getting anxious,” explains Dr. Maureen. This observation is what led her to learn more about botulinum, or botox as we know it.
Back then, in 1999 Dr. Maureen went for her first injection and she still vouches for it to this day: “I noticed that it affects how I feel and it affects how my patients perceive me. So it’s quite interesting. They’ve actually done studies on that, [with] functional MRIs, to show how once a person’s had Botox, how it modulates the fear centre in the brain.”
Dr Maureen Allem
But Dr. Maureen believes that health and beauty require a holistic approach: “Health and lifestyle is so important, especially when it comes to skin concerns and cellulite and menopausal symptoms. All our doctors are also trained in health coaching. We are in the position of being able to inspire and nurture every patient that comes through our doors.”
6 Tips from an expert in aesthetics, Dr. Maureen for menopausal women
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Get quality sleep
“Sleep is the foundation of health. Everybody just brushes over sleep and I cannot, I’m an advocate of sleep,” explains Dr. Maureen. “Restorative sleep is where your hormones kick in, where your memory backs up, where your brain detoxifies, where your immune system upregulates. There’s so many important things happening in restorative sleep.”
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Consider the stress in your life
“Look at your stress management, which includes polyvagal breathing, where you have to have prolonged breathing and changes from sympathetic to parasympathetic. Try yoga, tai chi, meditation. Yin yoga is amazing,” exclaims Dr. Maureen.
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Take your supplements
“Take multivitamins and minerals because we’re all short of that. Consider adding omega-3, omega-6 and the anti-inflammatory, curcumin or turmeric to your daily intake,” says Dr. Maureen.
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Sit in the sun in the morning
“I take my cup of coffee, even if it’s winter, I sit outside with my hat on. Just sitting there in the sunrise, you have no idea how that infrared light improves your circadian rhythm. So just sit for 10, 15, 20 minutes a day,” encourages Dr. Maureen. “It also helps our bodies to activate the hormone for cholesterol, to normalize cholesterol levels, and then also to improve vitamin D in the body.”
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Do some exercise
Dr. Maureen advises some high-intensity exercise, even if it’s just for 15 or 20 minutes a day. “Exercise is the biggest, the most important way to get rid of all the toxins and all the buildup of metabolic waste in the body.”
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Eat your meals in order
There is actually a correct way to eat. Dr. Maureen says to eat your greens first, proteins next and carbs last to avoid a glucose spike and regulate sugar levels.
Dr. Maureen says, “You seem to fare better in life if you’ve got a positive self-image and self-confidence, and it’s very important to nurture that self-image and nurture your self-confidence by self-care.”
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Feature image: Unsplash
