Meet the team – Dr Chrissy Coffey

Earlier this year we were delighted to welcome Dr Chrissy to the Melior Clinics team.

After graduating from Cambridge University in 2003, Chrissy trained at King’s, Guy’s and St Thomas’ Medical School in London. She worked in Accident and Emergency units before moving into aesthetic medicine and becoming the Director of Training and Education for the British College of Aesthetic Medicine (BCAM).

We recently caught up with Chrissy for a quick chat to find out a bit more about her and her work at Melior Clinics.

What originally attracted you to studying medicine?

I was always interested in science and particularly biology at school and fortunately found that I had an aptitude for it. I chose to go on to study medicine because it combined the intellectual stimulation of the sciences with an ability to do something positive and help people when they’re at their most vulnerable.

As a career it’s wonderfully varied, with so many different aspects and so many different paths you can follow.

You spent four years working in Accident and Emergency, how did you find it?

It was an amazing experience. I really enjoyed the camaraderie with my colleagues – not just the doctors and nurses, but the whole team that makes a hospital work behind the scenes.

I loved the fact that you never knew what was going to come in through the doors, it really kept you on your toes! And it was a wonderful opportunity to use a really broad spectrum of my medical knowledge.

It was also a very difficult job to do at times; hectic 12 hour shifts and some very sad moments, particularly when there had been a major incident. But it was an honour to serve those people at such a terrible point in their lives and to offer them and their families emotional support as well as medical.

How have you found the move into aesthetic medicine?

It’s fantastic to be involved in such a rapidly evolving area of medicine and I particularly enjoy the finer procedures that need great precision but come with such amazing potential benefits.

And I still have that feeling of being able to help people every day. It’s great to be able to make a fairly small physical change to a person’s appearance that can make a dramatic improvement to their wellbeing and self-esteem.

You work with the British College of Aesthetic Medicine (BCAM) as their Director of Training and Education, what does this involve?

I’ve been working to set up the BCAM Academy which has the aim of raising standards throughout the aesthetics industry.

We focus on improving patient safety, increasing practitioners’ knowledge and supporting young practitioners moving into aesthetics throughout their careers. We offer training, support and a mentoring service. It’s really rewarding to know you’re doing something that’s going to continue to improve the quality of care in our profession.

You have a specialist interest in hyperhidrosis treatment. Why is this a particular favourite?

My patients always say it’s a life changing procedure. In fact I had a hyperhidrosis patient with me for a follow up appointment this morning who told me that it’s the best thing they’ve ever done. It’s fantastic to be able to offer such a simple treatment that can have such lasting benefits and really boost the patient’s confidence.

Neck rejuvenation is another of your specialities – how do you help people in this area?

I use a number of treatments and select the combination which is right for each patient. This can include botox to tighten the muscles, dermal fillers to deal with horizontal lines (no more turkey necks!) and skin boosters to improve the skin texture.

What are the most important things that people can do to keep their neck youthful?

Suncream, suncream and suncream!

Factor 50 on your face, neck and décolletage every day. And it’s never too late to start!

How are you enjoying your time at Melior Clinics so far?

I’m very much enjoying working at Melior Clinics. There’s a great team spirit and I really appreciate the fact that all the practitioners get on so well. It’s often helpful to chat about patients with the other doctors so we can discuss the best course of treatment for them.

It’s also great to work for an aesthetics company that really focuses on the natural look and doesn’t overdo any of the treatments.

And Melior Clinics always seems to attract really lovely patients – which makes the job even better!

Chrissy is available to see patients at our London Harley Street and Reading clinics.

Call us on 0330 024 1300 or complete a booking form to arrange your appointment.