THE BIG DEBATE THE APPRENTICE

SUGAR

When glamorous Irish doctor Leah Totton won a £250K investment from renowned business mogul Lord on BBC1’s reality COATED TV show, The Apprentice, her business plan to launch a chain of aesthetic clinics in the UK raised more than a few eyebrows in the industry. We find out why this young doctor’s ambitious plans to enter the sector have caused such a stir…

ust when we thought the media very determined young woman, and it’s a storm surrounding the aesthetics very interesting industry, and she’s the most industry had started to dissipate interesting candidate, and she has the most in the wake of the Keogh review, interesting business proposition.” the sector was dragged firmly Dr Totton said, “To have Lord Sugar show this back into the spotlight, this time faith in me is absolutely unbelievable, it’s by the surprise victory in The amazing. I had much less experience than the Apprentice by 25-year-old doctor other candidates in business coming in to the Leah Totton who plans to take the aesthetics process and I really can’t believe that I have got Jindustry by storm.Whether it was her perceived this far and that I’ve actually won it! I’m really arrogance, claims of expertise in a field she going to do everything that I can to prove that he had not yet started practicing in, suggestions has made the right decision and I won’t let him that this was a unique business model that no down.” one had ever thought of or overzealous profit projections for making big bucks that ruffled Dr Tracy Mountford, medical director of The feathers, or maybe even a touch of the green Cosmetic Skin Clinic and one of the experts eyed monster, the industry has had more than who appeared on the show said, “There is no a few things to say about the programme with doubt that Lord Sugar’s decision to appoint social media going wild on the night of the final. Dr Leah Totton as his business partner was going to be a controversial one. There is also A WINNING FORMULA? no doubt that she is a bright fiercely ambitious This year’s series of The Apprentice really young woman albeit very inexperienced and captured the attention of the aesthetics naïve regarding the cosmetic industry, but Lord industry, for all the wrong reasons, after it was Sugar knows this. It was her overconfidence revealed that the business plan being proposed and underestimation of just how difficult and by finalist Dr Leah Totton, was to launch a demanding it is to run a professional ethical chain of aesthetic clinics offering botulinum practice with excellent clinical expertise that toxin, fillers and chemical peels. In the series stirred everyone up. Lord Sugar is aware of the 9 finale, Dr Totton and fellow candidate Luisa moves in the industry for regulation and on a Zissman battled it out with the help of their positive note his involvement with Leah Totton former Apprentice team mates, and worked should help raise awareness regarding this over the course of three days to produce launch all round. It will be interesting to see how this campaigns for their businesses: crafting a relationship develops.” brand, a website and a promotional video to present to 100 industry experts. THE TWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS After hearing the news of Dr Totton’s visitor Despite airing his reservations about the morals, Twitter and Facebook were awash with opinions ethics and safety of the market Lord Sugar said: about the programme, most of which were “The devil in me has got to take the risk, Leah quite brutally critical of Lord Sugar and his new you are going to be my business partner”. business partner. Here we collate some of the Speaking about Leah, he added, “She’s a views from key players in the industry…

14 www.cosmeticnewsuk.com Eddie Hooker, Dr Johanna Ward Hamilton Fraser Cosmetic “I am sure with Lord Sugar’s backing Dr Leah Totton’s Insurance business idea will be a success but I think that her business model will need considerable modification. It’s “The result of Dr Leah’s Apprentice win has got the cosmetic simply impossible to run a successful aesthetic clinic offering industry buzzing, with opinions divided on her medical skills just three facial treatments. Clients nowadays like to combine and knowledge of the industry. Industry experts have raised treatments and like to try all the latest cutting edge technology. If concern that she lacked the requisite medical skills to carry out Dr Totten and Lord Sugar fail to offer a wide variety of treatments the procedures she’d proposed in her business plan and the that clients can choose to combine then they will be missing out majority of journalists and social media influencers responses on a huge amount of potential income.I don’t think anyone can towards Dr Leah’s victory were negative. However, those train clinic managers or injectors in just four months and expect supporting the Derry doctor are encouraging the industry them to deliver the standard of clinical excellence that Dr Totton to give this young, and clearly very bright girl, the wants. This is especially true if they are new to the aesthetics chance to prove herself in this cut-throat world industry. Clinical excellence comes with years of experience and before passing judgment.” ongoing training. I have had over five years of specialist aesthetic, dermatology and injectables training and I am still learning all the time. The aesthetics industry is an exciting and dynamic one but the safety aspect of this industry has long been a cause for concern. To date the cosmetic medicine industry has been very poorly regulated and this needs to be urgently addressed otherwise patients will be put at risk. Lets hope Alan Sugar’s input Mr Rajiv Grover, into this industry is a positive one. Clinics put together in a hurry or consultant plastic surgeon and BAAPS President with little thought will not survive.”

“What this debate needs is a strong injection of common sense – if Dr Leah Totton were training to be a GP she would not be able to work unsupervised for another four years after qualifying. Yet in the private sector she is setting herself up to train others. Having a stab at running a business shouldn’t be Sue Ibrahim, taken literally.” aesthetic nurse and member of the BACN Mr Graeme Perks, “We all had to start somewhere, but I had a long president of the British Association of Plastic background in dermatology before I opened my medical Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons skin clinic. I encourage all doctors and nurses to obtain at (BAPRAS) least two years mentoring with an experienced doctor or nurse before going it alone. Alan Sugar should appreciate “At a time when all professionals are collaborating with Sir Bruce Keogh this as he is a mentor in the business sector. I only to improve cosmetic surgery practice and protect the vulnerable, it is hope he realises that Leah is still only a very junior a concern that a very junior doctor can make claims to be an authority doctor who needs support. Failure to do this in this field and provide the direction and clinical judgement that only could put the public at risk.” comes with experience. The results of The Apprentice provides yet another demonstration of why Parliament must act fast.”

Richard Crawford-Small, RCS “The Apprentice is a TV show, therefore it has very little to do with reality. I’m sure Lord Sugar has taken advice and if he did I’m surprised that no one told Paul Wilkinson him that the NHS medical director, Sir Bruce Keogh, released a report into CEO of Courthouse Clinics Cosmetic Interventions. The report begins; “The cosmetic interventions sector “If Lord Alan Sugar puts his weight behind legislation it could is growing rapidly. The existing regulatory framework has not kept pace with help the industry as the government will not push through bills changes and it does not provide enough protection against many of the potential for regulation unless there is a political vote winning reason risks from cosmetic procedures”. How does Dr Totton’s business model help to do so. Whilst Court House only use experienced doctors we this? My industry colleagues and I seem surprised, as her business model of hope Lord Sugar will use his profile to ensure that legislation is an inexperienced doctor training inexperienced doctors to perform injectable tightened up in our sector so that only suitably qualified doctors treatments is a little risky. There may be a little bit of envy around, but the are allowed to administer injectables in medical premises.” good news is Lord Alan Sugar is about to pump loads of money into direct to consumer marketing! Bonus.”

www.cosmeticnewsuk.com 15 THE BIG DEBATE THE APPRENTICE

Nigel Mercer, consultant plastic surgeon Dr Patrick Bowler, founder of the and former president of the British Association of BACD and Court House Clinics Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons “For years the cosmetic treatment industry has been subject to too many “At [Dr Totton’s] level of training, she will have a basic knowledge of unregulated procedures from cowboy cut-price clinics that give the rest of us immunology and some knowledge of anatomy. She may have done a few a bad name. But I don’t think Dr Leah is going to be one of those cowboys. weeks’ training in aesthetic medicine, but that is simply not enough. It may not be quite as dangerous as putting a hairdresser in charge of cosmetic many naysayers and critics, Dr Leah and Lord Sugar will certainly have to surgery, but it is still putting patients at risk.There is widespread agreement in ensure that their service is tip-top. With Lord Sugar’s media presence and business savvy, I’m hard pushed to imagine that, if anything, Dr Leah’s clinics cosmetic procedures. She is using Lord Sugar as a marketing tool to get her won’t actually go even further. Instead of providing cheap treatments that business going. This industry is very saturated, and this show has just given endanger patient safety, this is actually an opportunity for Dr Leah to raise the her a big leg up.” bar of average standard within the cosmetic treatment industry to prove her haters wrong. If Dr Leah wants, as reported, to add up to eight clinic locations Consultant Daron Seukeran, £8million, she’ll need a service that stands the test of time. Best business Dermatologist at sk:n sense suggests that this would mean hiring only the most credible doctors, “Medical aesthetics is a highly skilled area of practice which takes years making sure all correct legislation is in place, and leading by customer service to master. Shortfalls in government regulation have meant many ‘cowboy’ example when it comes to safety. Maybe the example set by Dr Leah will practitioners have entered the industry, often tarnishing the reputation of the actually help the reputation of clinics, like mine, Courthouse Clinics, who work more reputable, experienced providers. Following the Prof Sir Bruce Keogh hard to provide outstanding training, service, and facilities, and truly separate report, important regulations are hopefully on the way, but these don’t cover the wheat from the chaff- the great clinics from the dodgy salons. If Lord the amount of experience a client should expect their practitionerv to ha e. My Sugar is half the businessman The Apprentice would have us believe he is, Dr concern is that whilst Dr Totton seems dedicated to abiding by the spirit of Leah’s Botox empire can only go one way: to the top. And t it will take he rest of us good guys with it.” it can take several years of training to become an expert in this area, which of course could have a negative impact on patient safety” See page 52 for more responses from Twitter.