Business Excellence Awards 2020

Acquisition International - 2020 Business Excellence Awards 5 Best Facial Rejuvenation & Aesthetic Dermatology Clinic - Saint Lucia highly popularised in the mid-2000s. Unknown to her at the time, Dr Destang then joined the ranks of the few dental practitioners offering aesthetic treatments. As learned as she is, the good doctor quickly caught on and realised her advantage – most medical practitioners at that time did not possess sufficient practical knowledge of facial anatomy and innervation. Dermal fillers in that age were not pre- mixed with anaesthetic, resulting in painful injections done under topical anaesthetic creams. Both of Dr Destang’s clinics could not be more different. Caribbean Smiles Orthodontics is a radiant, colourful, vibrant, and fast-paced workplace, simultaneously functioning as a centre of exceptional orthodontist work and being fun for kids. Every day is different, bringing with it progressive changes in dental and facial aesthetics, all whilst making remarkable changes in the lives of the patients who come in. Dr Destang’s work is more than medically impressive; it is radical in the way it boosts confidence and makes a permanent change in people’s lives. Days spent in the Dermalogics Laser & Aesthetics clinic are different again, not least in setting and atmosphere. More relaxed, spa-like, and significantly less strenuous, the work of an aesthetic physician is also different for the results it generates. Dynamic, exciting, and more visual than the orthodontic corrections, there is far more scope for creativity in aesthetic medicine whilst still following the rules of safety. Harking back to her days focusing on maxillofacial surgery, Dr Destang’s aesthetic medicine work draws on her extensive knowledge of facial anatomy, but also incorporates her wealth of experience as an orthodontist. Marrying the two together, the background has helped tremendously in the planning of facial sculpting and transformations. Skin is like an artistic canvas, and Dr Destang is a masterful artist. However, for all the passion and excitement across the two businesses, there are also challenges. Taxing on the brain, and sometimes confounded by the complexity and unpredictability of the human body, Dr Destang has to almost constantly make split- second decisions on the best decisions for each patient, taking into account a myriad of variables. There is also the successful management of patient expectations. Aesthetic medicine focuses on non-surgical treatments to improve facial or body aesthetics. Results, therefore, will not equate to surgical results, and early recognition of this limitation has ensured that Dr Destang has remained updatedwith surgical techniques to compliment her non-surgical treatments. Yet, through it all, the approach to patient management remains the same; working tirelessly to deliver the best aesthetic results possible for every patient. Determined to reduce the pain levels for her clients and patients, Dr Destang capitalised on her knowledge of the application of both intraoral and extraoral facial nerve blocks. In doing so, she was able to ensure that patients could undergo pain-free treatments. Her orthodontic and surgical knowledge also proved beneficial, especially given facial analyses and identification of key facial points involved in anti-aging facial sculpting. However, despite her strong foundation in facial aesthetics, Dr Destang realised a critical weakness in her training – the skin. After several years of successfully running her two businesses, she decided to train with Dr Zein Obagi, one of the leading experts in aesthetic skin transformations. Through her time spent with Dr Obagi, Dr Destang was able to comprehend the complexity of the darker skin tones that Caribbean people have. Applying several principles of cosmetic dermatology, she was able to realise the unpredictability of darker skin tones, even when traditional and textbook treatments were recommended and applied. Armed with this new level of knowledge from Dr Obagi, Dr Destang returned to her work with the new goal of refining protocols to increase the predictability of her treatment outcomes for skin of colour. Working alongside a team of like-minded academic physicians, medical aestheticians, skin care formulators, and experienced skincare representatives, Dr Destang began to discover and better understand the behaviour of darker skin when subject to cosmetic treatments. Through her partnerships with these industry experts, Dr Destang was also able to modify and refine skin care treatments better tailored for her Caribbean demographics. This commitment to a better understanding and more effective range of aesthetic skincare products and protocols resulting in the creation of Melanopeel Skin Clarity System. In the Caribbean, and other selected clinics all over the world, Melanopeel has become synonymous with top quality, effective, and powerful dermatological skin care for all skin colours and tones. Striving to improve her protocols and products all the time, Dr Destang was one of the first clinicians to endorse and publish works on the safety of medical micro-needling on darker skin tones in 2011, at a time when it was virtually unused on skin of colour or acne scars and hyperpigmentation. To further cement and enhance her learning, Dr Destang then went on to pursue a master’s degree in Practical Dermatology from Cardiff University, and a master’s degree in Aesthetic Medicine from Queen Mary of London University, graduating with Honours. Education has played a key role in both of the businesses that Dr Destang has founded and led since their creation. For both herself and her staff, education has provided a strategic and competitive advantage over others in the industry and in the Caribbean seeking “Taxing on the brain, and sometimes confounded by the complexity and unpredictability of the human body, Dr Destang has to almost constantly make split-second decisions on the best decisions for each patient, taking into account a myriad of variables.”