Senior Medical Consultant High quality clinical setting Competitive prices Impartial advice in your best interest
	Dr Bea Brookes MBBS FRCS (England) FCEM

General Medical Council (GMC)
Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of England (FRCS)
British Medical Association (BMA)
Committee Member of the British Association of Cosmetic Doctors (BACD)
Fellow of the Faculty of Accident and Emergency Medicine (FFAEM)
European College of Aesthetic Medecine (ECAM)

Viridian Medical Ltd was established to deliver high quality cosmetic medical services and is run by Dr Bea Brookes MBBS FRCS FFAEM. We use high quality private medical facilities and bring a wealth of over twenty years post-graduate medical experience to this arena. We can provide a spectrum of procedures for both the face and body and in addition have a network of other professional colleagues at The Guildford Hospital Nuffield Health to whom we can refer for treatment of areas we do not directly cover, e.g. The Nose Clinic for rhinoplasty.

Dr Bea Brookes graduated from Kings College Hospital London University in 1987 and followed a career in General Surgery in London and South East of England. She studied Plastic and Reconstructive and Aesthetic surgery at Queen Victoria Hospital, East Grinstead, as a junior plastic surgeon. This is considered to be hallowed ground for all plastic surgeons worldwide and is indeed the birth place of plastic surgery (Sir Archibald McIndoe carried out pioneering work on the guinea pig fighter pilots of World War 2). This experience gave Dr Brookes excellent grounding in surgical techniques, patient assessment and an overall approach to cosmetic work. Dr Brookes became a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of England (FRCS) in 1992.

Since then Dr Brookes gained a very wide experience in medicine covering anaesthetics, orthopaedics, trauma and paediatrics and then following a career in Emergency Medicine. She did higher medical training in London and took up an NHS Consultant post in the Emergency department at the Royal Surrey County Hospital ( Guildford) from 1998 to 2009. Dr Brookes was the “Lead Clinician” there for seven years and was awarded two clinical excellence awards for her contribution to the development of the emergency service. Dr Brookes left the NHS in 2009 to fully dedicate her time to private cosmetic medicine.

Dr Brookes takes an overall approach to your care and will always advise you in your best interest by discussing a spectrum of possible different approaches. Dr Brookes joined the British Association of Cosmetic Doctors in 2005 and regularly attends all their conferences, meetings and training opportunities. She was asked to become South-East Regional Chairman for the BACD and also take-up as Associate Clinical Teacher to help take forward the Diploma in Cosmetic Medicine at Leicester University.

On a more personal note Dr Brookes describes herself as being “arty” and is a competent portrait artist. She has a genuine love of aesthetics and her career in private cosmetic medicine has enabled her to use her extensive medical and surgical knowledge and aesthetic appreciation to full use.

Over the last ten years an exciting new field known as cosmetic medicine has emerged from mainstream medicine. The practice of cosmetic medicine enables various facial and body improvements to be made without having to resort to full surgery. Many of the treatments are delivered through an injectable, such as wrinkle treatment (using Botulinum Toxin A ie BOTOX®), dermal fillers Juvederm®), volumising agents such as Sculptra®, laser resurfacing, radiofrequency skin tightening (Accent RF®) and sophisticated minimally invasive body lipo-sculpture using Vaser (VASER®). Many of the cosmetic treatments now used have their roots in mainstream medicine (like BOTOX® used to treat squints and muscle spasm) so that there is much knowledge about each individual treatment and more importantly much knowledge about the safety and any possible hazards of any given treatment.

In addition, our understanding of the ageing process related to the skin, underlying fat, the muscle and indeed the skeleton has also evolved as a result of sophisticated imaging techniques e.g. MRI scanning of the face and skeleton, and have led to a greater knowledge of how we change during the ageing process. Cosmetic medicine is very much about the application of medical knowledge and science as well as an appreciation of what is realistically achievable for each individual. There is a genuine passion about cosmetic medicine which is the result of a highly rewarding experience for our patients and the positive feedback that we have had from results that are pleasing to them. Cosmetic medicine encompasses a huge number of possible treatments, many of which have good scientific research and others that are less proven, thus it is important to be clear as to what is realistically achievable in each individual case.

The consultation is all important and should be conducted with an impartial approach that is in your best interest. The consultation is the foundation of getting the best possible results for you specifically. Firstly, we need to understand what your concerns and priorities are as well as an in-depth discussion about your medical, surgical and cosmetic history to understand if there are any contra-indications or risks for you . Secondly, it is of paramount importance that you understand what is realistically achievable for you either in one treatment session or over a course of treatments. Thirdly, professionally we should be able to advise you if we feel a different focus would achieve a better result for you e.g. a change in skin care rather than say treatment of a particular wrinkle.

The aim is always to give you a natural look that makes you look good for your age, glow and feel confident rather than obviously strive to turn the clock back resulting in a “done” and unnatural appearance.

Dr Brookes always reserves the right not to treat you if she feels your expectations cannot be met or you will be disappointed with the results, or indeed if she feels that the look you wish to achieve is not in your best interest.

There is no compulsory regulation of persons carrying out many of the cosmetic medicine/aesthetic procedures in the UK, especially injectables. BACD have worked closely with the various organisations to try and ensure a standardisation of practices and appropriate clinical settings to carry out many treatments, but unfortunately in the UK there remain many loopholes. There remains huge diversity of the background and quality of people injecting or even carrying out more complex procedures. The onus is very much on you as the consumer to be confident in the person carrying out your treatment.

As a general rule, we would suggest the following before embarking on any injectable or minimally invasive surgical treatment:

1. Always investigate the background training and qualification of the person you are considering having your treatment with and ensure you feel confident with them. We would strongly recommend that you only have treatment with a cosmetic doctor, preferably a BACD member.
   
   
2. Generally we would not recommend any injectable treatment by a nurse and NEVER by a beauty therapist or any such person. UK Doctors are themselves highly regulated and are duty bound to act in your best interest and treat you as a patient and not just a consumer or client. Cosmetic Doctors are usually better placed to help you if you develop a problem or unexpected complication.
   
   
3. Ensure your doctor is experienced and approachable. Ensure they have a spectrum of knowledge and treatments and not only offer you a treatment that they can do. A good doctor will recommend the treatment best for you even if they need to refer you to another specialist.
   
   
4. Look at the premises. Are they fit for purpose? All surgical procedures should only be carried out in CQC registered premises and we would strongly suggest that all laser work is also carried out in CQC registered premises. We would recommend you have surgical treatment in a fully fledged day hospital setting such as the Guildford Hospital Nuffield Health and not a very small clinic with minimum staffing and facilities.
   
   
5. If you are just considering having an injectable treatment, please ensure the area looks clinical and medical not a “parlour”. Are there are hand washing facilities, appropriate work surfaces and good lighting with magnification etc? We would recommend you NEVER have injectable treatments in your own home or someone else’s home that has not been suitably converted with the appropriate facilities.
   
   Beware of “free consultations” - they rarely are! You would expect to pay a professional for their expertise and time. I am not aware of any plastic surgeon who offers their time for free and as an experienced cosmetic doctor with many years of training, I value my time and investment in my education.

For a full information pack
Call: 01483 455052
Or email: info@viridianmedical.co.uk