Dr Hilda Titiloye is a licensed medical practitioner with a Masters Degree in Aesthetic Medicine from the University of Cordoba, Spain and a post-graduate diploma in Clinical dermatology from Queen Mary University of London. She is a member of the Nigerian Medical association, an associate member of the Nigerian Association of Dermatologists and a member of the International association for Physicians in Aesthetic Medicine. She is married with two boys.
I Was Drawn to the Challenge and Uncharted Territory
My background is in medicine. As a secondary school student, I was good in the sciences. As an natural path back in the day, that meant you went to med school, so I did. I had always been attracted to beauty and perfection from a young age and after Med school wanted to specialize in plastic/cosmetic surgery, but following a reality check, I accepted I simply didn't have the stamina to withstand the rigors of a surgical residency training program while being a mother and a wife. After my youth service, while working as a general practitioner, we encountered quite a number of outpatient dermatology cases that were not only puzzling and challenging to me, but to my non-dermatology trained superiors as well. This sparked my interest in dermatology, then cosmetic dermatology and aesthetic medicine. I was tremendously fortunate(I consider this providence) to meet and work with a cosmetic dermatologist, one of the best in West Africa, who saw where my interests and passion were, and he encouraged me to go for the post graduate diploma in clinical dermatology in preparation for the Masters in Aesthetic medicine. Aesthetic medicine is a relatively new field of medicine that uses non- surgical treatments to enhance and improve physical appearance.
SKIN101 Clinics is a medical skincare, aesthetics, anti-aging and laser clinic which started in November, 2015. It is a culmination of more than 6 years of post-graduate training and experience. So ultimately I get to live my dream of using my medical skills to enhance beauty without the rigors of surgery.
I Have Made Mistakes as an Entrepreneur
I will say I am a serial entrepreneur. I previously owned a bridal store and tried other business ventures where I made poor choices, several mistakes and learned many hard lessons HANDS ON. With SKIN101, I wanted to offer something truly different. Yes, we are offering a medical service, but I wanted the experience around that service to blow our customer's minds away. The customer service, the friendliness and ambiance of the facility, the genuine care and concern for the patient, the ease of doing business with us...I wanted the customer to come into the clinic and not want to leave. We wanted to have a standard comparable to similar clinics anywhere else in the world. Being an appointment only clinic, we have had challenges with getting patients to honor appointments and keep to time, but the feedback has been pretty good. We are however not resting on out oars, we are continuously striving to improve on what we have started building. We planned every detail at the clinic for more than a year, and with God's blessings our take-off has been smooth sailing.
Skin Bleaching is a Huge Problem in Nigeria
A large number of the patients we see either come in with the desire to lighten/bleach their skin (which we will not do) or they come with post-bleaching complications. Within the next 5 years, we hope to start a beauty therapy training school, a skincare line and a massive skin pride campaign. Our beauty therapy training institute will target non- medical skincare "specialists" from the spas and non-medical skincare centers. We want to bring in some structure and professionalism into this industry along with getting these cadre of skincare service providers on the bandwagon of our "beauty in all shades" campaign. We are currently working on getting VTCT training certification from the UK, so the certificates earned will have a wider reach and can be used in several countries. There are too many "skin specialists" mixing bleaching creams. And believe me they have no idea the degree of damage these creams do. Imagine a product changes your skin by several shades in a few weeks, what will it do in a few years? And we definitely cannot think that removing the protective melanin God gave us will have no repercussions...it will!
I Have Made Mistakes as an Entrepreneur
I will say I am a serial entrepreneur. I previously owned a bridal store and tried other business ventures where I made poor choices, several mistakes and learned many hard lessons HANDS ON. With SKIN101, I wanted to offer something truly different. Yes, we are offering a medical service, but I wanted the experience around that service to blow our customer's minds away. The customer service, the friendliness and ambiance of the facility, the genuine care and concern for the patient, the ease of doing business with us...I wanted the customer to come into the clinic and not want to leave. We wanted to have a standard comparable to similar clinics anywhere else in the world. Being an appointment only clinic, we have had challenges with getting patients to honor appointments and keep to time, but the feedback has been pretty good. We are however not resting on out oars, we are continuously striving to improve on what we have started building. We planned every detail at the clinic for more than a year, and with God's blessings our take-off has been smooth sailing.
Skin Bleaching is a Huge Problem in Nigeria
A large number of the patients we see either come in with the desire to lighten/bleach their skin (which we will not do) or they come with post-bleaching complications. Within the next 5 years, we hope to start a beauty therapy training school, a skincare line and a massive skin pride campaign. Our beauty therapy training institute will target non- medical skincare "specialists" from the spas and non-medical skincare centers. We want to bring in some structure and professionalism into this industry along with getting these cadre of skincare service providers on the bandwagon of our "beauty in all shades" campaign. We are currently working on getting VTCT training certification from the UK, so the certificates earned will have a wider reach and can be used in several countries. There are too many "skin specialists" mixing bleaching creams. And believe me they have no idea the degree of damage these creams do. Imagine a product changes your skin by several shades in a few weeks, what will it do in a few years? And we definitely cannot think that removing the protective melanin God gave us will have no repercussions...it will!
Our skin care line will be melanin-friendly, eco-friendly, weather friendly, pocket friendly and of course proudly made in Nigeria. Catering to the peculiar needs of our beautiful African skin. We see patients in their 20s, 30s, 40s with already damaged skin. We do try to salvage as much as possible but what we should do is stop people from starting the use of these bleaching products form the outset. The "beauty in all shades" campaign will target the younger generation. Beauty is not limited to light skin, all colors of skin are beautiful...if well looked after! And this is what we should teach our daughters and sons. That is the only way to curb this menace. Change the way they think from that young age.
Government Should Provide Financial Relief to New Businesses
Running a business in Nigeria has it peculiar challenges of poor infrastructure, difficulty sourcing capable staff etc, but top of them all is financing. This will be over-flogging the issue and sounding like a broken record but the small businesses are the bedrock of every economy, they need a lot of governmental support. The ridiculously high interest rates and conditions from the banks to access funding are prohibitive and impossible for most small businesses. While the "idea" is most important for entrepreneurial prowess, the lack of funding will continue to stunt many dreams and ventures.
The Vintage Colette Brand
I have always been proud to be affiliated and associated with the Vintage Colette brand, there is no way I wouldn't have been attracted to this photo shoot. I have known Binta Shuaibu for more than 20 years and I have admired her doggedness and tenacity. She has been consistent with the vision she has for this brand from when she won the Lagos Fashion and Design week in 2012 till date. The Vintage Colette brand is easy to love for the creative, wearable, practical every day pieces and the great attention to detail and quality. I am proud that it is made in Nigeria and I am proud of Binta!
Government Should Provide Financial Relief to New Businesses
Running a business in Nigeria has it peculiar challenges of poor infrastructure, difficulty sourcing capable staff etc, but top of them all is financing. This will be over-flogging the issue and sounding like a broken record but the small businesses are the bedrock of every economy, they need a lot of governmental support. The ridiculously high interest rates and conditions from the banks to access funding are prohibitive and impossible for most small businesses. While the "idea" is most important for entrepreneurial prowess, the lack of funding will continue to stunt many dreams and ventures.
The Vintage Colette Brand
I have always been proud to be affiliated and associated with the Vintage Colette brand, there is no way I wouldn't have been attracted to this photo shoot. I have known Binta Shuaibu for more than 20 years and I have admired her doggedness and tenacity. She has been consistent with the vision she has for this brand from when she won the Lagos Fashion and Design week in 2012 till date. The Vintage Colette brand is easy to love for the creative, wearable, practical every day pieces and the great attention to detail and quality. I am proud that it is made in Nigeria and I am proud of Binta!
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