“I looked in the mirror and realised how much I’d aged since fleeing the Ukraine… I looked and felt old and tired”
41-year-old Svetlana Ishchenko arrived in the UK in April this year with her 18-year-old daughter Anastasia following Russia’s invasion of her home country Ukraine.
Svetlana realised they needed to leave when she saw the devastating effect the conflict was having on her daughter’s health: Just before evacuating they’d spent seven days sheltering from rocket attacks in the basement of their house in Bucha.
Svetlana’s trip to safety was arranged by her friend and aesthetic physician Dr Olha Vorodyukhina who treats patients at the Angels Twelve clinic in Nottingham. Dr Olha helped to pay for and arrange their travel, plus find the lovely family who sponsored them to come to the UK. Both are, of course, still scarred by the trauma of war and continue to worry for Svetlana’s two brothers and father who remain in Ukraine.
She says: “I can’t even describe how terrible and stressful life was in Ukraine after the invasion and it’s difficult to forget the feeling of fear, even though we are now in a safe place: The sound of a train or a police car can trigger more stress.”
So it’s not surprising that Svetlana feels that the worry and fear of war have taken their toll on her face. She explains: “One day after arriving in the UK, I looked in the mirror and realised how much I’d aged…I looked and felt old and tired since fleeing the Ukraine. I had no confidence and didn’t want to communicate with people or socialise.”
Dr Olha adds: “Svetlana believes that for women to feel good, they need to be confident in themselves. I understand that, so wanted to do something to help, and to give her the confidence to face her immediate future. I know how powerful facial aesthetics can be, so I suggested that I could treat her to make her look refreshed and feel better in herself.”
Svetlana had already benefited from a deep cleansing facial to improve the quality of her skin when she arrived from Ukraine, which gave her an initial feel-good boost. Her facial rejuvenation treatment that followed took about 45 minutes, with Dr Olha treating her temples, cheeks, chin, tear troughs and lips with a pioneering dermal filler called MaiLi.
Says Dr Olha: “Svetlana already had a beautiful facial structure, but because of the stress she’d been through there were some notable signs of ageing; for instance, volume loss around her temples and the lower part of her cheeks. She also had a noticeable rotation of her chin, which was already present, but something I could correct at the same time: My aim wasn’t just to give Svetlana anti-ageing treatment, but to ‘beautify’ her.” Dr Olha used a total of seven millilitres of MaiLi, judiciously placed, which she says has achieved “great results for such a small amount of product”.
And the treatment not only helped Svetlana to look more like herself, but also to feel like herself. She comments: “I feel so much better and more positive about myself. I now can’t stop looking in the mirror, I feel confident and am now eager to wear make-up and brighter clothes. I’m also happier to meet new people, to communicate and socialise with them. It’s made such a massive difference to me.”
There’s also been other good news for Svetlana. Her sponsor invited her brother’s wife and child over from Ukraine, and they were equally impressed with Svetlana’s new, fresher face. She says: “My sister-in-law and my sponsor have both said how well I look. And it’s certainly inspired a new chapter in my life. Now I’m able to concentrate on learning English and looking for work. I’ve worked with children in the past and would like to do that here in the UK.”
Dr Olha sums up the positive effect of MaiLi on Svetlana: “She really is sparkling. Now when she talks her eyes light up. It’s fantastic.”
MaiLi treatments must be carried out by a trained medical professional like Dr Olha Vorodyukhina. Book your free consultation today .
P.S This story been futured widely in the UK press in March 2023 including Daily Mail
