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  • ‘Seventy per cent of my clients are men’

    ‘Seventy per cent of my clients are men’

    In the wake of innovative solutions for caring for the skin, Nigerian men are taking the lead ahead of the womenfolk in skin care. So says medical aesthetics doctor and the Chief Executive Officer of Skin Salva Med Spa and Aesthetics, Dr. Vivian Ebelechukwu Akaenyi. She is also a realtor and founder of the Katalog Charity Foundation. In this interview with EVELYN OSAGIE, Dr. Akaenyi speaks on her passions and the rising trend of skin maintenance among Nigerian men.

    My journey into medical aesthetics

    I am a doctor in Medical Aesthetics and not a dermatologist. I am a non-surgical doctor. In my area of study, we work with fillers. Medical aesthetics is a multi-million dollar making industry right now. In Nigeria, it is growing massively; and will keep growing by the day. I started Skin Salva Med Spa and Aesthetics in 2018. And today, I have a Skin Centre of Medical Aesthetics Academy where people come, pay to learn. And it’s open for everyone. I had my medical education in Turkey, Nisantasi, Istanbul. I moved to Lagos and worked briefly to establish myself. Interestingly, I started with Interior Décor and Furniture Production Company. It was a thriving business; we were opportuned to supply furniture to at least 13 states in Nigeria.

    My passion

    My passion is caring for people. Although the business was thriving, my passion was skin (medical aesthetics) – I love fixing someone’s face or skin. Whether it’s contract jobs, as in furniture, or running a facials/spa services or pampering people… I just like to be of help. I like to make sure my clients are okay and get the best support ever. Even though I was running the interior décor company then, I got exhausted with people coming to my home; and I needed my space. The turning point for me came when we got the biggest of my supplies at the time. That was what berthed my Skin Salva Med Spa and Aesthetics business.

     Misconception about skin care

    Indeed, there are a lot of things that really get blown out of proportion. Firstly, there is this misconception over what medical aesthetics is. There is a huge difference between a medical aesthetician, a dermatologist and a cosmetologist. Being a medical aesthetician, you’re studying needles, Botox, filler, and so on. What concerns me is eyebrow, face, your overall body, injections, teeth whitening, etc., not just your regular skincare. If you’d want to lose some weight on your face right now, I would slim it down in about 40 minutes. And you’d see the result within two weeks. I can also help you fill up the face in 40 minutes and you see the result instantly. This is trending everywhere now. And Nigerian celebrities are keying into it. And Nigerian women, particularly the men, are keying into it. Like I’ve said the industry is now a multi-million dollar one.

    Another misconception comes in the use of skincare materials or products. For instance, the use of hydroquinone: firstly, it is not healthy; it causes skin cancer. But I must say although it’s not good for the skin, in some instances hydroquinone could still be used in little quantity. 1 or 1.2 or maximum 2% of hydroquinone can be used on a particular area that needs to be worked on. Everything has a percentage that if exceeded would have a negative effect on your body, including Vitamin C.

    Personally, I cannot use vitamin C. If I put it on my skin, I will break out instantly. So, anything that contains Vitamin C is a no-go for me. But it could be good for other people. A lesser dose of it would give you the result you’re looking for; but a higher dose of it may damage the skin.

     Misconception about Botox

    One general misconception is that only females do Botox. Guys also do Botox and tummy tuck. Yeah, they do Botox, they go for an injection on the face to fill up the wrinkles. I make men and women look good. But let me be honest with you, in this business, 70 per cent of my clients are men. I praise Nigerian men because unlike many believe that only women know how to take care of themselves. Our men also know how to pamper and take care of their skins. They come to do fillers and clean up their skin. Women use cream, men don’t have the patience for cream. Women would really find the cheaper one, which is cream. Once you take Botox, there has to be 12 months to 18 months intervals. I have not applied lotion on my body for five years.

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    Also, many women are focusing more on adding to their butts/bombom or taking away fat from one area and adding to another, either for enhancement or slimming, e.g. liposuction. In my field, we cannot condemn any of these acts as long as you don’t abuse it. But then we would only advise. Just the same way, they sell cigarettes and tell you smokers are liable to die young. Choose your demon and choose wisely. Instead of getting you under the knife, we give you non-surgical solutions. We have products that we work with to give you the same result you’re looking for even without a surgery. For instance, for a fuller or standing breast or chest (for men), we have a procedure that does not require you going under the knife. The same goes for tummy tuck.

    Also, it is often said doctors can’t treat themselves, however, I treat myself, i.e. I take care of my skin. I pass my own IV right here in my office by myself.  It’s not that dangerous as long as you know what you’re doing. And there are no side effects. Like in anything in life, once you abuse, it’ll definitely come with side effects.

     Age range to take Botox

    Well, some people age real fast. It’s quite dicey. I’ve had patients as young as 25. I’ve gotten some as old as 70 do their filling. Some people age really fast.

    Being a woman

    I do not know what it means to be a woman. That is to say, you won’t catch me going to the club, or wearing powder. I don’t have my nails fixed. When I’m done here, I go to the site to mould blocks; I’m also a realtor. Some may want to refer to me as a tomboy, but I don’t see myself as such. I’m a lady. But I am lovey-dovey. I dress decently. I know how to look good and be happy with myself.

    Passion for touching lives

    My passion for touching lives, not just empowering widows began when I was a child. As a child, you can never see me eat alone. I would eat with my neighbours or big cousins. And that is because I came from a place of sharing and compassion. My parents and siblings are like that. Without even knowing what love meant, I felt loved from the onset from my family. And that was what gave birth to the Katalog Charity Foundation – I am only extending that love. And we are currently on a project called “Project Rescue Widows” – it’s all about “100 stories, 100 lives” that we hope to change. We have already profiled 100 of them; and come September 8, we would provide them with empowerment tools – cash inclusive. They are drawn from different local governments in Lagos. We hope to take the initiative to other states as well. We also do child advocacy. We have gone and are still going round schools with our sensitisation on child abuse.

  • Casers Group celebrates 30th anniversary with clients, partners

    In furtherance of its 30th anniversary celebrations, Casers Group hosted clients, partners, industry players and associates to a grand dinner and exhibition in Lagos.

    Speaking on the growth and successes of the group, Chairman, Enyi Odigbo lauded clients and partners for contributing immensely to the remarkable feat. He said: “We are here to celebrate 30 years of influencing choices. This remarkable journey has been made possible by brands, businesses, family and friends. With your support, we’ve influenced thousands of choices”.

    “The successes of the group have been made possible by the Casers people. With people at the centre of our corporate philosophy, we have grown to become a leading creative group in Nigeria, West and Central Africa.”

    In the first 30 years of its existence, Casers Group has grown to become one of Africa’s leading Integrated Marketing Communication companies with business interests in Nigeria, Benin, Cameroun, Congo Brazaville, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Guinea Conakry and Liberia. The group has benefited immensely from affiliations and relationships with DDB Worldwide and OMNICOM Group.

    Odigbo added that the group is prepared for the future that will be shaped by technology and creative talents. “We’re well positioned for the next 30 years of adding value to brands and businesses with creative solutions in the midst of significant changes in our world.  “We are set to witness more significant changes over the next 30 years triggered by explosive developments that are already in place all around us.”

  • Southern Sun Ikoyi marks Easter for clients

    In enjoying the Southern Sun Ikoyi hospitality this Easter, guests are invited to celebrate in style with loved ones or to simply take a personal break as they await the arrival of the Easter during the long festive weekend.

    Showcasing the best offers for a relaxing break, Southern Sun Ikoyi promises a cozy ambience with a luxurious spread of pampering experiences that guests can enjoy. Boasting fine cuisine that heightens the Easter spirit and with a special touch from the hotel’s Head Chef for the occasion, Southern Sun Ikoyi promises a rosy arrival for Easter’s much awaited bunny.

    The hotel is offering Easter Sunday brunch and guests can enjoy a wide range of culinary delights with fine selections of wine and cocktail blends. The hotel says the accommodation rates are competitive with breakfast inclusive.

    With its stylish and contemporary ambience, sufficient WiFi internet connectivity and an outdoor pool and terrace area ideal for cooling off or just lounging with friends and familyduring the long Easter weekend, Southern Sun Ikoyi also boasts a well-equipped gym designed to meet the fitness needs of guests,equally manned by staff who are extremely warm and professional.

    Dedicated to catering to all the particular needs of its guests during this season, Southern Sun Ikoyi promises to spoil each guest this Easter with treats that ensure you leave with great memories.

  • ‘What clients want from PR agency’

    ‘What clients want from PR agency’

    The President, Advertisers Association of Nigeria (ADVAN), David Okeme, has said clients are always looking out for the public relations (PR) agency that can change perception and societal behaviour with just one image.

    Okeme, who is also the Brand Building Director, Unilever Nigeria, spoke at this month’s Public Relations Consultants Association of Nigeria (PRCAN) Breakfast Meeting in Lagos.

    He said at the heart of clients’ expectations from any campaign is the public relations strategy that connects with the people and delivers values.

    He explained that Unilever became the most competitive company in the world because it had developed three pillars strategy in creating brands namely, putting people first, building brand love and unlocking the magic.

    According to him, “In putting people first, Unilever sees people as the reason for its existence and, therefore, creates brands that offer real value and provides solutions to everyday lives. Secondly, in terms of building brand love, we create a purpose that becomes a high level anchor that consumers buy into and thus enhance business growth. Thirdly, to unlock the magic, the consumer must find the logic to believe in the superiority of the brand.”

    On how the company puts those pillars into use, Okeme shared video case studies of campaigns that were created to offer real value to the society, including one that led to the provision of safe water for a community.

    Since brand align ideas that both affect societal change and drive business, Okeme said the challenge was for PR to create a point of convergence that connects with the society to remain relevant.

    He said: “PR needs to get the point of convergence right in a way that is creative and strategic to elevate PR from being a transactional activity – which is how we have handled PR for quite some time – to a creative and strategic partner that brings about change in the society and growth in the business.”

    He advised PR experts to explore the potential of using word-of-mouth to achieve consumer conversion in brand use. He added that in some parts of the world, powerful PR tools yield positive results because it is more believable.

    “For clients, growth happens not with the loyal consumers but when there is a conversion as a result of a top-of-the-mind awareness that is brought about by creative story-telling,” Okeme said.

    He said PR is integral to helping the brand create social impact that would, ultimately, unlock growth and therefore, practitioners needed to elevate themselves to the position of strategic partners with organisations to become indispensable in all the discussions on brand building.

    Meanwhile, PRCAN President, John Ehiguese, said practitioners should change their strategies and embrace creative and strategic story telling that creates convergence with society.

    “The learning from this session, for me, is the clarion call to practitioners to be more creative in their story-telling approach that would ensure that people start talking about the brand and not necessarily the organisation,” Ehiguese said.

    The event was sponsored by CMC Connect Burston-Masteller, a member-firm of PRCAN.

  • EXMAN goes tough on clients

    EXMAN goes tough on clients

    The President of Experiential Marketers Association of Nigeria (EXMAN), Kayode Olagesin, is not happy that multinational clients are yet to adopt the EXMAN code of practice to enhance marketing activation.

    As a result, he disclosed that the group is making efforts to correct all anti-practice conduct by multinational clients and every other group  practising experiential marketing illegally.

    “We are not reviewing the code but ensuring that every member of the Experiential Marketers Association of Nigeria (EXMAN) internalises it and knows the implications of breaching the code. Our aim is to turn it into a living document,” he said.

    Prior to this time, he said EXMAN had sent the code to all members to enhance a robust discussion on the code of practice. “We chose the association’s first annual general meeting (AGM) to do so. We believe that by discussing some sections of the code at this AGM, members who ordinarily wouldn’t have time to read would have done so consciously or unconsciously. To achieve this, we asked every agency to send participants to the AGM to look at some of the key issues in code,” he noted.

    Olagesin said the association has taken further step to integrate itself with other groups under Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON) in order to address issues such as product sampling children and brand ambassadorship. He said these aspects need to be governed by rules and companies are expected to abide by this when activating their brands.

    “The most important sections in the code, which we relate with on a regular basis, have been addressed with the President of the Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria (AAAN), Kelechi Nwosu, in attendance. Some of those issues are children sampling, event locations and brand ambassadors and so on. Most of us are not conscious of the fact that there are certain things that should govern children sampling and also how they should be engaged. Brand ambassador is another leg we need to seriously look into. Either as an ambassador or a consumer, there are certain rules that should govern that practice.

    “There is so much unprofessional practice in alcohol sampling that some of us are not aware of. Practitioners are doing sampling and all sorts of engagement in outlets they shouldn’t have. But it is our duty through the code to educate and enlighten them on how to go about it,” he affirmed.

    He also noticed widespread violation of certain code of practice in the area abuse of activation locations. “On locations in terms of where we do our activities, there are so many breaches at the moment. I don’t think it is right to do sports activation on a street side and after it the place is left littered. Most people don’t take issues of littering into consideration. People put up posters for an event and they are not mindful of the environment; for example, having alcohol activation close to a church, mosque and secondary or primary school,” he explained.

    Olagesin, however, hoped that at the end the clients will embrace the code as part of their marketing standards.

    “Clients would embrace it because some of the issues raised in the code are issues that they have also addressed in their own marketing standards. There is no reputable organisation that will not have its own marketing standards, the do’s and don’ts. We took inputs from some of those marketing standards that we see in our multinational clients and infused them into what we are doing.

    Speaking on what obtains in other markets, he said:  “We looked at the code in other markets as well.There are some things that apply to them that don’t apply to us. In some other countries, they don’t necessarily have to get bomb squads but here it has become something we take into consideration. Before, we did not worry about taking the temperature of people coming to events but today we look at it. Those are things we are taking into cognisance and say that our members need to be aware of these issues,” he said.