EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH CLAIRE WILLIAMS FOR WOW FACIAL
1. What inspired you to start your journey in your field?
I have always been a skin care junkie and always buying the latest trending products when I was younger as I had PCOS and really struggled with acne from the age of 13. The advice from the GP was usually to use benzol peroxide and take antibiotics and I know now this was terrible advice, but without the internet or any authority to turn to, you do as you are advised. I didn’t get a diagnosis for my PCOS until I went private for my skin when I was 34. I walked into the dermatologist’s office and was told immediately I had PCOS, and he sent me for a scan to confirm. I was put on a retinoid skin cream and told about the benefits of salicylic acid. It was here that my medical skin care journey began. I am a complete science geek, too, so this inspired me.
2. What inspired you to develop the six-stage WOW Facial® treatment?
I spotted a gap in the aesthetics market back in 2016, an industry I had been working in since 2011, for personalized medi skin care that could improve many skin issues, and there wasn’t one brand offering this so I set about trailing different ingredients and developed a 6-stage facial. This was the early WOW facial. It has been improved dramatically since then, and I am very proud of what the WOW facial can achieve for skin health when delivered correctly by our trained practitioners.
3. Can you walk us through each stage of the WOW Facial® and explain its benefits?
Stage 1: Cleanse and Prep. A cleanser should always be selected based on skin type, and the skin types are dry, oily, nonmail and sensitive. We have 3 acid-based cleansers designed to deeply clean and exfoliate the skin in preparation for the next stage
Stage 2: Peel and Treat. The peels are selected based on skin type and skin condition. We have 4 peels: Glow peel for exfoliation and correcting early signs of ageing and to really add radiance to the skin; Clarify peel, this one is my favourite as I have seen instant improvements in acne, oiliness, blackheads and blemishes. Changing skin prone to acne is life-changing for some. Bright peel: This one addresses pigmentation and sun damage and adds instant brightness to the skin. I love this one for the back of sun-damaged hands as you can see an instant improvement. Also, our trained practitioners can use more than one peel at a time, so if you suffer from hormonal acne around the chin and pigmentation on the forehead, you could use the clear peel and the bright peel together. This is where we take that hyper-personalization element of the WOWE facial to the next level.
Stage 3: WOW fusion. This is the jewel in our crown. A device that has 20 very tiny micro needles in it and a glass vial which your practitioner can make a bespoke solution to improve many skin issues. The micro needles are pressed gently into the skin, and the vial with the solution in is attached to the needle head, the solution flows down the needles and into the skin. Our medical practitioners can also add in botulinum toxin type A, a commonly used wrinkle relaxer that when placed superficially in the skin can bring about improvements in rosacea by reducing redness, oiliness, inflammations, and facial sweating, amongst a few of its benefits.
Stage 4: LED light technology. We use either red light or blue light. Red light speeds up the healing process and stimulates collagen and elastin, and blue light kills the c-acnes bacteria that cause acne.
Stage 5: This is our iconic Mask called THE MASK by WOW facial. A dual-sided mask. One side is loaded with stem cells, peptides, hyaluronic acid, and other goodies that hydrate and calm the skin and the other side has a transdermal delivery matrix on it that aids the absorption of the ingredients into the skin. This is a great take-home product, too, and fab to use before big events or the red carpet.
Stage 6: Finish and protect. WE have a range of creams and serums that are selected based on what your skin needs, and once that have all been applied, we finish off with our award-winning hero, SPF Synergy 6. A multitasking, working skin care product that protects from UVA, UVB, pollution, blue light radiation, and heat damage, in a formula that is easy to wear, its light and does not feel like an SPF. It has a translucent tint to make the skin glow. This is our bestselling home care product and has quickly become the best-selling SPF in aesthetic medicine.
4. How did you ensure the WOW fusion® device meets medical standards, and what makes it unique?
We are the manufacturer of the WOW fusion device, and we manufacture it as a class 2 medical device to ISO13485 standards. This puts patient safety at the core of what we do, guarantees sterility which is important when penetrating living skin and ensures the quality of the device meets very strict standards. Also, as we train it as a system alongside the solutions to go in it, our practitioners know exactly what to use to bring about the biggest improvements in skin health.
5. What challenges did you face while creating a hyper-personalized skincare experience, and how did you overcome them?
The biggest challenge is that everyone’s skin is different, and it would be impossible to train our practitioners in every skin care condition and type, so we train them on ingredients and teach them how to build the perfect WOW facial for their clients. We do constant refresher training and send out regular newsletters on the products and what they are best suited for. We have built a really cool community where practitioners feel safe to ask for recommendations for tricky clients or skin conditions, and my team, other practitioners, and myself are always very happy to assist someone with a query
6. How do you stay updated with the latest advancements in skincare to continually enhance your treatments?
I am constantly on the lookout for trends and visit intentional conferences and events to stay up to date with the latest innovations in aesthetic medicine. I am always reading about the next big thing, researching ingredients, and discussing how we can improve our formulations with our formulators.
7. Could you share any memorable success stories from clients who have undergone the WOW Facial®?
There are so many, but one that really sticks out for me was a lady in her mid-20s at a skin clinic in Scotland. She had suffered with really bad acne for years and was getting married in a few months. We did the acne protocol on her, and her skin changed instantly. The spots had reduced in size, her redness had gone, her blackheads had disappeared, and she cried and hugged me and I cried with her as I know how much of an impact bad skin can have on someone. She had us all over her Instagram, and I showed her results to everyone. Stories like this are why I simply love my job.
8. What advice would you give to individuals seeking to improve their skin health?
Do it! Start your journey. You can start very simply at home by selecting the right cleanser for your skin type and wearing SPF. I designed Synergy 6 for people who don’t want a 6-step home care routine. My advice is to wash your face and wear SPF as a bare minimum. To bring about real improvements seek out skin care specialists and aesthetic practitioners who love skin health. We have a skin care quiz on our website www.circaskin.com, and this will suggest the ideal routine for you based on your skin type, conditions, and actually what you want to wear. The home care products for WOW are from our other brand, Intradermology, and WOW facial and Intradermology are designed to compliment each other.
9. How do you envision the future of personalized skincare, and what role will WOW Facial® play in it?
The future is already here; we can’t do any better than hyper-personalizing what we do in professional treatments. Regenerative medicine is the current trend, and I know it has longevity. We are launching regenerative products to go on to the WOW device, such as polynucleotides and exosomes, and will be using more peptides and growth factors in our topical skin care range. WOW Facial will continue to educate the general public on skin health and the importance of personalization. We always say that when you hyper-personalize how you treat skin, magic happens, and we see this every day.
10. What upcoming innovations or treatments can clients look forward to from WOW Facial®?
More regenerative products and some unique combinations of products to give maximum impact, but I can’t say more than that. It is a secret, but we have some very exciting things in the pipeline.
11. Now, you have just been announced as one of the Bronze category sponsors for the prestigious 11th annual National Film Awards UK. This is an amazing achievement for your company. How excited are you to partner with the National Film Awards UK?
The whole team are so excited and we have announced it to our customers who are really happy too. We are hoping to spread WOW across the film industry and hopefully spread the word that personalisation is the future of skin health and that it is ok to look after your skin. In fact it’s better than ok, it’s fun. We are looking forward to attending the event, and I guarantee that the WOW team will be glowing on the night.
Social Media:
• Instagram: @wowfacialpro
• Instagram: @wow_fusion
• Instagram: @intradermologyuk
