The medical cosmetic clinic focussing on the ‘why’ behind the aesthetics

Posted on 8 November, 2024

In a world where changing your appearance can be just a click away, one Canberra medical cosmetic clinic is empowering every client who walks through the door with a focus on the individual.

Owned and operated by Dr. Maria Comyns (MBBS DCH), for six years, Why Aesthetics has been making a name for itself as the place to go for cosmetic, beauty, and personal care treatments tailored to you.

For the small and mighty team, it all comes down to ‘your why’.

“The reason it’s called Why Aesthetics is because I care about people’s ‘why’. Why do you want to have it done?” says Dr Maria.

“I started this business when I was 35 and for me, it was a taboo topic in my 20s. Nobody talked about it – and even as a 30-year-old, I didn’t know where to get the information from.”

That was Dr Maria’s original reason ‘why’ – but her journey with Why Aesthetics has been anything but linear.

Dr. Maria Comyns.

Growing up in Grafton, New South Wales, and completing her medical training at the University of New South Wales, Dr. Maria has called Canberra home for the last 15 years. Originally dreaming of becoming a psychiatrist, she has dipped her toe in everything from training as a GP to emergency medicine.

Passionate about the industry, it was only after realising that she wanted to combine her passion for business with her love for non-surgical cosmetic work that she decided to open Why Aesthetics in 2019.

“I started med school in 2003 and around that time, cosmetic work was reserved for plastic surgeons. Maybe some people were having it, but it was very hush, hush,” says Dr Maria.

“I definitely did not go into med school thinking I would become a cosmetic physician.”

Wanting to open a safe, judgement-free zone where anyone could walk in and talk to a doctor about the treatments available to them, Dr. Maria says that what makes Why Aesthetics so unique is the fact the clinic is doctor and female-led.

From creating a doctor-patient relationship to determining the best treatment plan for their needs, clients experience the highest medical standards from the moment they walk through the door.

“Even if people are seeing nurses here, the clinic is still headed by a doctor, so we have the same principles – there’s no question off the table, there’s no judgement and it’s about what options are available for you,” says Dr. Maria.

Passionate about people making informed decisions when it comes to cosmetic procedures, Dr. Maria says that the increase in demand for cosmetic treatments is a response to the fact that the science is accessible, but it’s also more affordable compared to 20 years ago.

No longer exclusively available for celebrities and influencers, as more people consider booking medical cosmetic treatments, according to Dr. Maria the services Why Aesthetics offers are not about changing what people look like.

It’s about helping them age in a way that they feel comfortable.

“Using the different tools that we have to combine them in a way that makes the patient happy is the art within this,” she explains.

“Our role is to give them informed consent and to help them understand what we will be using.”

With an eye for artistry and beauty, the team at Why Aesthetics – Registered nurse Mardi Scanlan, Registered Nurse Neala Jocumsen, and clinic assistant Roselyn Jurjevic – offers treatments that range from Pico Laser to IPL hair removal, and believe beauty and wellness go hand in hand.

The Why Aesthetics team.

Taking a holistic approach to every client – from working with them on what their skin needs to their aesthetic wants – she says it always comes back to the core of the business: why?

“As practitioners, we’re always coming back to our values of why we’re even doing these treatments in the first place,” she says.

As for Dr Maria’s hopes for the future of Why Aesthetics? Recently moving to a new space in Turner, the business owner, doctor, and mother is excited to see the impact AI will have on the industry.

And as she continues to watch the world of medical cosmetics evolve, Dr Maria says that she is seeing more people booking appointments to enhance their natural beauty, rather than change it.

“A lot of it now is coming back to that rejuvenation side of things, not necessarily augmentation of faces. I think people are getting sick of looking the same as everyone else,” Dr. Maria.

“I really like the way that is going. It aligns a bit more with my values.”

And for Dr Maria, that’s the perfect reason why.

Photography: Grace Costa Photographer.