Outside-In

Alina Abramovich for Koru Medical Spa

When I was growing up, the idea of a medical spa was so foreign to me that it might as well have been a spa on the moon. I’d never heard of a “medical spa,” despite my mother being a licensed and business-owning aesthetician. When I first heard the term it was in Los Angeles around 2012, my first year at college and the beginnings of the Instagram and social media boom. And despite the fact that my own mother offered services such as electrolysis, facials, waxing and mani-pedis, there was always a distinct line in my mind about what constituted “appropriate” and “acceptable” beauty services. Neurotoxins and chemical peels were definitely on the “intolerable” side of that line.

We currently find ourselves in a strange time in the human timeline. On one hand, we are more technologically, medically, educationally and economically progressed than any other point in history, and yet history keeps repeating itself in frustratingly obvious ways - the endless cycle of female body image and beauty standard shifts.

Long gone are the days of corsets and arsenic powder to tighten the waist and whiten the face, but long held are also the ideals of a tiny midriff and a flawless complexion. We have given up the idea that ankles are scandalous pathways to sin, yet women are still actively judged by how much (or how little) skin they chose to show. 

But what of the external characteristics that make us feel beautiful? What if we do the internal work for self acceptance and inner beauty that makes us appreciate ourselves, our minds, and our bodies for what they are and for what they can be at the peak of their potential? What then are the exterior attributes and activities that make us feel like the best, highest versions of ourselves? 

Exercise releases endorphins and happiness hormones, allowing us to feel good physically, while benefiting emotionally and mentally from the endeavor as well. Activities that help us de-stress such as yoga, therapy, meditation and journaling benefit our health and mental wellbeing, but they also help prevent stress related acne, hair loss, wrinkles and other such physical manifestations. Skin creams and lotions and facials and masks help keep our skin moisturized and comfortable, while also making it smooth and soft. 

We then could look at the pursuit of beauty and wellness in a more holistic light. 

These thoughts and feelings sat with me for about a year. During that year I turned 26 and my years of sun and salt water exposure finally started catching up to my skin. During that year I had also gotten back into modeling consistently. During that year I also developed stress and sun-exposure migraines from constantly squinting and from dealing with my final year in my marine science degree.

Then, one day when I looked in my rearview mirror after an especially long surf session and saw that my sun-squinting had not only drawn deep furrows between my eyebrows but had also created a strong tanline there, so even when I wasn’t frowning or squinting, I had a grumpy and tired look on my face.

Some of my best friends - women whom I admired and trusted - were honest with me about their experiences with neurotoxins. Much like a first big heartbreak, the feelings and experiences that had led my good friends into choosing procedures such as neurotoxins and chemical peels were impossible for me to imagine or justify without experiencing them for myself. When I finally had experienced them, boy did their choices seem not only justified but imperative. 

About three months after that initial big mindset shift, I finally braved a visit to Koru Medical Spa. I chose Koru because Dr. Shellie Norman is a good friend of mine and I trusted her implicitly. My friends had also had positive experiences at Koru, and I felt that if I must try a neurotoxin procedure for myself I would rather Dr. Shellie and her staff be the ones to guide me through the process.

When I went in for my first neurotoxin treatment at Koru the experience was similar to when I had gotten braces in my early teens. The staff was medically trained, professional and non-judgemental. After the treatment, much like after braces, I felt that my face and self-image had been transformed for the better. Not comparatively to others, but rather comparatively to a better version of myself.

In truth, you can choose to exercise in moderation without comparing yourself to Instagram “yogis.” You can choose to get Dysport or Botox or chemical peels or a nose job or whatever procedure makes you look in the mirror and think, “yes, that’s me”, without comparing yourself to a Kardashian. You can read whatever books make YOU feel happy, informed and curious without comparing your experience to the reviews on Goodreads. As my fellow millennials say, “do you, boo”, inside and out, and the rest will follow.

Guest Contributor - Alina Abramovich 

@alinainthewild

These views do not express the views of Koru as a whole and/or are not from a medical provider or licensed esthetician. This blog post is for entertainment only.