The havoc that skin problems can wreak on self-confidence and the potential knock-on effect on mental health is rarely taken seriously, but someone who has tried to change this is our Innovation Award winner, Michelle Myers.

Marton Pharmacy’s pharmacist and managing director Michael Maguire nominated Michelle for the Innovation Award, which was sponsored by Precision Marketing Group, after being astonished at the recent success of a skincare clinic that Michelle initiated.

Michelle had felt she could make a significant difference to the lives of her customers, so completed training with high-end skincare manufacturer Dermalogica to “expert” level.

The service is not purely about selling products, although the income from the service and sales has reached nearly £100,000 over the last year. Patient education is fundamental, with the aim of helping people embed a process of looking after their skin on a daily basis that will last them a lifetime. The outcomes are impressive, with patients reporting dramatic improvements in their skin and remarking on how much more self-assured they feel as a result, with Michelle becoming known as “the skin wizard”.

Michael comments: “Almost comical scenes occurred in summer 2016 as word spread through two local secondary schools of Michelle’s success with teenagers. Desperate to look good for their prom, year 11 students besieged the pharmacy seeking an appointment.” He adds: “This presented a great opportunity for our healthy living advisors to reach out and start conversations around smoking, sexual health, alcohol and physical activity.”

Overwhelmed by demand, Michelle has put together a plan to convert the pharmacy’s training room into treatment areas. Expert skincare complements a whole range of services provided at the pharmacy, from reflexology and aromatherapy to sports therapy. Michelle explains: “Being a healthcare setting, it means we can offer something different, so for example someone who has been told to find a relaxation technique to go alongside their antidepressant medication can get a massage with no appointment necessary.”

Leanne Beverley, Awards judge and winner of the 2014 Spotlight Award, commenting: “This is a service you don’t hear much about in community pharmacy so it is great to see it being led by a staff member and not the pharmacist, with some excellent results and customer feedback. In addition, it makes the pharmacy a lot of money, something that is rare in the current climate of cuts.” 

Fellow judge and managing director of Metaphor Development Liam Stapleton agrees, saying: “Michelle is meeting local needs and drawing in new income.” And what could be better than that?