Dr. Shashi Shokeen is a doctor hailing from Dwarka, New Delhi who is a specialist in Aesthetic medicine. She did her fellowship in Aesthetic and Anti-aging Medicine (FAAM) at ILAMED – Institute of Laser & Aesthetic Medicine. With more than 4 years of experience in this field, she works closely on hair and skin issues.
Dr. Shashi Shokeen practices in her venture, Under my Skin in New Delhi. With close to 40,000 followers on her Instagram, she posts empowering content as well as educational ones to give her followers the right information on skin and haircare needs.
In her conversation with Icy Tales, Dr. Shashi Shokeen spoke about her journey in choosing this field of medicine, her opinion on the current lifestyle changes and how it is impacting skin and hair, along with some inputs on how to deal with skin insecurities.
Q) When did you decide that you wanted to be a doctor?
Dr. Shashi Shokeen: It’s a pretty long story from the beginning. I was the firstborn in my family and my family is just like every other Indian family. It was decided that if its a girl, she will become a doctor, and if it was a boy, he will become an engineer. So that was put into my head ever since I was a kid.
This situation pushed me into doing my MBBS but then the dilemma started from there because I have been more on the creative side forever. I wanted to do something creative but not leave my medical degree behind. It was during my college days when I got into creating content and back then it was sort of a hobby.
One day I asked my dad to give me a camera and he got me one. In my free time, I used to take the camera and create these crafty little things and upload those on YouTube. It was a pretty good time back then but eventually, as I grew up, I did not want to leave medicine because it felt nice to help patients get better. The difference that you see before a patient walks in and the second time when they come for a follow-up, kept me holding on to my success.
After the lockdown, I learned about the branch of medicine called aesthetics. It was something that appealed to me because this way, I could be a doctor and continue to follow my passion. Right from the very first day, I knew I would be able to do this pretty well and I am doing well right now. I can see patients, I can treat them, I can do the procedures and at the same time, I’m able to create content. So currently I’m doing everything that I love.
Q) What is something that you love about your profession?
Dr. Shashi Shokeen: Currently, I have been taking online consultations on skin and hair for almost two and a half to three years now. Hair and skin make a huge part of your appearance, right? I have seen how a person’s confidence comes down when they have issues with their hair and skin. When a person comes to me with all those problems, I sit them down and give them consultation right from their daily lifestyle habits and things that they need to change.
When they come back to me after a session, and when they walk in with happy faces, I can see the joy that they are healing. That feeling gives me gratification that I can make somebody gain confidence. That feeling of connecting with my patients and helping them throughout the journey is something that keeps me going all the time.
Q) What message would you want to give people who feel insecure about this skin?
Dr. Shashi Shokeen: I had acne since I was 12 or 13, so I know how it feels. Most doctors do pretty good consultations these days but back in the day, it was not the same. There were not enough people to understand the problem of getting acne so I can relate well to that particular situation. There are a lot of people even today who tell me that I am a skin doctor, but I still have acne.
The thing to understand is having acne is a skin type. I learned in a harsh way that I am born with acne-prone skin, and it’s probably never going to go away. So now when I do get acne, I don’t hate my skin or allow it to hurt my confidence. We need to appreciate ourselves for more than our skin and that will help us feel confident.
Acne doesn’t prove that it’s the end of you. You need to live with that knowledge and not let it pull you down. Honestly, it is no big deal if you have acne. You are a beautiful person inside and out.
Q) Give us some tips for maintaining good hair and skin
Dr. Shashi Shokeen: I get a lot of patients who tell me that everything is wrong with their diet and lifestyle and that they’ve been eating a lot of junk and sleeping late. Let me tell you that 70-80 percent of your lifestyle is what makes up your skin and hair. If you ignore that, no product will help you, no matter how much you spend on it.
You always need to prioritize your lifestyle, diet, and how well you sleep at night. If these basics are done, your skin would stay healthy and your hair would be fit and thickening. I own certain things and I always let my audience know which is good and which is not. Overall, lifestyle is connected with everything that we do.
People say that beauty’s only skin deep; it’s what’s on the “inside” that counts. Our insides are certainly important, but taking care of our skin, and hair is our first layer of defense against the outside world. Dr. Shashi Shokeen is setting an example for many people on how to feel confident despite skin and hair issues. She aims to help more people and treat more patients through her expertise in the field of Aesthetic Medicine.
Dr. Shashi Shokeen advises patients on skincare and treatments if necessary, as well as staying well active on her social media to give valuable tips to everyone on how you can and should take good care of your skin, hair, and hence overall health.
Check out the whole conversation with Dr. Shashi Shokeen on our YouTube Channel.
Last Updated on by kalidaspandian