Health & Wellbeing
Gideon Naboye is a cosmetic injector at The Cosmetic Clinic in Invercargill, and brings an extensive medical background to his role.
“I find nursing the combination of profession, career and a calling so regardless of the nursing role that I do, I always find it rewarding. In my current role as a cosmetic injector, I love seeing the smile and the confidence from my patients when they see a refreshed and healthier look that they can be proud of and identify with.
“That is because I consider this role as supporting an aspect of someone’s psychological and mental well-being. Just like we care for both the inside and outside of our homes, it’s important to care for the one that houses us, our physical self."
Gideon’s nursing background is the foundation of everything he does. The attention to detail, assessment skills, patient safety, and communication all carry over directly.
“Nursing teaches you to read people - not just their faces, but their comfort levels and expectations. That helps build trust, which is essential in aesthetics.”
Gideon’s philosophy is to always enhance, not change people’s appearance.
“Done properly, cosmetic injectables should just make you look refreshed, not different. Most of my patients’ friends can’t even tell what’s been done; they just say, “You look really good.” Overdoing treatments is what leads to issues and that’s something I actively avoid.”
Surprisingly, a lot of people come in thinking they’ll walk out looking “overdone” or “frozen” like some of the Hollywood and Reality TV stereotypes, he said.
“In reality, most treatments are subtle.”
Gideon said managing expectations is one of the biggest challenges of the industry.
“Social media has created a lot of unrealistic standards, where people often come in wanting to look like a filtered version of someone else. Part of my job is helping them understand what’s actually achievable and what will work best for their own face.
“Sometimes that means saying no to certain requests or guiding them away from something they’ve seen online that isn’t suitable or safe.”
He said another challenge is being a male in a mostly female industry.
"Early on, I noticed I sometimes had to work a bit harder to earn trust, especially with new patients. But once they see my approach which is focusing on balance, natural results, and safety, that barrier tends to fade quickly.”
There are also broader issues within the industry itself. The rise of unregulated treatments and inexperienced injectors offering cheap procedures has made things confusing and sometimes risky for patients.
“It’s not uncommon for people to come in after a bad experience elsewhere, unsure of what’s real or who to trust. Part of my role is helping them navigate that maze and try educating them, setting realistic goals, and doing what’s right for them, even if that means disagreeing with a trend or saying no to something popular online.”
The owners of Cosmetic Clinic Invercargill take a research-based approach to their treatments and are thriving in the south since opening in December 2022.
“Our clinics are overseen by medical doctors, and we have well established protocols with over 20 years’ experience in cosmetic injectables,” owners Marek and Saskia de Ruyter say.
The couple are all about people, development, and creating a space where both staff and clients feel valued.
At the Cosmetic Clinic Invercargill, they don’t just follow trends, they evaluate every treatment to make sure it’s safe, effective, and worth offering to their clients.
