"I advise my patients to go to bed at 10pm and get six to eight hours sleep," says Dr Hala Hashad. Delores Johnson / The National
"I advise my patients to go to bed at 10pm and get six to eight hours sleep," says Dr Hala Hashad. Delores Johnson / The National

In this case, beauty really is skin deep



Dr Hala Hashad sees more than a dozen patients each day during her work as a dermatologist at Kaya Skin Clinic. Here she talks about some of the most popular - and strangest - treatments she has provided.

5am

I wake up. Sometimes after praying I watch some TV news, read some of the Holy Quran or eat a very light meal. Maybe I will go back to sleep for, like, two hours again - not all the time.

Mid-morning

Sometimes I read.

Just before noon

I jump into my white coat. Then I start to look at my schedule. It is usually very busy with back-to-back clients. I look first to see if they keep a lunch break for me or not. Usually they book it out. Then I start to fight with the desk and ask, 'Why did you not keep me a lunch break?' [she laughs]. Then I have a look at the names, [in case] some of my patients need more time. If there is still time I check my emails.

Noon

My shift starts. It a skin clinic, so [we see] classical dermatologist conditions, like eczema, acne, vertiligo. The other thing is the cosmetic part, so botox fillers, cheek augmentation, lip augmentation. We have treatment for hair [loss]. The most popular treatment is laser hair reduction. It is equal [between women and men] because here local guys ... come here to have laser [treatment] so they don't have to shave every day.

4pm

Lunch. Since I started my new diet I have a banana and a source of protein. I try to eat healthy food as much as I can. But ... sometimes I smell food outside and I feel like I'm starving and think, 'Why should I do this to myself?'

4.30pm

More appointments. The most weird [treatment] I had was one guy who came to me for a lip augmentation. He wanted his lips to be bigger. I tried to convince him that we do lip augmentation for ladies to look more feminine. He said, 'Yes, do it for me.' I postponed it [and] thought, 'What shape should I do for him? He already had big lips.'

8pm

I leave work if I'm lucky. If I still have some energy I go to one of the malls to see how people are living - to feel like I'm still alive. Sometimes I just plan with my daughter to have dinner outside. And I do a little shopping ... because I heard shopping can relieve tension.

Late Evening

Usually I advise my patients to go to bed at 10pm and get six to eight hours sleep. From 10pm till 2am you should be asleep, because there are certain hormones [released then], and if you are not sleeping you will not get [the benefit of] them. Most of the time I don't go [to sleep] at 10pm. I know it's wrong. But I'm trying not to go very late.

* Gillian Duncan

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