Launch of skin clinic

Those are the words of Sarah Jagger who, with husband Dean, is launching Claremont Skin Clinic.

The couple, highly-trained aesthetic nurses, will run the business from 5 Claremont Buildings in Claremont Bank. The new business fits nicely into an area which has been something of a medical and dental quarter over the years.

Dean and Sarah will offer a halfway house between basic beauty treatments with creams and lotions and full-on plastic surgery.

They believe they have identified a gap in the regional market for laser skin treatment, and hope to ride on the back of a national boom in "looking better" fostered by TV programmes like Ten Years Younger.

They also see their clinic becoming a training centre - a regional centre of excellence - in such techniques.

"People usually have to travel to London for these kind of clinics so we hope we are providing a service which is not readily available in Shropshire, Mid Wales and beyond," said Dean.

The business, which is registered with the Healthcare Commission, will be fully supported by expert doctors in the medical aesthetics field, thanks to a wide network of friends and colleagues which Dean and Sarah have built up over the years.

The clinic will offer an extensive range of treatments for conditions like skin problems, acne scarring, fine lines and wrinkles, unwanted hair, unsightly veins, pigment problems, sun damage and age spots.

They will use the latest laser and intense pulsed light technologies. Since a laser costs £100,000, it is fair to say the outlay involved in setting up the clinic has been considerable.

"We have had some family investment which has helped to make it possible," said Sarah.

The couple met 12 years ago when they were both nurses working at Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Buckinghamshire.

Dean, who had spent most of his life in the Plymouth and Oxford areas, was persuaded to move to Shropshire by Sarah, who hails from Brewood, on the Staffordshire/Shropshire border.

"He was a little reluctant at first. I think he preferred Oxford, so I needed to find somewhere as beautiful, with the history, and Shrewsbury fitted the bill," she said with a smile.

"I love it here," said Dean, who is a convert to village life in Baschurch where the couple live with their children, three-year-old Amy and Harry who is 20 months old.

Here the couple have developed their careers, with Dean working for the out-of-hours health service Shropdoc and Sarah picking up new skills working for the specialist health and beauty clinic at Boots in Shrewsbury.

"I became very interested in the marketing side, which will hopefully be useful now. I'd have a stand at the Darwin Centre and I loved that side of it, getting involved with people," she said.

Dean admits that acquiring the skills to run a business is a "steep learning curve".

He explained: "As a nurse I'm very passionate about what I do and tend to wear my heart on my sleeve. I'd like to think that approach would work in business but I think, as a businessman you have to be a little more wary, particularly when dealing with people you don't know."

A friend and former colleague of Sarah's from Boots, Christina Rich, who has been a dental nurse and reflexologist, will be joining Claremont Skin Clinic as a clinician. And Dean and Sarah believe they have recruited wisely for the vital roles at front of house.

"Most people form their impressions of a practice from the reception they get on arrival and it is vital to have the right receptionist," said Dean.

The Jaggers have a three-year business plan to produce a flourishing practice.

Dean added: "I'm not driven by making a huge amount of money. I'd like to provide an expert service that helped people and gave us a good living."