Today in India, aesthetic dermatology and cosmetology, collectively known as medical beauty, is a culture that inspires the younger generation, making them look good and feel confident. The part played by Dr.Chytra, a world-renowned Celebrity Dermatologist deserves a special mention, and the numerous accolades she mustered in her illustrious career barely hint at the efforts she puts every day and night to serve aesthetic needs of her clients. She works for more than 14 hours a day!

A dermatologist by training and an entrepreneur at heart, Dr.Chytra V Anand inspires confidence through medical beauty. Her journey as an Indian Beauty Guru & world-renowned Celebrity Dermatologist started over a decade back with the launching of Kosmoderma Skin Hair Body Clinics, when aesthetic clinic concept was something new in India. Kosmoderma, in the wings of Dr. Chytra, started a revolution that changed India’s beauty perspective forever.

Dr. Chytra's ventures, let it be aesthetic services or products or KAAM(Kosmoderma Academy of Aesthetic Medicine), are created with over 15+years of experience in the Beauty & Skin Industry across three continents.She graduated from the esteemed St.John's Institute of Dermatology in London and earned her fellowship at Miller School of Medicine in Miami, USA. An international KOL for all chief pharmas in Medical Beauty, Dr. Chytra has performed the highest Botox and Filler Injections in South India. Her accomplishments include the introduction of fractional lasers for acne scar rejuvenation, non-surgical thread lift, MediFacials, PhotoFacials, and the introduction of the world's most powerful laser hair reduction device.

In this exclusive interview with Women Entrepreneur Magazine, Dr.Chytra elucidates about KosmoDerma, her professional traits, and her latest innovation, SkinQ

What motivated you to establish Kosmoderma Skin, Hair & Body Clinics?

I'm a dermatologist by training, and an entrepreneur at heart and my motto is always to make people look and feel their best. I've been part of the aesthetic dermatology society for over 15years now. I trained between India, London, and Miami. I’m well versed in different skin types, regional preferences, and ethnic prefer- ences. I've always wanted to build a beauty clinic network and do something in India. However, when I came after graduation from the UK in2016, I discovered that there was no concept of the clinical side of beauty itself in India. People only understood salons and spas, but not the beauty clinic notion. So I established Kosmoderma, an aesthetic dermatology clinic with the intent of giving every Indian an opportunity to have safe, affordable, and effective skin and hair care treatments, which are of global gold standard.

“My vision is to be able to give every Indian an opportunity to have safe, affordable, and effective skin and hair care treatments, which are best in class”

When I first started Kosmoderma Clinics, I was among the first since there was no such thing as cosmetic dermatology, aesthetic dermatology, or super specialty of that in India yet. Over the years, we have built up our reputation as the leading South India clinic chain in aesthetic medicine and cosmetic dermatology, wherein one clinic became two, and today we have seven clinics between two cities, Bangalore and Chennai. Thereafter in2010, I realized there were no great skincare products for Indian skin. I began formulating skincare in2010 and established Kosmoderma Research Centre Products in2012, where we began performing extensive research into skin of colour or Indian skin and the finer nuances of how skin behaves, particularly in this condition of India. Today, we have a complete array of over 24skin, hair, and body solutions.

Introduce us to your skincare brand SkinQ. What was the underlying idea behind creating a skincare line designed for Indian skin?

Recently, with the advent of COVID, one of the things I realized was that there were a lot of individuals who needed help with their skin. I would get a lot of DMs asking for help on my Instagram handle which is a verified influencer account with 1,45,000followers. I realized that skin and our appearances have a huge play on our mental well-being and affect us a lot more than  we give credit to. I wanted to reach out to these people and the best way to do so was through skincare and haircare products. So one of my new pivots during the pandemic was the launch of an active evidence based skincare line for skin of colour and Indian Skin called SkinQ for the D2C segment.

Under Kosmoderma Research Centre Products, we already have a cutting edge assortment of high potency skin care and hair care products for treating conditions such as acne, pigmentation, melasma, sunburn, tan, anti-aging, poor cellulite, pregnancy care, eczema, and more. However, at SkinQ, we decided to reach out to the masses with a new skincare line which is now accessible for people with acne, pigmentation, and dehydrated skin. SkinQ is beauty in nature, an active skincare brand oriented towards solutions for troubled Indian skin and skin of colour.

What would your advice be to young girls aspiring to become business leaders and entrepreneurs in the future?

I mentor quite a few of the young women who are foraying into this field and I always tell them to be fearless and bold. One thing I can say is that as women, we become more apprehensive and question ourselves more, and I believe that this is something we need to combat. And one thing I usually tell people is not to be afraid of failure. Nothing is perfect and we don't need to, but take it in our stride and do what is most critical at that time. I also tell them while growing don't be afraid to ask for help and don't be afraid to help others. Uplift others with you and never put anybody down. I truly believe in the concept of striving to Be the Best We can Be.

Dr. Chytra V Anand, Kosmoderma Skin Hair Body Clinic

Dr. Chytra is a world-renowned Celebrity Dermatologist who has been part of the aesthetic dermatology society for over 15years and has pioneered numerous procedures and significantly contributed to the development of the Medical Aesthetics Industry. Always looking to put India on the world map, she showcased the Indian Skin care scenario at Cannes Aesthetic Film Festival and was awarded the Runner up position. A role model for upcoming dermatologists and cosmetologists seeking successful careers, Dr. Chytra was awarded the Rising Star award at the World Congress of Dermatology in2016 and is an invited speaker at various international and national conferences for her expertise in skin-of-colour and facial beautification.