BEYOND THE mirror

Deputy Editor Kezia Parkins speaks to Dr Olha Vorodyukhina about the formative years that shaped her holistic approach to aesthetics, her passion for education and training, and her patient-focused podcast and book, Beyond the Mirror.

Growing up on a farm in Ukraine with her grandfather, Dr Olha Vorodyukhina’s childhood was defined by G nature, wellness, and an early exposure to holistic living, long before it became a modern trend.

“This is how I was brought up. I had a very different childhood,” says Dr Vorodyukhina, now a dentist and aesthetic practitioner based in Nottinghamshire.

“I grew up on the farm with my grandfather, eating organically grown fruit and vegetables. From early morning to late evening, we were outdoors, swimming in open water. No TV, no cartoons,” she recalls.

Her grandfather practised yoga and took regular cold plunges -lifestyle choices considered eccentric at the time. “As a teenager, I didn’t think any of it was particularly cool,” she laughs. “But looking back, I realise how far ahead of his time he was.”

Now a mother of three, Dr Vorodyukhina sees those early lessons in natural healing and resilience as central to her approach in both life and clinical practice. “I hardly had medicine as a child. If I had a cold, it was herbal teas or tinctures. And they worked exceptionally well.”

In today’s wellness-conscious era, such holistic roots are more relevant than ever. Especially in the aesthetics space. “Looking at overall health has become such an important part of aesthetic medicine,” she says. “Without good internal health, it’s difficult to achieve long-lasting, great results externally. Our skin often reflects what’s going on inside the body, whether it’s gut health, cardiovascular issues or poor mental health.”