Health and Beauty - Beauty Personified
The Road To Spain
Beauty Personified The Road To Spain
CONTINUING OUR SERIES ON EXPATRIATES WHO HAVE SETTLED ON THE COSTA DEL SOL, WHAT BROUGHT THEM TO SPAIN, AND THE ROAD THEY TRAVELLED TO EVENTUALLY MAKE THEIR HOMES HERE… THIS MONTH NICOLA McGEORGE TALKS TO DAVID AND DEBBIE MILLS
The once taboo subject of cosmetic surgery is now accepted as an everyday occurrence. Everyone knows someone who has had breast augmentation, liposuction, a nose job or even just lip enhancers. Daily newspaper features ensure we know everything about this billion dollar industry, but rarely do we get to meet the people who are actually capable of changing lives for the better. This is an opportunity to see the other side, as I interview UK cosmetic surgery professionals David and Debbie Mills, owners of the Mills & Mills medical group.
I meet them in the tranquil private grounds of their cosmetic surgery and aesthetic clinic and I am so glad they defy the stereotypical image of people who are involved in this sector. They are extremely friendly, down to earth and definitely not plastic. I am surprised to learn the couple only moved here two years ago as I feel as though Mills & Mills have been around for years. David sheds some light: “We have created this image by successful marketing and word of mouth”.
David Mills has over 26 years experience in the cosmetic surgery industry. He started off dealing with sales in a hair transplant clinic. After a short period he started his own hair and scalp clinic which, within five years, he sold to a large UK private medical group − for whom he eventually became a senior manager and board director.
He recalls, “I got to see the business develop and I assisted with its growth from a turnover of £1 million per annum to over £30 million when I left for Spain. During the ‘80s, cosmetic surgery was taboo, almost underground, then in the ‘90s the market really began to move. We ended up with 20 clinics in the UK.”
Debbie Mills has over 12 years experience as a nurse practitioner of aesthetic medicine and was popular in the UK media as a high profile practitioner, involving appearances in TV documentaries and radio programmes.
She commenced working for the NHS on the trauma ward of orthopaedics. Due to personal reasons she wanted a change and applied for a job at a private medical group. A great move, as this is where she met David. Beginning work as a theatre manager, she soon trained and qualified to perform all the non-surgical treatments, such as line and wrinkle removal, dermal fillers and lip enhancement. “I loved it,” exclaims Debbie. “I still got to have the patient contact, but without the illness. It was the pleasant side to nursing.”
As their professional life grew, their personal time disappeared. Working 16 hours a day, five hours of which were commuting, eventually took its toll. They wanted more time with their family David explains, “We were fed up with the weather, taxes and the system. We felt it was the right time to move and with the huge growth in medical tourism it would benefit us both professionally and personally. Ever since I was a little boy I wanted to live by the sea; to live by the coast is a real treat”.
The Mills already owned property on the Costa Blanca, so the search for a new business location started there. However, research concluded that the most suitable area would be around the Costa del Sol, so they settled in Marbella.
“There is a large demand for cosmetic surgery on the Costa del Sol, both from people living on the Coast and from the United Kingdom,” says David. “Debbie and I knew that our clients were looking for value and top quality treatment, in an English-speaking environment. Marbella is famous for quality and we want to bring cosmetic surgery into this branding.”
Debbie adds, “We wanted to create a ‘home from home’ feel; we are very hands on with patient care and are at the clinic every day. Last night David was with a patient till 1am; I then took over till 3am. She was missing her husband and just wanted a little comfort.”
I admire their work ethics; it is a remarkable quality. Many high flyers become detached from their clients over time, but the Mills are as connected as ever.
They began with just four staff and now have around 25. Being in the industry for so long meant they had their pick of the best surgeons, which was very important. “Surgeons make the practice,” says David. “You are only as good as your last operation.” Mills & Mills now offer cosmetic surgery procedures, non-surgical procedures including the remarkable thread lift (a non-invasive face lift), cosmetic dentistry, micro hair transplantation, obesity surgery and weight loss.
What I wanted to know was, how on earth had they managed all this while also having to settle their four children into a new country? Debbie’s mothering instinct rises straight to the surface and, with a large smile, she says, “For the little ones it’s been easy − they are happy and just love to show off their Spanish − but our 16-year-old daughter has found it more difficult. She has been taken away from her friends and has found it hard to adapt.”
I really sympathise. I know I would have given my parents hell if they had tried to even move me at that age, let alone to a different country.
David adds, “I think Spain is extremely child friendly and a tremendous environment in which to raise a family. You can go to any restaurant and they make your children welcome. The Spanish seem to have an enviable balance to their lives. The siesta enables you to spend more time with your family. In our spare time we love going to the beach with the kids and playing with our dogs; we have even inherited a cat since moving here.”
So what is next for the Mills? Debbie’s face lights up. “We are staying in Marbella; I love it here. We want to develop the company with new areas, but keep the growth steady.”
“We don’t want to run before we can walk,” says David with a laugh. “We want to keep our feet on the ground and continue building a good reputation. The patients will never be viewed as part of a production line, which occurs in some places. We will always be hands on; it’s in our bones. Our patients will always know that we are here to stay.”
