Luxury Lifestyle Magazine’s Ashley Pearson sits down with ‘The Body’ that beauty editors are obsessed with.
Meeting up with Dr Galyna Selezneva is initially intimidating. An open secret amongst top beauty editors, the statuesque and stunning blonde on the speed dial of the UK’s top celebrities and Royals makes a rather strong first impression.
Indisputably beautiful and sporting an artful mix of designer labels – Gucci and LV paired with glittering Moschino cowboy boots – she looks straight out of a woman’s glossy. But it is her loud and disarming laugh which immediately puts me at ease.
Working out of Dr Rita Rakus’s exclusive Knightsbridge offices, Galyna is a cosmetic doctor who works on the face too, but is known as ‘The Body’ in the cosmetic world. Indeed, she runs the busiest Body Contouring and CoolSculpting clinic in London – and she spends her time honing, sculpting and reshaping some of the most famous bodies in the world.
Dr Galyna draws upon a veritable army of fat freezing machines to sculpt her clients’ figures, allowing them to improve hard to reach areas without hitting the gym. Her manner is personable and direct – but the warmth she exudes shows a deep care and concern for clients – she offers her personal mobile number to everyone who walks through her clinic door.
She is also incredibly passionate about what she does and also about helping people.
Q: Dr Selezneva how did you come to find yourself here?
A: It was in a roundabout way actually. I worked in psychiatry within the NHS looking after those who had serious addictions and eating disorders. It was fulfilling work but ultimately, I found it emotionally challenging. I was helping people who were at a desperate place in their lives and frequently there were unhappy outcomes. Having done aesthetic medicine on a part time basis to ‘cure my heart’ I felt like it was time to pursue it full time and wholeheartedly. On a personal note, as with many of my patients, I had tried yo-yo diets and weight loss and had some sculpting treatments done myself and completely fell in love with the process. I loved the idea of helping people in a way in which results were visible, relatively quick and measurable.
And of course I still try all my treatments on me! Old habits die hard.
Q: What is your most requested treatment?
A: I mainly use cryolipolysis. I alternate between Crystal Ice Aesthetic (Germany) and CoolSculpting (USA) and EMSCULPT mostly because they are one non- invasive body treatments that really, really work. Coolsculpting for example was developed by Harvard scientists, it involves a treatment of each area, (stomach and ‘muffin top’ are particularly popular), takes about an hour and is minimally uncomfortable. I also really like Cristal Ice – this is the German version of cryolipolysis, the same principle applies but the ever efficient Germans came up with a wider application range! When it comes to EMSCULPT, it’s the latest HIFEM technology that builds muscle as well as targets the fat. Think perfect peachy buttocks and equivalent of 20000 crutches in one 30-minute session.
Once frozen, fat cells are metabolised naturally before being excreted via the body’s own lymphatic system. Results are permanent – once they’re gone they’re gone for good.
Q: What sets you apart from other doctors?
A: While most clinics have one or two machines within one modality we have 9 different machines. Here at Dr Rita Rakus Clinic treatments are entirely bespoke. Having a choice of devices allows me to make a clinical decision based on patient’s need rather on machine availability. I select my treatment plan based on the individual, the area they want help with and the results they are looking for – along with the discomfort they can tolerate. I like to keep my options open and believe that the more I have to work with the better result I can achieve for them.
Q: What do you wish people knew about what you do?
A: I think it’s important to note that the body sculpting work that I do needs to go hand in hand with what the patient does towards their own nutrition and healthy habits. I see my work as motivating them to strive for a better level of health and fitness – not a neat and easy fix to cover over a lifetime of bad decisions. I want to encourage them to continue with their own exercise routine in order to achieve the best possible results and improve their wellness. I see my role as a supportive one and I love what I do.
Body sculpting results start to show from approximately four weeks with optimum at eight-twelve weeks. Sessions start from £895 per area. More information can be found at drritarakus.co.uk.
