Frodo Gaymans: "You don't come to our clinic for a smooth, emotionless face"

Imagine: you are the CEO of a large company and you fly to New York to give a presentation to a thousand people. At such a moment you have to look good. Frodo Gaymans from the Amsterdam Clinic Doctor Frodo takes care of this. Looking like yourself, without the signs of fatigue: 'In our clinic you don't come for a smooth, emotionless face. But precisely to look more open, more charismatic and better, while always remaining yourself.' The KNMG cosmetic doctor and founder tells MASTERS where his holistic approach to beauty comes from.

Clinic Doctor Frodo is a high-end, non-surgical clinic in the heart of Amsterdam, specialized in cosmetic treatments. Think of Botox, fillers, Liquid Facelift, bags under the eyes and skin improvement. All with a strong focus on a natural result. It is not without reason that this clinic is a training location where doctors from all over the world come together to share knowledge and be trained.

Frodo says he has the best job in the world. For him, cosmetic medicine is the ultimate combination of art, science and psychology. Coming from an artistic family, he learned the intricacies of detail and precision at an early age: “I grew up in an artistic household and started working at an early age. That was the mentality at home: 'Leisure is fun, but even more fun if you have worked hard for it.' My very first part-time job was in my father's studio. He made large bronze sculptures. I helped him with the finishing touches and perfecting the shape. This is how I learned how to get the perfect line in an image. I also had a paper route when I was 12, I worked as a pepper picker and I even worked in a factory putting flippo's in crisp bags. I started modeling when I was sixteen.”

''Without self-insight, a beauty ideal or self-image is often unrealistic''

Where did the passion for the work you do now arise?

“Empowering people is my greatest passion. You can do this by actually removing an 'imperfection', but perhaps much more important is changing someone's perception of beauty. Without self-insight, a beauty ideal or self-image is often unrealistic and you cannot meet it with any treatment. Malcolm Gladwell describes in his book Outliers that if you want to become good at something, you have to spend at least 10.000 hours on it. I looked endlessly at shapes in my father's studio. Perfecting an appearance comes from this line of thought. At the same time, I also want to rid people of obstructive thoughts about something that they believe is not entirely perfect. I strongly believe in an honest approach to beauty, where both appearance and self-perception are important. It is interesting to think about why something bothers you. Why does it have to be smooth or perfect? Maybe something less than perfect is also good. In this way I try to put people on the path of self-acceptance.”

Where does that holistic approach to beauty come from?

“Early exposure to art undoubtedly influenced my perception of beauty and aesthetics. But besides looking at how I could get the perfect line in an image, I learned that beauty is hidden in blemishes or imperfections. My mother taught me to look beyond appearance.”

How did you end up in your current job?

“Originally I wanted to become a plastic surgeon, but fate had other plans. My professional journey took a decisive turn when I helped set up a clinic in Cape Town. This experience has taught me a lot about the possibilities and about myself. Now I have the best job in the world and I run a successful clinic in Amsterdam.”

Stay tuned, because in the coming weeks MASTERS will get to know the cosmetic doctor further. Next week Frodo himself will sit in the chair. The chair of MASTERS DILEMMAS.