AFTER suffering the effects of bad skin, Pru Ashe made it her mission to help others.
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And now, she has been rewarded for her efforts.
After working at Macquarie Medi Spa for 13 years, she has picked up the bronze award for skin hydration at the first ever Skinlympics, which was held in Melbourne on June 17.
The Skinlympics Awards recognise and reward the best Professional Skin Therapists across Australia in five different categories.
Ms Ashe was announced as the third place recipient in the hydration category, and it's something she said she was very proud of.
"I'm quite proud, and it's quite exciting, I must say," she said.
Though the recognition and the trophy are an added bonus, Ms Ashe said that receiving the award was great reassurance to know that her work is actively helping others.
![Pru Ashe was the bronze place winner at the Skinlympics Skin Awards. Picture by James Arrow Pru Ashe was the bronze place winner at the Skinlympics Skin Awards. Picture by James Arrow](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/187433128/f19600d3-5eb0-4254-afa3-8773614db03c.jpg/r0_0_5472_3642_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
And that's exactly why she started in the industry all those years ago.
"I really just love helping people just feel better and more confident, and getting them on great programs," she said.
"I used to have horrendous skin myself, and I don't want anybody else to have to experience that."
Now, she dedicates her time to ensuring that her clients are purchasing the right products, and undertaking the best routines for their specific skin type.
And with so much market saturation, that's no mean feat.
"It's hard with so many products on the market, and so many treatments, you can just look and think 'I have no idea what I need'," she said.
When people come into the Medi Spa, they can be sure that they are getting the right treatments for their skin, and recommend the right products to help them on their skin health journey.
And her professional expertise is exactly what helped her to achieve such an amazing result at the inaugural awards, when she was competing against hundreds of other skin therapists across Australia.
One very proud and excited spa owner
According to Macquarie Medi Spa owner Karla McDiarmid, the award is even more poignant than one might realise, as good skin care can be the key to a happy life.
"I think people forget that it's the largest organ in our body, and people neglect it," Ms McDiarmid said.
"When your skin is in a good place, you're happier."
And customers aren't just leaving the salon happier, they're leaving knowing that the therapists at Macquarie are highly trained, and have been known to help save lives.
"We're the first step in seeing if there is a skin cancer on the skin," Ms McDiarmid said.
"People don't realise that that's our job and we're here to help. If we see a suspicious mole, we're going to let you know. We've had clients come in and say 'Pru, that was a melanoma ... my beauty therapists have saved my life'."