THE BEAUTY OF SHARING
HAVING DEVELOPED A PASSION FOR BEAUTY FROM EARLY ON, DR. MERRY KUSUMAWATI READILY SHARES HER EXPERTISE ON HER SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS AND AIMS TO DO MORE
The world of social media has no shortage of beauty influencers. And in this crowded sphere, dr. Merry Kusumawati’s presence comes as a breath of fresh air. Her beautiful photos never fail to impress, but it’s her captions that sets her apart. While dr. Merry routinely posts light-hearted messages of encouragement or inspiration, the majority of her uploads contains serious bits of knowledge about everything from proper sun protection and face toners to the best way to measure oxygen saturation using an oximeter or how to figure out the Cycle Threshold value from a PCR test.
“I want to help people become healthy and also have good skin,” dr. Merry explains, “and that is why I work in the aesthetic field.” This turned out to be a deep-seated passion for her – one that has helped her conquer the infamously long and difficult journey towards becoming a medical practitioner. “If we love a profession, everything will feel effortless,” she shares. “And as it happens, I love everything related to beauty. That’s why since I started medical school until I chose my specialization, everything felt easy and smooth.”
That same passion now drives dr. Merry’s online activities. “I try to become a blessing for others by sharing as much information that could help others,” she says about her strong social media presence. “I try to present good knowledge so that people can better understand medical technology and advances nowadays.”
As is often the case, spreading knowledge often means dispelling misconceptions. A particular subject that dr. Merry seems to be quite concerned about is the notion of “neverending treatments” which suggests – mistakenly, that is – that the kind of treatments offered by beauty clinics should be avoided as they only lead to an endless cycle of needing treatment over and over again.
“There is this stigma out there that going to a beauty clinic is a never-ending story, and I want to refute that,” she begins “Our skin needs to be cared for every day. Do we eat and drink for just a day to satisfy our needs for a year? Of course not. The same goes for our skin. We need to realize that our skin is part of our body, which needs daily nutrition, but that doesn’t mean that it is a form of dependency.”
On that note, how does an aesthetic doctor like dr. Merry approach selfcare – especially skincare and beauty treatments – for herself ? “Obviously, I entrust my personal beauty to trustworthy venues, such as ERHA Clinic, which also has excellent products and practitioners who are certified dermatologists. As such, I feel at ease having my skin treated there,” she explains, before adding: “My favourite is laser treatments. I undergo several of them. At ERHA, the ones I like the most are the rejuvenation laser and CO2 laser treatments, since they are excellent at regenerating the skin and of course provides anti-aging benefits.”
Beyond looking after her own health and spreading knowledge online, dr. Merry has bigger dreams for the future. “I want to establish an integrated healthcare service,
“I try to become a blessing for others by sharing as much information that could help others. I try to present good knowledge so that people can better understand medical technology and advances nowadays”
because I want Indonesian women to be more concerned and aware about their health and beauty,” she elaborates. “I want it to be a one-stop project that provides everything, from beauty from an outlook perspective, to fashion and style, and also skincare.”
Whether it’s about her dream project, braving today’s challenges or continuing to be a voice of reason in the social media sphere, dr. Merry maintains a positive attitude. “In life, we need to be hopeful for the future. If we’re still alive today, we need to hold on to hope,” she shares. dr. Merry then wrapped up the conversation with her favourite quote. “Man proposes, God disposes. When we believe and have faith that God decides everything, then everything we work on will feel like less of a burden.”