A CARLISLE aesthetic clinic is in the running for a national beauty award after being shortlisted for its industry ‘Oscars’.

Staff at the VL Aesthetics clinic were thrilled to find out this week that they had been selected as finalists in this year’s Professional Beauty Awards, which will be held in London in June.

They will be representing Cumbria in the Best Salon in the North West and Midlands category, competing against beauty businesses from Merseyside, Nottingham and Greater Manchester.

VL Aesthetics managing director Vanessa Brown said: “To be nominated for such a prestigious award is great recognition for all the team who have worked so hard over the last year.

“We have expanded our range of treatments, invested in new high-grade equipment and rounded off the year with our Regifting Beauty campaign, which collected more than £5,000 worth of beauty products for victims of dome. It’s great that we can show how a business like ours can shine on the national stage alongside big-city firms from places such as Manchester, Birmingham and Liverpool,” she added.

The Professional Beauty Awards are the most prestigious awards for the spa, beauty, nails and aesthetics industries, recognising those who make a real difference to the industry and encouraging their development. The winners will be announced at an glittering awards ceremony at the Park Lane Hilton, in London, on June 28.

VL Aesthetics, on Kingmoor Road, has grown rapidly in the past two years, on the back of a reputation for providing a standard of high-quality treatments in Carlisle that is normally only available in larger cities. These include reducing wrinkles and fine lines, removing fat and cellulite, clearing acne, and body treatments.

The appointment of Dr Fatima Ehsan has allowed VL Aesthetics to open new medical facilities at its premises that will allow it to offer anti-ageing injections, facial treatments and minor surgery.

The business now operates with a team of seven, led by managing director Vanessa Brown. It is very much a family concern with Vanessa’s mother, father and brother - Lana, Stuart and Max -all contributing to the success, which has allowed VL Aesthetics to invest and expand.