Petta Day, Enhance Skin Cosmetic Clinic’s owner, named state’s best cosmetic nurse for 2024

The votes are in and SA’s best cosmetic nurse has been revealed – and the winner has a past career that you may not expect.

Leah Smith and Ruby Stewart

2 min read

August 20, 2024 - 9:10AM

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Boosting her clients’ feeling of self and confidence is just as important to Petta Day as it is holding their hand and giving them a space to be vulnerable and safe.

Ms Day, registered nurse for more than 15 years and owner of Enhance Skin Cosmetic Clinic in Largs Bay, said her cosmetic bed was more than just a place for skin treatments.

“My room is a counselling session … it’s kind of like going to the hairdresser, except there is no one else in the room, there is no one listening and you can be very vulnerable on the bed and talking about what you are concerned about with how you look at your face and you’ve got a mirror and you’re looking at yourself,” Mrs Day explained

Heather Holbrook, Petta Day, Candice McCue, Alanna Milosevic of Enhance Skin Cosmetic Clinic in Largs Bay, which has been named SA’ best cosmetic nurse for 2024. Picture: Sarah Price – Soulful Studios

“You kind of open yourself up to massive vulnerability, I think that is where you form that huge rapport with a client being able to get to know them and I’m a vulnerable and highly emotional person, so I’m happy to have a cry with every client.

“It’s about from the moment clients walk in – and it’s not just about how you treat them while they’re sitting in your cosmetic bed … I love just making people in general – physically, mentally – feel good about themselves.”

Ms Day has been a registered nurse for more than 15 years, and has enjoyed every moment of her career in emergency, mental health, geriatrics and clinical facilitating – and now cosmetics.

“I got into mental health nursing because I love teaching and working with people who needed more than just the medical side of nursing, and sometimes more of that psychological side,” Ms Day said.

Mrs Petta Day said the community vote had been a “tremendous honour” after learning they had won for the second year in a row. Picture: Sarah Price – Soulful Studios

“It’s what kind of led me into cosmetic injecting, I love making people feel good and feel better about themselves.”

She said winning The Advertiser’s best cosmetic nurse award (formerly known as cosmetic injector award prior to a Theraputic Good Administration regulation change) for the second year in a row was a “tremendous honour” the team at Enhance were incredibly grateful for.

And while lives are no longer on the line in her now-four-year-old clinic, the connections formed are still as important as ever.

“There’s so many different way to be there for someone, as opposed to giving them their medication or helping them walk around or just coming in with a big smile on your face and sitting them up properly for breakfast,” Mrs Day said.

“(Working in emergency) you might be the last person they ever speak to, and holding their hand till the very end – that’s huge as a nurse … but the trust our clients put in us with their face is huge.”