It's exciting times for Cork's Botox Brothers. The impressive Sisu brand has grown from a tiny Cork city clinic to having shops popping up across the world, with three Cork men behind the wheel

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Miami, Florida is the latest location to open in a chain of beauty treatment clinics founded by three Cork men. Dubbed the Botox Brothers, the pair of doctors and their entrepreneurial business partner have gone from a singular location in Cork city to having their brand recognised across the world.

The Sisu Clinic at Merrick Park, close to downtown Miami, opened in June - a huge milestone for the Irish brand. Here at home, Sisu has 14 popular clinics across Ireland, including on Cork city's Oliver Plunkett Street and one in Douglas.

From Botox to Skin Boosters, Lasers to Fillers, Sisu clinics are a popular spot for those who want to look their best. And with more locations in the works for both the US and the UK, the brand is growing into a big beauty name.

Founders Pat Phelan, a well-known face on the tech scene in Cork, and brothers Dr James Cotter and Dr Brian Cotter are at the helm of this unsinkable business ship that's changing the way we look after ourselves

After years of studying medicine and plastics abroad, Dr James and Dr Brian returned to Cork and opened the doors of their first cosmetics clinic in 2018. The pair worked out of a little office on Cork city's Acadamy Street.

Meanwhile, Pat Phelan, who was taking over the tech sphere with a number of entrepreneurial endeavours, was noticing a "serious shift" to technology in the prestigious New York and London beauty scene. Seeing a gap in the Irish market for quality medical-led cosmetics, he teamed up with the Botox Brothers and Sisu was born.

Soon, the trio had opened a number of clinics as the demand for non-invasive cosmetics boomed. Four years later, and with plans put in place for dozens more Sisu locations including New York, Texas and London, Pat Phelan himself said: "The demand we're seeing right now, we're not seeing a limit to this."

The cosmetic aesthetic clinics offer a range of non-invasive beauty procedures including botox, injectable fillers, skin boosters, dermal fillers, thread lifts and permanent fat reduction. Unlike "backstreet beauticians," as Phelan dubbed them, Sisu is based in medicine with real doctors performing the treatments.

The founders know that their treatments can appear pricey. A few fillers start at a couple hundred, and clients can spend up to thousands in the Sisu chair. But the doctors insist that seeking treatment from qualified medical professionals is invaluable.

Dr James said "We know many people may take shortcuts, financially, and we are well aware in terms of costs, especially these days,

"But your face is the last place to be taking shortcuts to only end up with substandard results, never mind the complications that can be catastrophic."

With 35 qualified doctors at Sisu clinics spanning two continents, the brand has only grown since Dr James and Dr Brian's little Cork city clinic. They now have a team of over 100.

And what do the founders say has made Sisu a success story? Along with their high-tech and medical-led ethos, the so-called 'Zoom Boom' arising from a work-from-home culture during the pandemic has 'hugely' increased their client base countrywide.

Phelan said: "The demand is huge,

"We've all been looking at ourselves all day long on a screen, you know, seeing maybe a line we didn't notice or anything we're not happy with,

"There's been a huge shift in the paradigm, a shift in the social acceptance and less stigma around getting treatments."

The doctors told us that "trends are changing" and that a lot of their client base comes in for preventative Botox and facials that improve skin quality, rather than "change how they look."

Dr James added: "There's a difference in that people aren't so much wanting to look younger, these aren't anti-ageing treatments but treatments to look their best selves, people are aiming for the best skin quality with preventative treatments,

"And even in terms of the demographic, people are coming in younger, looking for preventative treatment, skin boosters."

There's less stigma surrounding skincare too, with Phelan saying that men are seeking treatments more than ever.

"We're seeing more male patients as male cosmetics grow, I know young guys in their 30s, early thirties, who just want to look their best whether it's skin treatments, botox or injectables,

"Again, it's not about looking different, a lot of men say they just want to look less tired."

One of the most popular treatments is called Profhilo, a collagen and elastin injectable to enhance skin hydration, and the doctors say it is popular with all ages and genders.

Along with Profhilo, popular treatments from Sisu include Sculptra, which restores and enhances natural facial structure through fillers that help the skin regenerate lost collagen over time, laser treatments and customised facials, including a 'Liquid Facelift.'

With dozens of different procedures available, Dr James added: "these are things nobody needs, nobody needs to change, these are to fix 'issues' that only the person themselves sees and doesn't stand to me as a doctor or anybody else,

"These are very personal issues for people, and we are here to help people feel their best."