Founder and CEO of Sain Clinics, Laura Pomares has transformed plastic surgery in Spain with an approach that transcends aesthetics, fusing health, wellness and philanthropy. From her beginnings in Granada to her international projection, her career has been marked by an unwavering passion for beauty and social commitment. At Sain Clinics, Laura has consolidated a philosophy focused on holistic patient care, where each treatment goes beyond the superficial to connect with a healthy and balanced lifestyle.
Under Laura’s direction, Sain Clinics not only offers plastic surgery and aesthetic medicine procedures, but has developed a unique approach in Spain, introducing pioneering techniques and collaborating with international experts. In addition, her commitment to social responsibility is evident in her altruistic work, helping people with health problems who would otherwise be unable to access the necessary treatments.
Your career has been deeply linked to the world of beauty. What led you to follow this path from such an early age?
My mother still reminds me that from the age of three my favourite toy was a make-up case, I went everywhere with it and something very funny is that my little daughter, who is now 3 years old, also goes everywhere with her make-up case.
Since I was very young I have given a lot of importance to beauty, personal care and image, but as I grew up I realised that beauty is health, and when I started in the world of plastic surgery, I saw how people radically change their way of living and seeing life when they feel good about their physique. At that moment it was very clear to me that my life was going to be 100% focused on helping people to be totally happy with themselves. I think that when you are happy with yourself you can make others happy, otherwise it is very difficult.
We know that you have a close collaboration with the Red Cross, offering surgical interventions to people in vulnerable situations. What inspires you to dedicate yourself to this type of solidarity initiative?
When I was 3 years old, I had to suffer something very hard. My older brother, who was 11 years old at the time, was diagnosed with a grade three osteosarcoma (cancer of the femur), the doctors gave him 6 months to live and gave my parents the choice of trying or travelling and giving him a happy life for the remaining months of his life. They decided to fight and today my brother is 42 years old and lives a totally normal life.
I think that everything in life happens for a reason and those years where I saw so much struggle from my parents, seeing my brother and so many children in the hospital in that daily battle, I realised that to be happy, I have to see others happy by helping other people.
Every day I give thanks when I wake up and when I go to sleep that I am healthy, because that is the most important thing in life, everything else is achieved by hard work.
And well, mine is a grain of sand, but I am very happy to see how my team and I change the lives of these people, that’s why my altruistic actions will always be in my life. Something that I thank every day to my parents and my maternal grandmother, who was like a mother to me and who taught me a lot, is that they made me grow up knowing that what you give in life, you receive and that is what I try to teach my children every day.
Sain Clinics has achieved a great reputation in Spain and beyond. What philosophy guided the creation of the clinic, and how do you ensure that each patient receives a unique experience?
After a few years in the plastic surgery sector I realised that patients were numbers, there was no personalised attention and I decided to change that. I started to travel to several pioneering countries in surgery to learn from the best, and I also underwent surgery to live the experience and be able to transfer it to my project.
Sain Clinics is not a surgery clinic, it goes much further, it is a totally personalised experience from the first time you contact us. We have a great team of surgeons specialised in each area of the body to be treated, psychologists specialised in plastic surgery to help in the whole process pre and post surgery. Our nutrition team is the one who educates people about the importance of taking care of themselves in order to maintain that intervention for life. Each patient is assigned an advisor throughout the process for any questions they may have.
In addition, we have 24/7 care and a general practitioner who accompanies our patients for a full year.
We educate patients to understand that plastic surgery is very serious and we turn away many patients who do not understand our philosophy and do not want to accept it.
Plastic surgery within the health sector is the safest speciality as we get patients into the operating theatre completely healthy and prepared for the intervention.
The very personalised work we do leads to our great results and makes our patients feel unique.
Throughout your career, you have worked with different international experts. What have you learned from them and how have you applied that knowledge in Sain Clinics?
I have realised that in my sector we have to be constantly training. At the beginning, I was surprised that surgeons with great reputation were continuously attending trainings and congresses and from them I have learned that qualification is very important, and this is also what we do with the whole team at Sain Clinics.
In addition, we always have the latest technologies and best techniques for a better result, I hear many surgeons who say that they have their own techniques and do not need to learn from others… in the plastic surgery sector I have realised that the surgeons who work the hardest and have the best results are those who are in constant training and do not lose their humility regardless of their reputation.
Your commitment to philanthropy and holistic wellness is evident. How important is it for you to integrate health and beauty in your treatments?
The big problem is that today there are still many people who think that plastic surgery is only something aesthetic and vain. Ninety-five per cent of our surgeries are restorative. Plastic surgery is health and should be treated as such.
It is a sector where you have to be very careful and as a patient do not let yourself be guided by offers, the main thing is the safety of our patients’ health.
As a woman entrepreneur, what are the biggest challenges you have faced and how have you overcome them?
Being a woman in a man’s world has been my biggest challenge. If we look at the list of male and female surgeons in Spain we can see that most of them are men.
How could a woman as young as I was when I started out give instructions to a team of male surgeons? That was undoubtedly my biggest challenge, to gain their trust and make them see that they had to follow my guidelines. It is important to understand that the surgeons only do the surgery before and after there is a big job to be done so that everything comes out perfect and that is my job, therefore everyone must follow my indications and protocols. I have to be thankful that I have a great team by my side and that I learn every day from all of them and even if they call me boss, I am just another member of the team.
Sain Clinics is growing and receiving patients from all over Europe. Do you have any expansion plans? Are you going to open any more clinics in Spain?
Yes, we receive patients from all over Europe and we also have collaborating centres that help us with the post-process when the patient returns home.
We have a big international project that is already well underway and if all goes well, it will see the light of day in 2025.
I have been asked a lot to open Sain franchises in other cities in Spain and it is something that we are studying but the reality is that at the moment I am very nervous and afraid to leave my name in the hands of other people. Sain is a family business where we make each patient feel unique and I would not like for anything in the world to lose our philosophy and essence. So for the moment we will continue to collaborate in other cities with colleagues to continue receiving patients at Sain Madrid.
Are you contemplating a presence in any other market?
As I said, we are about to have a presence in an international market that is waiting for us with open arms; we will unveil it in 2025.
What is the philosophy of Sain Clinics that attracts this type of international client, and what specifically are they looking for in your services and the experience you offer?
Primarily all first time patients come to Sain because they have seen our results. When they have their first totally free consultation and see everything we have to offer, they choose us.
We give them a totally personalised service with everything they need for a successful surgery.
The surgery can be very well done and in the best hands, but if the pre and post surgery is not done correctly it can be disastrous.
We get a lot of referrals from our patients and that only means one thing, happy patients.
Finally, what is your dream for the future, both personally and professionally?
Today, as I am about to turn 35, I would say that I am very lucky, I have fulfilled many dreams. I am the mother of three wonderful children, I have a successful company and I work every day at what I love. I have a wonderful family full of health. But as I always say, I never stop dreaming?
My personal dream is that my children will be able to continue their studies and choose a profession that will make them happy for the rest of their lives.
My professional dream for the future is already very advanced and it is the expansion of Sain International, although it is very advanced, I dream of seeing it already open and running.
I would like to transmit to all people, especially women who are reading this interview today, that they should never give up, that it is possible. I was a 17-year-old girl dreaming and today practically all my dreams have come true.
You work for your dreams and then they come true.
