Yuliya Bodachevska: «I Turned Pain into a Source of Strength»

This is not an advertisement for Yulia – it is her story, a reminder that even the hardest trials can be transformed into a turning point for growth, moving forward, and not giving up. Yulia's professional journey did not begin with textbooks, but with personal tragedy: at the age of 20, she suffered severe thermal burns. Long months of treatment, multiple surgeries, and years of rehabilitation became a trial that could have broken her – but instead, it became the source of her inner strength and forged her character. Yulia not only managed to reclaim her health and appearance – she turned personal tragedy into the foundation of her profession.

While studying medicine and cosmetology for her own recovery, she discovered a new purpose: helping others. Today, Yulia Bodachevska is an aesthetic cosmetologist skilled in modern hardware-based and injectable treatments. She runs her own practice in Brooklyn, New York, where every day she helps people regain their beauty – and with it, their confidence.

– Yuliya, when tragedy divided your life into «before» and «after,» what helped you not to break in that very first moment after the trauma? At what point did you realize that what had happened had changed not only your appearance, but your entire life?

– When I was twenty, I suffered severe burns to my face, neck, and hands, and it changed my life forever. In the first days at the burn center, I could not fully grasp the magnitude of what had happened. I held on to one fragile thought: «The most important thing is that I am alive».  The true realization came later, when the bandages were removed and I took a mirror in my hands for the first time. That moment was one of the most difficult in my life. At twenty, I endured two losses at once – my long-awaited pregnancy and my former appearance.
What saved me were the people dearest to me – my husband and my parents.

– Can it be said that it was the love of your family that helped you not just survive, but endure?

– Yes. I believe this is the most important thing. When you know that you are needed, that there are people to live for, a new strength awakens within you to keep going. I am endlessly grateful to fate for my family, my husband, and friends: they were there, sharing their energy, their strength, their love, and this support became my source of life. For them, for those who believed in me, I wanted to live.

– You endured terrible physical and emotional pain. What helped you get up each day and keep fighting? What was the hardest part of recovery – the physical pain or the inner struggle? Do you remember the moment when you first felt a small victory – even just a step or a movement – and realized that life was continuing?

– I saw very clearly that there were only two paths: to give up and try to accept myself as I had become, or to fight for my appearance and for the chance to live a normal life. I chose the second. At first, perhaps, it was naïve hope that helped me: I truly believed that a few surgeries would bring me back my former face. But after a few years, when the keloid scars had fully formed and I began searching for clinics, I faced several refusals: “Unfortunately, we cannot help you”. Those words sobered me - I finally understood how serious my situation was. But I could not reconcile myself, could not accept myself in that condition. And so I wrote letters, I searched, I knocked on every door – until, at last, I heard from the German clinic: «Come, we will try».

– At what moment did your personal experience become the foundation of your future profession?

– It felt like standing still in the middle of the road: my reflection still did not satisfy me, but I was not going to give up. A tremendous amount of work lay ahead – on my skin, my scars, my tone, and my texture. That was how I came to cosmetology. I began to study injection techniques and look for solutions that could improve the quality of the skin, make it more alive, more even, healthier. Gradually I realized that this was not simply the path of my recovery – it was my calling.

– You tried many different methods before you developed your own. Tell us about your author’s techniques – how did the ideas with fibroblasts and the oxygenation device come about? What prompted you to go further and turn personal experience into professional innovations?

– At first, I worked with ready-made cocktails and preparations, but over time I began to create my own formulas, tailored to the specific needs of the skin – listening to what it required here and now. Fifteen years ago, the market was far less diverse than it is today. Medicine was moving forward quickly, and in cosmetology a true breakthrough was beginning. I wanted to keep pace with the times, and so I started thinking about new ways to apply fibroblasts – not only in injections, but also through other methods of introduction.
I put my ideas on paper and submitted them to the patent office, and later my work was recognized with an honorary diploma from the World Organization of Health and Ecology. I deeply want to continue developing in this direction, and I sincerely believe that these innovations can help people who have endured trauma avoid the long and painful path that I once had to walk myself.

– Today, you live in the United States and run your own practice. Tell us about this new stage of your life.

– It was not easy. In Odessa, Ukraine, where I am from, I already had a name: a large client base, and many of my clients eventually became friends. I thank God that in my life there have always been people who believed in me and supported me. After moving, I had to begin again from the very start: to confirm my qualifications, to prove my skills, to earn trust all over again. It was a difficult, but invaluable journey: it gave me new knowledge, experience with modern methods, and above all, the confidence that I am in the right place. Today I can proudly say: I have my own office, and I continue doing what I love – helping people feel beautiful and confident.

– Who are your clients – mainly women who care about beauty, or also people who require restoration after trauma and illness? And how do they react when they learn that your professional experience grew out of such a personal and difficult story?

– My clients are very diverse people, with very different stories and needs. Paradoxically, what once felt like my «minus» eventually became my greatest plus. When people learn about my journey, they trust me more, and often say: «Do as you think best.» For me this is both an honor and a great responsibility. I strive to give one hundred percent, to put not only my knowledge and my hands, but also my heart into my work. And every time someone looks into the mirror and sees the result they had hoped for, I rejoice with them. Their victory becomes my victory. And perhaps that is the most wonderful feeling a person can experience.

– You are writing an autobiographical book. Why was it important for you to share your story? What would you like the reader to feel when turning the last page?

– Now my daughter has grown up and married, and I have a little more time – and perhaps that is why the moment has come to tell my story. For me it is important not only to share what I have been through, but also to leave a message: even after the darkest night, the dawn will surely come.

– Many women read our magazine in search of inner strength. What would you like to say to them?

– Believe, and pursue your goals. Do not let hardships break you. Everything that happens to us makes us stronger, wiser, and kinder. Trials help us to rethink life, to see its true values, and to understand that every new day is already a victory.