We are so happy to introduce you to Melissa Martinez, the latest member to the About Face family.
Melissa brings 4-years of expertise to her role as Medical Assistant, and her warmth, knowledge and empathy make her an excellent addition to your treatment experience.
We hope these Top-10-Melissa-Questions will help you to feel like you already know her when you meet her in-person.
1. Out of ALL the jobs in the world, how did you get end up in aesthetics?
I’ve always known I wanted to be in the aesthetics world. Personally, I really struggled with my skin when I was younger, and the impact my skin had on my self-esteem was unbelievable. My teenage / adult acne-battles have left me extremely empathetic to how other people feel about their own skin concerns. I feel blessed to be in a position where every day, I can help people feel better about themselves.
For my first job, I started out as the front-desk receptionist of a very busy aesthetics practice. I love people, and I love this industry, the front-desk seemed like a perfect fit for my personality and interests. After a few months however, I found myself spending more and more time in the treatment rooms. I couldn’t resist my curiosity’s pull — I wanted to assist with the treatments, I wanted to learn more, I wanted to be more hands-on.
Eventually my role changed from front-desk to Medical Assistant, and this role is even more satisfying — I still get to be with people and help them, but now I get the benefit of being a lot more involved with the process.
2. What is your favorite part about the aesthetics industry?
This is the best job in the world. I know it sounds so cheesy to say, but I really mean it. I love my work and I feel so fortunate to be part of something that makes others happy every day.
I love being with people, and this job basically allows me to talk about my interests (skin care!), with interesting, interested people, all day long.
The aesthetics world is constantly advancing and changing, so there are always new treatments and techniques to learn. No day is ever the same, no day is ever boring, and we have some of the nicest patients you could ever meet.
Also, have you seen Sprout??
3. IF you weren’t in this industry, what do you think you would be doing?
I am obsessed with animals, and want to love and hug and take care of every furry-thing I meet. I sometimes fantasize about having a farm (I’ve been daydreaming about getting a pet pig for awhile now), so if something crazy were to happen and I needed a new career path, I’d definitely be a very happy farmer. Or dog-rescuer. Or anyhing that allowed me to love and care for animals.
4. After the countless treatments you have witnessed over the years, what do you think is the most important thing people should know before an injection treatment?
Try to come in with an open-mind! The things that bother you may be caused by factors beyond what you think. (For example, so many people want to fill their nasolabial folds, which actually occurs from a volume deficit in the temples / cheeks.) What YOU think about YOU is super-important, but your provider will be able to evaluate your face and note things differently than how you see things. It’s so important to trust your provider as the expert, and trust that they have your best interests at heart.
(You don’t trust your provider, or what they’re recommending doesn’t feel right? Go somewhere else!)
* This advice for pre-treatment is predicated on the notion that you already know all these things!
5. What’s the most important thing patients should know during treatment?
I know this is easier said than done, but try to relax!
The not-fun parts will be over before you know it, and in the end you will be left with results that will last you drastically longer than any uncomfortable moments.
Cosmetic injections are a luxury that we are lucky to do for ourselves, try to enjoy the process as much as possible.
6. Most important thing to know after treatment?
I do not want to rant, but this is kind of my pet-peeve…
To make the most out of your treatment, you need to take care of your skin EVERY DAY! It drives me crazy when I see people making the effort to come in for anti-aging / beauty treatments, and then talk about never using sunscreen, or tanning, or chain-smoking. The treatments you get a few times throughout the year cannot undo the damage you are inflicting upon yourself every day. If you care about looking and feeling your best, please don’t smoke, please don’t tan! Wear sunscreen… be healthy!
By taking care of yourself every day, you will be amazed by how much better you look and FEEL!
(Also, these things.)
7. What newest trends, or future treatments you’ve heard about, are you the most excited about?
Injections are amazing, safe, instantaneous ways to create pleasing cosmetic-changes. It has been such a pleasure to witness the ingenuity of humans with all of the new techniques and modalities constantly being developed for the face, but what I’m most excited about is the HUGE wave of injections that will soon be coming for the BODY!
Keep your eyes open, right around the corner you’re going to be hearing a ton about injections that volumize and sculpt booties and bosoms, tighten sagging skin on the décolletage, arms and knees, and destroy unwanted fat pockets all over the body. It is so exciting to consider all the new applications these treatment options will allow.
8. When you look back at your aesthetic experiences, do any stories stick out?
One of my best-friends is a super-tough, tattoo-loving, tomboy. Despite her penchant for motorcycles, leather and ink, she was dying to get her lips enhanced and grilled me about the process every time I saw her. She asked so many questions beforehand that by the time she’d saved up and was ready to proceed — I was confident she would know exactly what to expect every step along the way.
As long as I’ve known her, she has prided herself on her pain-tolerance, and admittedly loved the way tattoos felt.
She was so excited for her lips, and after having dutifully sat with numbing cream on her lips for about 25-minutes (which she didn’t even want to do), the injector was all set to start her treatment.
The first little poke was made…. and my friend totally passed out.
It turns out she hadn’t eaten anything all day, and her low blood-sugar combined with the adrenaline didn’t mix well. We used smelling-salts and gave her some juice, and she ended up getting through the treatment just fine, but to this day I love to tease her about being wimpier than a Kardashian.
Moral of the story? ALWAYS eat before a treatment!
9. How do you say “No” to a patient who wants more, unnecessary injections?
This situation actually arises a lot.
It’s always important to be on the same wave-length as the patient, and they made the effort to bring themselves into our office for a reason. Their perception of themselves is way more important than our perception of them – but at the end of the day we must make sure that we are keeping people safe, injecting (or not injecting) them appropriately, and striving for an outcome that looks great to themselves, and the rest of the world.
This is a fine line to dance! (Especially when the instant gratification you get with dermal-fillers gives you a little high, and can be a little addictive.)
For the kind of situation where it’s not appropriate to treat the person, we try to redirect the conversion to another, proactive direction. What can safely / appropriately be done so that the patient still feels like they’re doing something and making the most of their time with us (but not allowing them to venture into the over-done / over-filled territory)?
Often, this situation is best handled by being completely honest.
“You look perfect, you don’t need injections now. Instead, let’s get you on a customized maintenance plan to maximize what you’ve got! Latisse will help your eye-area look younger, C E Ferulic will make your skin look brighter and clearer while protecting your skin from environmental damage…” This can actually be a great segue into a discussion about what should be done daily at-home; antioxidants, Latisse, sunscreen, etc., which surprisingly is a topic lots of people have questions about, but don’t always ask.
If a treatment is inappropriate / unsafe / unrealistic to do, we will always (very nicely) say “no”. The goal is always to make our patients happy however, so we do our best — even if saying no to one thing — to try and shed positivity on another.
10. The cliché desert-island question really is so revealing. So, you’re stranded on said island, and you have unlimited access to only 4x products for the next year. (Don’t worry about the logistics of the hypothetical!)
Four products sound like it’d be a lot, but at the same time, how am I supposed to choose only 4x?!
I guess I’d have to narrow my favorites down to the items that are the most versatile, and island appropriate:
- Botox: This will keep my skin unlined, and since I’ll hypothetically have unlimited access — I can also use this to keep my under-arms dry and sweat-free all during my year of island adventures.
- Latisse: I just feel prettier with longer lashes. Although I cannot think of any additional purposes of Latisse beyond making my lashes fabulous, this is one thing I cannot give this up.
- Porification Face Wash: This prescription-strength facewash will help keep my pores squeaky-clean, PLUS I can also use it for my body, PLUS if I leave it undiluted on my face, back or chest for a few minutes, I can also get the benefit of a mask-treatment.
- Porification Protect Sunscreen: Living on an island means I’ll be slathering on the sunscreen multiple times throughout the day, every day. This sunscreen is the best for multi-purposing because it’s also moisturizing, has antioxidants built into it, will not clog my pores or make me break out, and I can also use it to protect my body.
