My injector journey
Most people works for years to break into the field of aesthetics. That was not the case for me.
Rewind to 2003. I finished undergrad having completed a dietetics internship with a degree in human nutrition & dietetics. After trialing a contract job, I landed at Swedish Covenant Hospital (now Swedish Hospital) and was an inpatient dietitian for 7 years. My specialty was nutrition support which involved working with critical care and surgical patients whom, for a multitude of reasons, couldn’t consume food by mouth and/or use their gastrointestinal track to receive nutrition. I loved that career, but it was no longer challenging me in that way I wanted.
I took a keen interest in general surgery. The diagnosis, treatment, and recovery. After some soul searching, I decided to go back to graduate school to pursue a career as a Physician Assistant. My intention was to specialize in a surgical subspecialty - specifically neurosurgery. And I did. After graduating in 2013, for almost two years I worked for a private practice group in Charlotte, North Carolina and took care of adult and pediatric neurosurgery patients. Life circumstances prompted me to leave North Carolina and return home to Chicago. I left the neurosurgery field and accepted a position at Northwestern in neurointerventional radiology. I loved that job! It was a newly created position and my role was to run the inpatient neuro IR spine division. Every day I performed lumbar punctures, myelograms, blood patches, intrathecal chemotherapy injections, etc under fluoroscopy. Needles in spines - ALL DAY LONG. It was the best.
As anyone who specializes in a procedural or mechanical field understands, it’s all about repetition. The more you do, the more you refine your skills. You become better, faster, and adapt more easily for any nuance that could present itself. You develop confidence and react less to the unexpected. This goes for surgery, injectables, and hair restoration, to name a few.
One day, a decision from higher up was made to change my role. I was devastated. I had just gotten good. Good for myself and good for my patients. And they wanted to change it up and have me cover a different division part time. Ultimately I decided this change was not a good fit, and began the unplanned task of looking for a position that would be a better fit.
I came across a job listing for an injector at an established medspa here in Chicago. How could I be an injector? It seemed ‘easy’ enough from what I had been doing. But I had never received Botox before. I had never used medical grade skincare, let alone received a more advanced treatment. At that point, I was barely consistent with retinol. And I was a month shy of 35 years old.
When I applied, I had no idea the amount of ‘self-investment’ work other providers typically engaged in to try to break into aesthetics. I had taken no introductory courses, knew no one in the aesthetics industry, and made zero connections. I basically applied with no experience. However, the physician who hired me recognized the skills I had previously developed and also felt my meticulous, type A personality would make me trainable.
Flash forward from August 2016, and I have now been full time in aesthetics industry in Chicago for 8 years. I have trained a dozen injectors who are still working in various practices around the city of Chicago. After 4.5 years though, being an injector didn’t seem like ‘enough’. I had the opportunity to tie myself to the field of aesthetics even further. In 2021, I bought into Opulence Chicago to make an even bigger commitment to my patients that I was in it for the long haul. If you’re a patient, having a bond with your injector is critical to your desired outcomes. It’s important to find someone who knows when to introduce you to filler, or Sculptra, and also when not to. I also love being an injectable patient and that’s what makes me an even better provider. Fortunately now, not only am I consistent with my retinol, but I love investing in the services we offer! I get treatments like neurotoxin injections, dermal filler, Sculptra, PRF, and VI peels regularly. EmSculpt helped me get in even better shape after the birth of my son in 2017. I take peptides (Sermorelin) to help with muscle building, sleep, hair growth and overall feel so much better. I’m extremely proud of the hair restoration division my business partner launched in early 2023 and have been excited seeing the results we’ve produced in the last year and a half.
But most importantly, I’m proud to be an experienced and engaged provider for all of our patients. I enjoy being a resource to them about all things aesthetic. I love the relationships I have built over these last 8 years and the over 20,000 treatments I have under my belt. And while I didn’t initially choose to be an injector, now I would never choose otherwise.