Q: How did you end up working in this field?
A: I’ve always had a fascination with science and medicine, and with improving people’s lives. I took a ‘pre–med’ track in college, and worked for a long period in medical ophthalmology. When I adopted my son from Russia, I stepped back and took a bit of a reassessment. Although I knew I had helped a lot of people in their struggles with blindness and other serious issues, I realized I had a real excitement and desire to work in healthy medicine. At the same time, I was noticing changes in my own appearance, and seeing how the signs of aging were starting to affect my friends. I wanted my daily work to make people happy. So I decided to help pretty women (and handsome men!) feel good about their appearance again.
Q: Would you say that you have a specialty?
A: I not only work as a patient consultant; I also serve as a provider for one of my favorite procedures–CoolSculpting® by Zeltiq. But I’d say that my ‘specialty’ is really designing the plan that fits best with each patient. I have a lot I bring to the table: my extensive medical background, a life-long love of fashion and beauty, years of experience, and a deeply sincere desire to make people feel great. I have a knack for really seeing through to the focal point of each person’s beauty, and understanding the steps we have to take to enhance that uniqueness.
I also navigate each of my patients through their Ava MD adventure. First, I pair each person with the provider(s) that I think will work best for them both personality–wise and in terms of their goals. I check in constantly with my patients to make sure they are happy with their progress and to keep myself updated on any changes in their priorities or concerns. I make sure we are staying within their budget and that we have a full understanding of their ‘wishlist.’ I let folks know about relevant new technologies as soon as they arrive, and I also keep patients in mind for any demos, specials, studies, or broadcast opportunities that might offer a way to save money and to try something they’d love.
Beauty is for everybody. My job is to help all of our patients realize their potential, whether they work as schoolteachers or work the red carpet.
Q: What do you love most about your job?
A: I love when a patient comes in after his or her treatments just to check in–to give us a story about how those procedures have impacted them in some positive way. Not long ago, I helped a woman who’d been struggling forever with stubborn belly fat get her waistline back again. She came in with her cute tunic all belted, and told us how her husband thinks she looks sexy. Recently we also had a patient who had taken a lot of care with her face, neck and chest–but who had really haggard looking hands. She was hiding her hands, and very embarrassed about their appearance. Her hands actually made her look older than her age. We did a Fraxel/Radiesse treatment that really helped. A few weeks later, she came in wearing bracelets and rings, to show us she wasn’t self conscious anymore and to say thank you.
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One of my favorite recent stories involves this young woman in her 30’s, really beautiful, working as a barista with four kids. She had a dark spot on her face that was driving her crazy–she went way over her budget buying an expensive cream at Neiman Marcus (which did nothing to help) and even had a consultation with a surgeon to see if he could cut the spot off her face. We wiped that sun damage away with just one photofacial–solving the issue, and really getting her the bang she needed for her buck. As icing on the cake, we were even able to include her in a lip study. Now, she’s radiant and beautiful. And she’s got a plan for staying that way.
Q: What do you enjoy doing when you’re not in the office?
A: In case you haven’t noticed, I’m a bit of a caretaker. I’m very involved in animal rescue. And I’ve got a few kids to take care of as well–including my 18–year old daughter, 10–year old son, and my husband (who, of course, is the biggest kid of all). Not surprisingly, I love cooking and entertaining and in my spare time I dabble in event planning for my close friends. Sleep is highly overrated.