Today we’d like to introduce you to Melissa McFarlane.
Melissa, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Unlike most people who get into the aesthetic profession. It was not something that was really on my radar. I knew since the age of 12 that I wanted to be a Registered Nurse, but I always pictured myself in the hospital setting. In 2015, I walked across the stage with my then two-year-old son cheering me on. After completing nursing school, I was very lucky to start my nursing career in critical care. I worked in the Medical-Surgical Intensive Care Unit at REX Hospital for three years. I would often work six-night shifts in a row and while I loved my job, it was physically, mentally, and emotionally demanding. There came a time when I knew it was time to get out, but I couldn’t imagine myself doing anything else. I began travel nursing. I randomly decided to try laser hair removal and was asked by a physician if I wanted to work there part-time putting in IVs. I accepted, and it turned into me learning about cosmetic injectables such as Botox and Dermal Fillers and the rest is history.
Once I saw how relatively new the field was and how much research was happening within the industry, I fell in love. I found myself looking at studies in my spare time, my heroes started becoming people who were doing research to improve the field. I became absolutely consumed by it. At that time, I was making considerably less money and was investing a good amount of it back into educating myself. I was attending conferences and trainings all throughout the United States. After working in the industry for a while, I decided that I wanted to do aesthetic medicine differently. I began being very transparent and educating the public through my Instagram account, and after gaining a significant following, I decided I wanted to open my own practice. I never thought in a million years that after being open for only six months, I would be booked out two months in advance or that I would have patients flying in or driving from different states to be treated by me. I am beyond humbled and my advice to anyone out there thinking about starting a business is don’t chase money. Find something that you are passionate about, find a way to add value to people’s lives, don’t waiver when it comes to your values, and money will come.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
This is my first business and so I definitely did not know what I was getting myself into. I opened my business in the middle of COVID, in the middle of being in graduate school. Juggling that along with a husband, two boys and two dogs probably did not make for the best timing. It definitely didn’t seem like the ideal time. I definitely opened a business before I was ready. What I learned from that is the timing will never be perfect. I say if you have a service or a product that can improve people’s lives take the leap.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am an Aesthetic/Cosmetic Nurse Injector. I gained popularity through my Instagram, where I used my platform to educate patients and showcase my work. I will always be an ICU nurse at heart and I bring so much of that experience into my practice. Education and safety are always priority. While I do all things Botox and Filler, I chose to specialize specifically in lip filler, with the goal of solving a problem. Many people want bigger lips but are nervous of having lips that look overly done, unnatural and duck-like.
After playing with different dermal fillers and different techniques, I developed the perfect technique to deliver volume while still maintaining a very natural aesthetic. Every day I am at work, I receive confirmation that I am where I was always supposed to be. My joy comes from watching my patients regain their confidence when I change something that seems so trivial. I love seeing their posture change and watching them grow. While I feel like I have the knowledge and artistic talent to create what my patients are looking for, that is such a small part of the process. What really matters is how patients feel and what they go on to do with that newfound confidence, and that is where I got the name for my business. We are BLOSSÜM Aesthetics Co. because our focus is our patients’ growth.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
My mom was an immigrant from Colombia and my dad never had the chance to go to college, so I always wanted to make my parents and my grandmother proud. I think my courage to do things comes from the fact that I have a support system that supports me through it all. Watching my parents work so hard to raise me, I felt as though I needed to excel in my education and do well in college because I knew firsthand that not everyone is able to take advantage of that opportunity.
At a very early age, I learned that my happiness came from helping others. My mom used to take me to impoverished areas of Colombia and the Dominica Republic and we would rent buses and take families grocery shopping. While I didn’t have much growing up, we always had enough, and my parents gave me all the tools that I needed to be successful. I would say growing up, I was described as very stubborn, opinionated, ambitious and determined. I don’t know that much of that has changed. I’ve always taken adversity as a challenge and enjoyed chasing after things that people believe to be unattainable.
Pricing:
- Botox $13/unit
- Lip Filler $925
Contact Info:
- Email: Melissamaria.np@icloud.com
- Website: www.blossumaesthetics.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melissamaria_aesthetics/
Image Credits
Headshots by Terrence Jones Photography
