Fill Me In: An Aesthetics Podcast
On Fill Me In: An Aesthetics Podcast, Jon LeSuer NP-C and Nicole Bauer FNP-BC dive deep in the world of aesthetics. As aesthetic nurse practitioners with their own medical practices, Jon and Nicole fill you in on everything in their field.
Fill Me In: An Aesthetics Podcast
20 Years in Aesthetics with Dr. Matthew Pinto | Episode 42
Hosts Jon LeSuer & Nicole Bauer sit down with the aesthetic industry veteran, Dr. Matthew Pinto (Vive Aesthetics), for a candid conversation about his nearly 20-year journey in medical aesthetics, from his accidental start in 2006 to building a thriving, multi-injector practice.
Dr. Pinto shares his unique perspective on the evolution of treatments—from old-school fillers and microdermabrasion to the latest techniques—and the impact of social media on patient education (and misinformation!). He opens up about his personal "why" for practicing aesthetics and the one patient quote that keeps him going.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
The Evolution of Aesthetics: Dr. Pinto's experience starting with CosmoDerm and the early days of Botox before HA fillers existed.
The Social Media Gripes: Why misinformation is rampant and the responsibility of injectors to educate and say "no."
The "Butthole Clincher" Moment: Dr. Pinto reveals his scariest injection area and his experience managing two vascular occlusions.
Building a Gold Standard Practice: The funny story behind his practice name, the value of cross-selling, and the critical role of aestheticians in his successful Med Spa, Vive Aesthetics and Wellness
Advice for New Injectors: The single most important thing to master to succeed in this industry.
Connect with Dr. Matthew Pinto:
Practice: Vive Aesthetics and Wellness in Marlton, NJ
https://vivecenter.com/
Instagram: @drmatthewpinto
https://www.instagram.com/drmatthewpinto/?hl=en
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➡️ Visit www.joinmoxie.com/fillmein
***DISCLAIMER***
The content of this episode of Fill Me In: An Aesthetics Podcast is intended for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The hosts, guests, and producers of this podcast do not endorse or recommend the off-label use of any medical product without proper clinical training, patient assessment, and full informed consent. Listeners are strongly advised to consult with their healthcare providers and adhere to all applicable laws and regulatory guidelines. We expressly disclaim any and all liability for any outcomes related to the use or misuse of the information presented in this episode.
Fill Me In is hosted by Jonathan LeSuer, MSN, NP-C and Nicole Bauer, MSN, APRN, FNP-BC.
Follow Fill Me In on Instagram!
https://www.instagram.com/thefillmeinpod/
Follow Nicole on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/aestheticnursenicole/
Nicole's Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/aestheticnursenicole?utm_source=search
Exhibit Medical Aesthetics website:
https://exhibitmedicalaesthetics.com/
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https://www.instagram.com/injectorjon/
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Tox and Pout Aesthetics website:
https://toxandpout.com/
Producer of Fill Me In: Joey Ginexi
My biggest gripe with social media, and I think it's awesome. I love social media, but. There's so much misinformation out there. Yeah. There's so many, like, you know, injectors or people in our industry who just want followers and they wanna be controversial. Mm-hmm. And, um, but not for the right reasons.
A lot of providers tell us the same thing.
I love treating patients, but running the business. That's where I'm overwhelmed.
Whether you're just launching your Med Spa or already running one. Moxie is the all-in-one growth system built to help you scale without the stress. With software marketing, compliance, tools, and expert coaching all in one place, moxie helps you grow faster and more confidently.
And right now, fill me and listeners get $500 off their launch fee. Head to www.joinmoxie.com/fill mein or click the link in the show notes.
Alright guys, welcome back to another episode of the Fill Me In Podcast. I'm injector John.
And I'm aesthetic Nurse Nicole.
We have a, and I'm Dr. Matthew Pinto.
Yes. He
just stole the words from me. Yes. Oh, I did. And we have a special guest today, Dr. Matthew Pinto. Thank you for
joining
us today. Yes,
thank you.
I didn't want that awkward silence where you guys are waiting for me to say hello. You're following
suit. It's great.
Introduce yourself.
You're a natural. You
are? Oh my God.
So Dr. Pinto is in South Jersey at uh. VI Aesthetics. I was there you go. On this last episode, I told Skin I met you Skin. Skin at Skin V launch.
And you were telling everyone we say Skin Vi because right. That's right. You just taught your patients how to, how to say your practice name. Um, but tell us about yourself. Tell us about your practice. I was just there recently. He's got a beautiful training center in there.
Oh, wow. Yeah, she came and, uh, and grazed us with some, with her presence.
It was awesome. Um, so my p I've been in practice now for, um, 13 years in this, in this actual practice. We moved recently to this new building, but, um, 13 years. I, but I've been doing aesthetics since 2006, so I'm like a dinosaur. You know, did you lay an egg gap? Two? Um, so, um, yeah, so I got into aesthetics, like really early on.
You know, I was just at this conference at Needle Art and, you know, everyone there is like, you know, I would say younger. Mm-hmm. For the most part. Most of the people except for the speakers and, um. You know, it's like they're, when they find out I've been doing this for so long, they're like, oh my God. Like I did it before.
HA. Fillers came out. Like, how about that? That was
crazy. Yeah. Yeah.
And it was just neurotoxin. Yeah. By chance, like
by luck, I got into this business by luck, honestly. Wow. Which was how,
tell us, tell us the story. Yeah.
So I was a family medicine resident in, uh, Fort Lauderdale.
Okay. And
I was doing in 2002, I was, um, in my last year of residency and I was doing a derm rotation in South Beach.
And there was a dermatologist, he was a cosmetic dermatologist mm-hmm. At the time, which really didn't mean much because they didn't have a lot of technology that we like, think of every day now. Right. And he's like, I got this new stuff called Botox. And he like literally was learning how to use it. So I was fascinated by it.
Um, I finished my residency. I worked a couple years in family medicine in Florida, and I was talking to a mentor of mine. Who was a, um, he was a family medicine doctor, but he did workman's comp. Mm-hmm. And, you know, at the time when I got into family medicines when like HMOs were kind of screwing up, like, um, fees and, you know, all the older doctors were complaining that like, you can't make any money.
You have to see too many people. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. So this guy told me, he's like, you know, you need like a hose, you need something you can stick in somebody, you know, like mm-hmm. Internal medicine, they can do, you know, you can become a cardiologist and do catheterizations. You could do GI and do scopes. He's like family medicine.
You need to find something that's like, you know, his was workman's comp. Mm-hmm. I didn't like that. Yeah, I didn't want do that. Mm-hmm. Don't blame
you. Yeah.
So I moved back to New Jersey and I was, um, I was working as like a, like a sick doctor in an internal medicine practice temporarily until I figured out what I was gonna do.
I met a woman who was my patient and I just, you know, my normal, I like to talk a lot. I asked her what she did for a living and she said she's an aesthetician at a new medical spa. And medical spa was like a brand new term. So I was like, wow. I'm like, I really wanna learn how to do that stuff. I want to do this.
And so she's like, call my boss.
Yeah. So I called this doctor
and he had just opened this franchise. It was out of Arizona and it was in Cherry Hill right around the corner from my practice now. And he said, you know what? I don't wanna really do it. I just wanna own it. And so he's like. You're hired essentially.
Wow. I mean, I met with him once and And he hired me.
Yep.
And he sent me to California. Mm-hmm. And I did my first Botox training with Dr. Arthur Swift.
Wow. Wow. Yeah.
And what a great, that's crazy. Yeah. What a great housing training. Six. Wow. I believe it was. Yeah. So, and then I went and I went to a training in New York with Dr.
Michael Kane. Mm-hmm. Like, these guys are like, you know, sort of the godfathers Yeah, yeah. Of our industry. Yep. But back then, I, I didn't know any better.
Right.
Um, and there was not training like there is today. Mm-hmm. It didn't, it didn't exist like that. There was a few trainings here and there, and so I started doing it and I learned on the job, essentially.
Mm-hmm. Yep. Wow. Then Restylane came out and we started using Restylane. Um. Then Juvederm came out and you know, but when I first started I was using Cosmo Dem and Cosmo Plast. Wow. They were the fillers that Allergan made. That's skin test people. They lasted like a month.
Wow.
Um, it was crazy. So that's how I got into the industry.
Did you do sculpture then too, or? No. So, you know what's really funny? When I worked for this, for this practice, we didn't do s Sculptra. Mm-hmm. And at the time. There was a lot of controversy on sculpture because of granulomas and, um, and I never learned it. It was the recon, right? Yeah, exactly. It was probably the, the recon
that they had then.
Mm-hmm.
Yeah. I mean, 'cause I think originally it was developed for lipodystrophy, for patients that had. HIV and aids, right? Mm-hmm. So they were like, well, if you put, and they were putting in like people's lips. They were doing all kinds of crazy stuff. Wait, what? Yeah. Yes, they were. Yes. Wow. Talk about off label.
Oh my
God. Beyond, right? Beyond,
like we don't, mm-hmm. So, um, no. So I worked for this practice for about a year, and then the economy, um, 2007 is when, like the real estate bubble burst in most of America. Yeah. Yep. And this guy was, um, he wasn't doing really well and he started laying people off. He didn't lay me off.
But, um, I saw the writing on the wall, so I decided to leave. I had a non-compete, so for one year I couldn't do any aesthetics. Wow. Like in my office, I mean, I did it like on the side.
Right.
And, um, and as soon as that non-compete was up, I, you know, kind of went back into it. But I mean, it was a, I thought I was a big shot.
I was going through like five vials of Botox a month. You know, you figure back then we were doing like 20 to 40 units, maybe 30 units. I was seeing like, you know, and it was cash. So as a family practitioner, I know, huge. It was like, wow, this is like super lucrative. Mm-hmm. And fun.
Right.
Um, now we do five vials in like a morning, you know, literally, literally I per provider.
So it's just a different, it's a whole different world now. You've
seen like the full evolution of it all. That's crazy.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. So, I mean, we had lasers back then. Mm-hmm. You know, we had a YAG laser and we had like an IPL and we had microderm abrasion, which was, you know. Cutting edge.
Yeah. Oh yeah.
Yep. Oh
my god.
Well, when I went to, uh, aesthetic school like 10 years ago, microderm abrasion was like the big thing. They were like, we're teaching you plastic surgery, like it's microderm abrasion.
When we moved offices six months ago, we found our old Microderm Oh yeah. Abrasion machine in like the storage closet, and we're like, what do we do with this?
Wow.
Do we keep it? Do we throw it out?
Yeah. My God, it's a relic.
Seriously.
Hey everyone, it's Jonathan, also known as Injector John.
And I'm Nicole or Aesthetic Nurse's. Nicole, if you follow me online,
we are so excited to let you know that we've launched our Patreon.
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Love you guys. How, um, we were talking about this in our last episode, Nicole. How, I mean, I think this year's been an interesting year for filler in general, I think, you know, right? Mm-hmm.
Like the rise of regenerative medicine and like, you know, ha's and stuff like, so in your practice personally, have you noticed. Any change in how much ha filler you're using? Or is it about the same, or is it more like, what, what, what would you say?
So I, I would say for me it's probably about the same.
Mm-hmm. Um, with the exception of, uh, you know, I'm finding So lips are different.
Mm-hmm. Oh,
yes. Books are definitely different. You know, people aren't, for the most part, aren't asking. For giant lips anymore. Mm-hmm. Which is, thank God.
Yes,
yes. Like yeah. And I used to have to say no a lot. Yeah. Yeah. And I think that's important.
A lot of injectors out there are afraid to say no, but you really need to, you have to, you have to do what's right, you know? Mm-hmm. Even if it pisses off the patient. Mm-hmm. It's for their better. Good. Right. It's for the good. Mm-hmm. Absolutely. Um. For the most part? Um, no, you know, I don't really feel like it's dropped.
I just feel like we maybe have to work just a tiny bit harder to get patients in the door. You know? I think there's just definitely, um, I think like volume maybe has slowed down a little bit. Yeah. But I'm still doing, I'm trying to do full facial balancing. Mm-hmm. Oh yeah. Or at least comprehensive treatments.
Um. No, I don't think it's really slowed down that much. I mean, the numbers might say, you know, nationally definitely it's slowed down.
Yeah. And I think, I think, um, we're just having to talk people off a ledge more and explain to them, you know, they won't look fake. You know, filler's gonna integrate. These fillers are chemically made to integrate within your tissue.
They're made for different areas of the face, you know, when it's done right. We're, we're placing a volume deficit. We're not just. Injecting, you know, filler into an area that doesn't need it. Right. Um, so I think it comes down to education. I will say, I think we're educating, like this is, I've never educated more like I come, I come home and I'm just like, ah.
Like the social media is down. Right. Just from, you know, educating. But it's good though. I think we'll start slowly see a pendulum go back up. I think we just had this pendulum down and then I think it's gonna slowly go up. So Well, and I'm sure
you've seen a difference in that too, right? Because when you first started social media.
Wasn't
Didn't exist. Right. It wasn't invented yet. So I'm sure it's so different because Yeah. My space. My space, yeah. Maybe, right? Mm-hmm. But
like your patients didn't come in informed is like you're informing them.
Yeah. But now they're coming
in, right. And they're seeing everything.
It's true. But the problem is a lot of 'em are misinformed.
Yes. Yes. You
know, and, and my biggest gripe with social media, and I think it's awesome. I love social media, but. There's so much misinformation out there. Yeah. There's so many, like, you know, injectors or people in our industry who just want followers and they wanna be controversial. Mm-hmm. And, um, but not for the right reasons.
Right. Yeah. We were talking a little bit about, you know, one of the doctors who's a controversial guy
Yeah.
Um, who just held his conference and, but you know. It's a different type of controversial post, right? It's questioning what's right, what's wrong, what's science,
right?
These are, there's people out there just saying like, just honestly, just stuff that's just off the wall, and then you have to talk to your patients and explain to them that, mm-hmm.
It's not. Right. Right, right. You know? Right. So like the, the lady with the MR MRI that, you know, went viral. Oh, that's, that's where
that, I think that's where it all started. Yes. Is that, honestly, that moment, you know, and
like, it's not a bad, like, it, it can technically Yes. Be a bad thing if it's, if it's mm-hmm.
If you have an infection or something, but's, it's meant to last, you know, we want it to last. That's actually great that it's lasting that long. You know, like, and
they also, you know, so and so will come in. I want whatever my friend had. Well, why, why does she have 54 units? I have 44. Yeah. Well, it's, your muscles are different, you know, but it's great.
It's great though because the, like you said, there's so much more training and there's so much more awareness of anatomy and how it's not a cookie cutter treatment. So I think that that has definitely been helpful to explain why there's a difference in, you know, treatments per person, right? It's very individualized.
Um, it's like plastic surgery. Not every, everybody is different.
Yeah. And, and look, even as an injector, you can learn from social media. I mean, I watch, oh yeah. Both of you guys all the time. Mm-hmm. You know, I have my, I have my, you know, group of injectors who I respect immensely. And I, I watch their stuff and sometimes I learn new things or reinforces something that I already knew, which I think is also key.
But, you know, I think. You said you educate a lot and that's one of the core values of our practice is education staff, you know, providers. Mm-hmm. And patients. And I've always done that. I didn't know I was doing it. Mm-hmm. I'd just talk a lot. Right. And I like people to understand what they're having. You know, the worst thing ever when I was a family medicine doctor years ago, and someone, 'em would come from the hospital and they're like, yeah, I got a bunch of new medicines.
I don't know what they are. Like, how do you not know? Yeah. What you're taking, what somebody gave you. I know. Or what, what's wrong with you? Mm-hmm. You know, I had a test. They said something's wrong. I don't even know what it is. Mm-hmm. And when patients come in and they're like, yeah, I had filler. Last year.
I had Botox like three months ago. Well, what, what? How much did you have? Where did you have it? And they're like, I don't, I don't really know.
Right.
They're not, I don't know what filler it was. I went to someone's basement. Mm-hmm. It was only we shared a syringe. It was only, that's terrifying. $200. Yep. You know, and look, I started out hustling and going to salons.
Mm-hmm. You know, way back when. I understand that part of it. So I did too when I first started. Yeah. You have to. I mean, you can't, you just don't get instant patience, you know? But the reality of it is, is that. You know, I still educated people back then.
Mm-hmm.
You know, here's where I'm putting the Botox.
Right. This is how many units I'm using. You know, or this is the filler I'm using, you know? Right. Here's the package.
To your point, a lot of people that come to my office, and I'm sure your guys as well, they, they're not aware of what type of fillers in their face, period. Yeah. Yep. You know, if I asked no idea them.
Yep. Um, and, and I, and I feel like you guys are the same. I can look in a lip and be like, all right, that looks like Juvederm. Looks like Restylane. Right. But still, they're, they're like, I have no idea. I'm like, do you know what kind of neurotox you had? No, no idea. Whatever she had that day. Yeah. I'm like, well, you said it wasn't good last time, so it's like, was it the dose, was it the placement?
Right. Was it the type of neurotoxin? Did they change it? I. You don't know.
Yeah. So first question I asked an a patient that's been treated somewhere else is, why are you here with me? Yeah. Did you move, um, was there, you know, did you have an issue with your other injector? Did you not like the results? Was it like, was it cost?
Like what is it? 'cause I wanna know, because, you know, if they're like, yeah, they, they dropped my eyebrows every time I went there and I'm looking at the patient and they're already hooded and they have, you know, really deep, you know, lines in their front house. And then I'm like, well look, I really can't.
Treat too much of your forehead or else you're, and they're like, well, no one ever told me that. Mm-hmm. You know? Yeah. That's so, sets you apart.
Yeah. Once you explain it, then they're like, oh, so it wasn't mm-hmm. So much the place it was. Right. It's my anatomy, you know?
Mm-hmm. The other thing too is, is you said people, they don't know what filler they had and they're like, I want you to dissolve me.
Well, how do I know I can dissolve it unless I know what it is. Right, right. Yep. I mean, I can guess. Yep. Mm-hmm. You know, you can kind of tell if what the
areas are, but you never know. Yeah. Especially now when we have different injectables that actually what Stimulate fat? Mm-hmm. In the face now. What's it called?
Re renova. Nuva. Yeah. Um, which is growing in popularity. There's other things. I mean, I pe I'm sure people are getting that and they're thinking they're getting filler. I mean, right. There's people that get Botox and they think it's filler. Like, oh yes, listen. Yeah. I'm like, oh my God. Yep.
Yeah. New Botox patient ma comes out and says, oh, so and so's here for, for, um, her Botox appointment.
But her concerns are her lips. Yeah. Or her like lower face. Yes. And it's like her jowls. Yeah. I'm like, okay. I mean, I can do a little bit. She, she said she's here for
chin filler. It's bow tie. I, yeah, but it's your forehead lines. Yeah. And you're like,
well, all right. No, I, I've, and honestly, the cheek is a, is an area of anatomy I didn't realize was all over the face, because some people are like, they're here for their cheek filler and then they're pointing down here, you know, so, yeah.
Yep. Oh yeah. Mm-hmm. No, I tell this story all the time. I had someone come in and wanted lip filler and she, once, we always give them the price beforehand because I just think it's important to be, you know, make it aware. Oh, yeah,
yeah. Transparent. Yep.
And, um, she was like, well, on, on your website it says it's $15.
For a unit and I'm like, oh, we have a lot of education to do right here.
For sure.
Yeah. So they patients you think they know, they, they dunno.
Yeah. Um, Dr. Penso, I like to call it. This term called the butthole clincher. So what would you say when you're injecting someone's face, your butthole clench is a little bit like, what, what is an area that does it have, have to be just one?
It, it doesn't like what are areas that you're kind of like in your 13 years, right? You said? Um, 16,
injecting, no, nine, almost 20 years. Oh my God. I'm sorry. 20 years. Um, 20 years inject. No, I'm like 13. It sounds I sound younger. Um, so, okay. Um, so I'll tell you the one. That I clenched the most on is, is liquid rhinoplasties.
And you do them at your practice? I do. Yeah, I do. Um, and I've had great results, but I also had a vascular occlusion. Twice. Oh my God. Wow. Yep. Once was on a staff member, thank God. And once was on a patient, thank God. Yeah. And they both resolved with the proper, you know, care. Oh, that's good care.
Yeah.
And I don't, I don't think they were embolic.
I think it was probably just a little compression. Mm-hmm. Yeah.
Was it more the tip or was it the bridge?
So, you know, one was a patient who was just getting like Voluma in her cheeks and there was like a little bit left and she's like, of course it's a little bit right there. Always,
always. I had
done it on her before it was like 0.05.
Yeah. I mean, it was the smallest amount. And then I, and then it made some changes. Ugh. Um, so that was more on the tip. Mm-hmm. And the other one was actually on the bridge. Wow. Um, so you know mm-hmm. Almost at the top. Mm-hmm. Interesting. And so that was kind of scary.
Yeah.
So I would say that, um, yeah. Now I'm not gonna, I'm gonna, not gonna lie, I didn't have a known vascular occlusion.
Mm-hmm. Probably for like 16 or 17 years. Wow. Yep. And I say known because I may have had like a mild one that just resolved on its own.
Right. Yep.
You know, just, it looked like a really bad bruise and it just thankfully had enough, you know, flow, flow. But like, the reality of it is, is it you're gonna get one.
Mm-hmm. If you inject, I mean, it's gonna happen.
Mm-hmm.
So that's a clincher for me. Um, and then I would also say. I would say, and it doesn't happen as much anymore, but, um, when I was doing like jawline mm-hmm. When I first started doing jawline and I've, you know, put in a decent amount of product and I don't really see what I thought I should be seeing.
Yes. Yep.
And you've already, you know, you told the patient it's gonna be like, whatever, four syringes, and you're at like three and you, you're like, oh my god. Doesn't, don't see it. Doesn't really look. Yeah. What I was envisioning at this point. And it's like, am I gonna just throw another syringe in for free?
'cause I can't like, change the price at this point. Right. Or do I just, you know, I know. So that, that's, you know, not giving a, a result that I'm proud of.
Yeah.
Sometimes is a little, a bit of a clincher, but I would say the nose is probably the ccle, the biggest one of all.
Yeah. And that's why I don't do it.
And you both can do it. And I'll refer to both of you. I, I was trained, um, I, I was trained on cannula.
Hmm.
Yeah,
that scares me. Yeah, yeah.
Ah, no, I'm good. And then I did needle a few times. It came out great. Yeah. I had no issues, like, knock on wood, but I, I think I just lost sleep over it because I'm always want, you know, if it bruised, I was like, oh no.
Oh no. Right. Oh, no. You know, panic. Yeah. Um, but I just decided not to do it, and I just refer out for it. Yeah. I've
kind of, I, I have questioned whether I should do it. Right. You know? Still sometimes, but the reality of it is I've had like three patients cry with tears of joy defense. Right? Yep. Like that's how life changing it was for them.
Yeah. And you know, maybe they should just get a regular rhinoplasty at some point, but it wasn't in the cards for them. Mm-hmm. You know, so I, to me that was, um, you know, that really, it's like, okay, just because it's challenging and I have to be a little bit more clenched while doing it, if I can do it, I know I can do it safely.
And I can manage any issue that comes up, then I'm gonna do it. Absolutely.
And just like I separated it to two sessions. I don't know if you do that, but I do like a very small amount and have them come back two weeks later. 'cause in my mind it's just like, as long as I'm not putting too much in the area, I'll be a little bit safer.
Yeah.
I haven't done that, but I have had to touch people up. Um, after it's settled a bit, you know, so, and they lasts a long time. In most cases they do. Which is a great thing,
right?
Mm-hmm. Yeah. I feel like, yeah. But you watch some other injectors do it like online or something, and they're just like going crazy and I'm just like, oh my God.
I don't, I don't do that. No. And I love cannulas. I use 'em everywhere. Yeah. But sticking a cannula and the notes out, I know it, it just doesn't,
yeah, it doesn't seem right. I know. Mm-hmm. I had a complication years ago. I, I used to work for a plastic surgeon and that's actually how I learned noses, and that's why I still do them to this day.
But we had a, a doctor in the area did, uh, radius to someone's nose. And the guy, his half of his forehead was all modeled
and he was like
calling us in a panic and we're like, oh. And that was back like right when, you know, radius was still like newer to all of us and we're like, you know, you could try Linx flooded with saline.
Like, we're not really sure, you know, but it's scary. That's why you gotta be so careful about what products you're using and, and who you're gonna see, you know?
Oh, a hundred percent. Yeah, I mean, personally, like if I have a question of like a vasso occlusion, I just dissolve. Like I, and I haven't really had that happen, but mm-hmm.
It's important to know where the foramens are, where mm-hmm. You know, facial artery, you know, ori, you know, coming from all of that and I, all the branches. Yeah. Yeah. And I'll like, mm-hmm. I'll actually like, insert the needle and try to aspirate, and if I'm aspirating right into it, that then I would inject the hyaloid into that.
Yeah. Instead of like flooding the area. I feel like sometimes when you flood the area too much. It just causes more trauma. More trauma.
Yeah, that's true. And then you're let, and it
doesn't feel good for those. It doesn't, right? No. You, yeah. Um, oh my gosh. Do you do ultrasound at all, Dr. Pinto?
So I have, I have a clarius ultrasound and I use, I would say I play with it.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm still trying to figure out, you know, I can find vessels and I can, you know, I can use it, but I haven't. Mastered, like using it while injecting. Mm-hmm. Yeah. I have used it while dissolving, um, a few times. Yeah. And I think it definitely helped. Um, you know, it's just, it's a lot harder than it looks.
Yeah. Holding it still. It is not easy.
Yeah. You know,
as while you're using your other hand for other things
and Right. And orientation too, like looking at the screen and knowing like, okay, that's trying to figure out the goal figure and that's the, you know, it's like, you're, you're so backwards. Yeah. I
really want to take a, a, like a course to really do it, but the reality of it is if you don't come home from that course and, and do it every day, you're not gonna master.
Well, and
that's my thing. And I feel like it's slightly, it's more, it, this sounds awful, but it's more time consuming. And it is like, I, I like to get patients in, you know? Yeah. And I would have to extend these appointments and it's just, I feel like if I had an ultrasound, it would only be for like finding that artery so I can Exactly.
You know, inject it to, you know, clear out a vo, you know? Yeah. And that's why,
that's why we have it on hand. And to find like stubborn filler Yeah. And things like that that, yeah. Dissolve.
I've, I've actually. Used it in patients with like, you know, that wanna be dissolved and mm-hmm. I, I try to see okay.
Where, you know, and these are patients that I did not fill. Mm-hmm. So I don't, they don't know where it is. I kind of can see it, but
Yeah.
You know, you don't really know the depth. And, um, I've used it to like look for vessels. Like when we do temples, I'm like, let me scan for the, you know, deep temporal artery.
Yeah. Right. Yeah. And I can see it. But then translating that to the injection right, is the part that I, you know, I really wanna learn. So I don't really, right. I wouldn't say I do it on a regular basis. It's more for dissolving. It's more for, you know, someone comes in and they're like, I had filler like four years ago and I feel puffy and I don't like it.
Can you dissolve me? And I'm like, and I've never met them before. Do you just have a puffy face? Right. You know, is it a mailer? Is it mailer edema? Is it a fe dune? Is it filler? So I'll try to scan it. And look for that, but mm-hmm. Yeah. Instead of
just throwing Hy Linx in somewhere, that might not even be filler.
Exactly. Right.
Just to shift a little. It's fun though.
Yeah. Oh yeah. Oh,
yes, for sure. Just to shift a little bit, Dr. Pinto. Yes. When, when did you open up your practice? Um, my, originally,
yeah.
Mm-hmm.
Uh, two. So, okay. So I, I closed my family medicine practice and I opened up. My aesthetics only practice. Yep. In 2012.
Wow. Okay. Has it always
been vi
Right. So, you know, there's a funny story with that. No. When I was in primary care, it was not called that. Um, a friend of mine's wife worked for a big ad agency, so as a favor, she helped me come up with a name. Okay. Every name I sent her, and this was through email, every name I sent her, she's like, no, no, no.
So one day she sends me this, you know. Vi VIVE. Um, and at the time we did a lot of medical weight. I started doing medical weight loss.
Okay. Yeah.
Way before, like I started doing medical weight loss in 2010. Interesting. Yeah. Oh, okay. 2010. And that's when I realized I could get out of family medicine because my weight loss practice was cash only.
'cause insurance didn't cover it back then. Yeah. And I was watching people become healthier. Right. Come off of medications, lose weight. And the reality of it is, is that, and, and it was cash, so I was getting paid that day. One day a week I did only weight loss and it was my favorite day of the week. And so I, I, in 2011, I had testicular cancer.
Oh wow.
Total shock, like wow, just. The night before my recertification boards, I literally put down my books. I'm like, I need to go to bed. It's midnight. I have to be in Philly at 7:00 AM to take this test, or 8:00 AM and I, and I noticed a lump and oh my God, like I took the test the next day. And then that Monday I went and got an ultrasound and they're like, you need to go see your urologist.
You have a tumor. Ugh. And so I had it removed and, but it really made me, I was 37. I was my. My, um, daughter was almost born. My two sons were already born, and I never ever questioned my health. I was a really healthy person. I, you know, I didn't ever, I mean, other than getting sick, like with, you know, colds and coughs and stuff, and, um.
So it made me like really sort of like, look at my life and say, absolutely. Why am I waking up every day and doing something I don't love when there's something else that I do love? Which was the, the weight loss and the aesthetics, but the aesthetics was small. Mm-hmm. I already knew, I liked that. It just was hard to get patients and, and Right.
I didn't really have a dedicated facility, so, okay, so you just, so that's when I made the move. I sold my family medicine practice, I opened up vi. Mm-hmm. And so the funny thing is about a year after I'm open. Patients keep saying, ViiV, Vive, Viva ViiV. And I'm like, it's five, right? Like how do you spell five FIVE?
Right? Dive DIVE. So why would you think VIV is ViiV? So I it's like, it's like Dysport and Dysport. I can, yeah, exactly. I, right? Mm-hmm. So I run into my friend's wife. Like at a party or something. And I said, you know, Kelly, every time I, someone says ViiV, it drives me crazy. Yeah. I go, why did we pick this name?
And she goes, what do you mean? Why does it drive you crazy? That's the name. And I was like, because we only did it through email, there was never a phone conversation.
Oh my gosh.
So I said, wait a second, you came up with this name and it was ViiV and I'm being calling it Vibe. And so, oh, isn't that great?
It's supposed to be ViiV,
according to her.
Well, oh, that's hysterical. Now it's vibe. She's vibe. But according to me, it's vibe. That's vibe. Yeah. So, um, when I think of vibe, I feel like of like, I'm alive. Like exactly. I think, know what I mean? Think of like
it's a vibe. Re vibe. It's a vibe. Okay. It's a vibe, right?
Yeah,
exactly. If I'm alive, like, yeah.
Yeah.
Okay. That's exactly my point. Okay. So
you just answered my question as to why you made the switch mm-hmm. Into aesthetics. That's what I wanted to know and I, I think, how was it when you first, we have a lot of listeners that. Want to open up their own practice or even maybe thinking about it, they might be at a, a practice where they might wanna pivot and get out and brand themselves, do their own thing.
Um, how hard was it for you to grow a panel of patients?
Well, I'll be honest with you, you know, when I did sell my family medicine practice, um, and opened up the original vibe. It was mostly weight loss patients. Mm-hmm. It was, you know, that's really what we, we had. Mm-hmm. Because that's what I had already built up over the past two and a half years.
Mm-hmm. And so the aesthetics was a much smaller component. Mm-hmm. So really how, how we built it, um, was through, and marketing was so different back then. Yeah. I mean, people were putting ads in newspapers, radio, radio, tv, magazines, you know, like the, like we have a SJ magazine. The joke of SJ Magazine is the only people that advertise in it are the doctors.
The only people that read it are the doctors and the lawyers and the dentists that advertise in it. I'm dead. But, um, so we did a lot of that type of stuff. Um, believe it or not, I did a Groupon.
Wow.
Way back.
Yeah. I didn't want to, the practice that I
was at did Groupon. I didn't want to do it way back, but that's when it was Cool.
Anyway, go ahead. We won a Groupon award for the most Groupon sold in a period of time. That's great. Oh
my God. You know,
when we did the numbers, we figured out that that first treatment was basically covering the cost of the Botox. Mm-hmm. Right? So it didn't make sense unless they came back for a second treatment.
And, and that I looked at it as that's my challenge to wow them so that they come back, right? Mm-hmm. Because the price shoppers that just hop around to different Groupons back then weren't the people you really wanted, right? Right. Um, and so what we did is we made a really aggressive, creative way, Hey, if you buy your next treatment.
Like in the next two weeks, you know, see your results, make sure you like me. Mm-hmm. Um, we'll give you another discount. It wasn't as big, it was maybe like 15% off or something. And then, and that worked. And so, um, while I didn't want to be a Groupon practice, you know, we, we did some strategic thinking and we're like, it's cost effective.
I mean, advertisements were expensive. And a lot of 'em didn't work.
Mm-hmm.
I mean, I was on the, the mat in a diner, you know, like when you sit down? Mm-hmm. Yes. And there's like all these, I did everything. And I think word of mouth. I'm currently at the
ninth and 18th hole of a couple golf, golf courses. Yeah.
I'm on the back of like the, I mean, why not? Like I, I, any opportunity, like at least when I first started, I was like,
yeah, you need to get your name out. You know,
referrals for sure are like top, top
charities, sponsorships, like all of that was huge.
So that gave us a good base. And then really from there it was really just, I think.
Giving the patients a wow experience.
Yep.
You know, we, we like to, we, in our practice, we like to say we want to create raving fans.
Mm-hmm. Love
that. You know, we want them to want to come here. They, we want them to love coming here. And you know, we call it the vibe experience. Like the vibe experience starts from the phone call to checkout.
Mm-hmm.
And you know, I'm probably. The least important person in that equation because they have to like get to me first. Right. And that's the hard part. And then once they leave, you know, and so that's how we really built up John. I mean, it really was, uh, you know, I was hustling. I was doing like salon parties.
I was, you know, advertising. The Groupon really helped. It's funny, Dr. Subo said he did one as well. So, um, you know, I didn't want to be one of those like cheap. Places, right. So we tried to add value to our Groupon.
Yeah. Yeah. All right. That's great.
Yeah.
Um, how many patients would you say you have now?
Oh God.
Like five or 6,000, somewhere in that range. That's amazing. And how many
providers do you have at your practice?
Um, so there are, um. There are three injectors, myself and two other injectors, a nurse practitioner and a pa, Julie and Megan, um, who do everything that I do. Mm-hmm. Um, and then we have Renee who just does Botox and she does all our lasers.
Nice. And so I guess you could say there are four injectors in my practice. Do you have an esthetician? We have three estheticians. Oh, wow. Wow. We're looking for a fourth.
Wow. So busy.
You're busy on the skin side of things. Our skin side is awesome and again,
great people. Mm-hmm. Now I have a question about that.
Yeah. I think it's hard. I think that's very hard. I was just gonna say
the same thing. Yeah.
Because I came from, before I opened up Toxin Pau, I came from a med spa that was very esthetician run. It was an esthetician run practice. I think she had three or four. Estheticians. They were all booked four to six weeks out.
It was unreal. They had HydraFacial laser, they had cool sculpting. They were nonstop. And I came on and I was like, this little little fish in this small, you know, and I, it took me a minute, like about a year or so, but then I started getting busier. I went into their treatment rooms. I had to listen to their vernacular, like how they, you know, sold things, how they explain things.
Because I wanted to help with cross-selling and things like that. And. I was so impressed, you know, by all of that. So hearing that from you, that's really, really cool.
Yeah. We have three awesome estheticians. We had a fourth. She was part-time. She decided to just stay home with her daughter. Yeah. Um, and we're looking for a fourth again.
Okay. We have three rooms that, you know, are fully set up for everything we need to do. And then our, we have two laser rooms, so. In our old office, we were a little bit more cramped and we had to roll stuff around, but now we have like dedicated space. Nice. And then we also have someone that's, she's not technically, she is she an esthetician?
She doesn't do esthetician procedures necessarily, but she does all her body contouring stuff. Nice. So sculp and CoolSculpting and, um. We used to do ThermiVa, now we do, um, forma the, so she does like the, the women's health type stuff. Um, she does Morpheus body. Mm-hmm. Fun. And she's also incredible. And I will tell you like, I think the estheticians are a critical way to grow as well, right?
Mm-hmm. Because people get HydraFacials or diamond glows like regularly, right? They're coming in often or peels or whatever it is. And those aestheticians look, we train them to cross sell, obviously. And we don't need, we don't like to say cross sell. We like to say educate, right? Mm-hmm. Educate for options.
Mm-hmm.
You know, we're not trying to sell a car.
Right.
We're trying to show them how cool the cars are that we have.
Yep. Mm-hmm.
And um, and I think that I've been to practices, I have patients that have been to practices where they sell you. As soon as you walk in, they're like banging you with everything you need.
And that's not the way we do it. Right. But the estess are the best man. And I, I like, I think two of our aestheticians are booked out like a month at a time. It's incredible. That's great. Yeah. Yeah. It's, I can't even get a, a procedure.
Yeah. Right.
I know. And when I get one, it's like 15 minute HydraFacials.
Like where's on the
Yeah. It's like real quick. Yeah.
I want a massage, I want a red light. But it's so true,
right? Because those types of people like that keeps. Those patients coming in your door every month instead of where us, it's like every four to six months. You know? So it, it definitely keeps that skincare coming off the shelf and
yeah.
We had an awesome aesthetician who was with me from, she was my first one I hired, and she, she's still a very dear friend of mine. Mm-hmm. But, um, her name was Danielle. And Danielle actually got hired, she got poached by HydraFacial.
Wow. She
came to me, she wrote me a really beautiful letter and basically said like, you know, I just kind of feel like I need to do something else.
And I was like, go, like, you need to. Yeah, I'm happy. Like, I'm so happy I, I was able to like, get you started, support you into this.
Yeah. Yeah. And
she was a, she was an all star for them. Yeah, I think she actually just left them, but um, you know, she still comes in for treatments, but, you know, I love that. So we lost a really good esthetician and I was nervous.
Yeah. 'cause she had a following, but we found another one that was amazing and Jess has replaced, you know, she's taken all her patients and it's, it's just amazing. We have Elisa. Jamie is, we have a girl named Jamie who you can't get in with. I mean, that's how booked out she is. Her patients book out for the year.
Oh my gosh. Wow. It's
amazing. For the year. Wow. Yeah, it's incredible. And so I'm really, really lucky because. You know, like you said, they, they, they have patients come in in all the time. Right. You know, a filler patient might come in once a year. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. If they're not getting to toxin, most get toxin, but Right.
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You can also follow Fill me in on Instagram at the Fill Me in Pod. And don't forget to follow us on Instagram and Patreon. At injector, John, anesthetic nurse Nicole, thanks so much for listening. So, so let's talk a little bit about your, um, education and like training. So you're an Allergan trainer? I am, yep.
Are you a trainer for any other company?
I am not. Yep.
How are you loving? How are you loving being a trainer?
Being a trainer changed. So many things for me. Mm-hmm. First of all, I met cool people like you. You know, like I used to see, you know, there's people on Instagram that and Vice Arza. Yeah. I was just fans of, and we, John, we met on the plane.
Do you remember with Mike? I remember with Michael Anthony from, yeah. Rhode Island.
Yeah. And then we were in the transportation to, yeah, that was wild, right? We sat on the
plane for like five hours, never knew, and then got off the plane and we're like, oh, we're all getting in the same car.
Wait, I'm literally looking next to me and I'm like.
Excuse me, but like, I was like, who's this silver fox with this gorgeous wife? I was like, I can't, like the most beautiful couple. I'm like, and then we get off and I'm like, oh, you're an ejector.
Like, what? Oh, you're coming with me? You're, you're coming with me. Oh my
God, this is great. It was, it was. And I was like, damn, he's got style, man.
You had like, I think you had like, like fancy luggage or something, or bad? This guy. Probably. Probably guy's. Awesome. Oh man. So for me, alright, so I'm not gonna lie. Mm-hmm. I was, I was asked to, you know, sort of like. Get into the training by some Allergan people. And at first I said no. I'm like, I don't have time.
I hear you. Like I don't, I don't want it's lot, you know, I have little kids at the time or they're, you know, I have a lot of kids, too many. Um, so we have five between my wife and I. Oh my gosh.
Yeah. That keeps you busy. So, um,
nanny, nanny. But my, my, um, my office manager, Madison, was like, you need to do this.
Mm-hmm. You know, you need to make time for it. So she convinced me. I got chosen and it has opened up so many windows and doors for me. I mean, I. The people I've met is, it's amazing. Yeah. Like, you know, I'm friends now with, you know, Leslie. Mm-hmm. Nicola and Stevie Oland. Like people that, like I idolized.
Right. And now, like we text and hang, you know, and we hang out when they're in town or if I'm there. Mm-hmm. You guys, I mean, Nicole, we've had, we've been together on stage a couple times. Yes. Yeah. Um, and you, you were here. Yeah. So, and you're coming. Guys, Aren you. Yeah, we're gonna be on
together. We're doing a Koana anatomy thing.
Yes. How amazing is that?
Oh, we're so excited. I'm nervous,
man. I'm nervous.
Like
he's
like,
this is why I love him. Right? Because I'm like, I'm so excited in the back of my head I'm like, I'm freaking out. He is like, oh my God, you guys, I
mean, I'm just glad I'm not injecting. Like I'm just the mc go. I just get to do what I do best with just talk.
Oh my God. But that's why I
love him. 'cause he'll fill the silence while I'm injecting.
Oh, but dude, he's so, he's so intense.
Yeah, he's very intense. He's very intense. So intense. So,
um. You're so excited. So I've met a lot of amazing people. Mm-hmm. I've learned so much. What's so important about what we do as trainers though.
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. It's not teaching the most advanced technique. Right. Yeah. That's cool. You know, it's cool to know how to do an awesome cheek or an awesome chin or you know, whatever, but it's really to make sure that like the basics are being done right. Like, there's cleanliness. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. There's lighting.
They have the right size needles. Yep. You know, they have cannulas on, you know, um, and the right kind. Mm-hmm. They have alcohol and hiba cleanse and purin. I'm a purin guy, but me too. Yeah, me too. Oh
yeah, me too.
You know, and, and you're like, oh my God. Like it's the, the
things you see. Yeah.
The, the things you see.
I did another training where the doctor wasn't supposed to be there, it's his practice, but he. Doesn't inject all that much. Mm-hmm. But he decided, oh, I want do one of the models. Mm-hmm. And when he put the introducer in for a cannula, he hubbed that thing like down to the, i I, he was trying to push it through her or something.
And I was like, oh God, yeah, I didn't know what to do. Like, do I tell him you're doing that wrong or
right. Do I just let him,
do I make him look bad in front of his staff? It was really delicate and ugh. I said, let me show you a way I do it. Right. Exactly. Yep. I think that is really hard. Hard. We're, we're like an eighth of the, of the needle goes in just to make a hole that the
whole thing.
Yeah.
Mm-hmm.
I think the biggest challenge for me is, is educating with cannula. Like if they've never used cannula before, it's like articulating the words on, you know, like. Make sure that you insert the cannula the same way that you inserted the needle, like, right? Mm-hmm. It, that does not click for people.
No, and it's like they'll, they'll go ahead and insert it, and then they're pulling and they're, and I'm like, oh, don't push it.
Yeah. Yeah.
You know, and I'm like, all right,
it's okay. Yeah. You know, and if they've never used a cannula mm-hmm. And, and you want them to go deep to the super periosteum and they have to pop through the sma.
Yeah. And they're afraid. They're afraid. Oh yeah. You sit there for, they're like, 20 minutes, it's not going. And then I'm like, you know, you're like, all right, let me just, you know, if it's a state you're licensed in, you can do it, that's fine. But if you're in, like, I was in North Carolina, I can't touch the knee.
I know, I
know. Oh, I had a training in North Carolina where they, they anesthetized the patient. The patient was unconscious when I walked in. I'm sorry, what? She was out, they gave her like, ed. Oh god. And you're lying. Propofol or something. Really? You're
lying.
Oh, I swear on my life. Oh my gosh. I was like, this is so weird.
That's so weird. That's how they treat their patients there.
Oh my God. It just seems like not about
Ox Ox. I just got, and it sounds pro pron is one
thing, but
Right. But like John, this lady was like comatose,
general anesthesia and towards
the end she would like kind of like, like moan and like move, oh my
God.
But for the most part, she didn't move. Was she going like this? They always scratch their nose. Well, with, with the pro knock, they try to like, they can't hit their mouth, you know, once they get enough puffs of that thing. Enough in
there.
Yeah. Oh, that's crazy. Yeah. No, so I've seen all sorts of things. Yeah.
Oh, thank God. I have a whole list now that I send ahead of time. Or How about the patient that wants chin filler and, and they look like Jay Leno.
Oh yeah. Yep.
No. Like
how many, many times you ask for the model pictures and you don't get the model picture Uhhuh, and then you show up and you're like, oh, I don't know if we could do this.
Yeah.
I mean, so know,
I'm sorry. I've been to one where they told me after the fact that they had no Linux on hand.
Oh, that's, that's tough. And it's tough for us
to
carry that. 'cause it should Right. Cold. Right. So. Yeah. Yeah. And one thing I wanna add to this convo is like, I think the biggest thing that I've seen with when traveling and doing trainings is I, the first 15 minutes I always sit down and I wanna know why.
Yes. What brought them into aesthetics and why they're here. And I would say there was a few that said like, oh my God, it's, you know, like it, I, it was a nurse and it was an ER doctor and they left the hospital or they still work at the hospital. And the ER doctor looked at the nurse and was like, oh my God, we should like.
Open up our own place and like do our own thing and make some money, you know? Yeah. And like right away when they say that, I'm like, okay, like red flag. Like I, I just don't know if they're in it for the right reasons. And then you go to train them and. Sometimes the medical director or the, the doctor, whoever, who is like overseeing it, I'm like, Nope, you should never, you should stick to medicine and you should have this person only eject you.
Do it for you. Not you. You know what I mean? It's just, I dunno, you know, it's, it's a fun field. It is. You
know, it's, you can, you can make a good living. Mm-hmm. You really. You get to see patients that are happy and aren't sick, right? Right. So if you're used to like bedside, you know, ICU or oncology, you know, your days are tough, right?
Mm-hmm. I mean, people are really sick. I was family medicine people only came to see me when they were sick, right? Mm-hmm. And miserable, you know, unless it was a physical. Um, so you're
like my husband, he's a family medi. He's family med now, is he? And he, and he does the medical weight loss in my practice.
Well, that's great because now that was awesome because that's where I realized that like, you know. You don't, you have to do something that you enjoy doing, right? Yeah. Mm-hmm. Yeah. You become a doctor or a nurse practitioner or a PA or whatever you are in life, and if you don't, if you don't wake up every day and have some passion for what you're doing,
mm-hmm.
You spend most
of your time at work or sleep. Let's face it. Right. There's very little in between. So, um, you know, that's the one thing I do tell people though. Mm-hmm. It's, it's like if you want to do it, just understand. You don't just walk into a practice and have like a full book. Right. And you're like, you know, superstar injector it, it takes time.
Mm-hmm. Hard work.
Yep. Say you need all those
experiences, those dimly lit rooms and the salon, gosh. And the, you know, and the patient who, you know, tells you they wanna brow lift and they only get the Botox right here, nowhere else, and they get a, you know. Okay, cool. Every time
it's right here, it always pops right up.
Like I think too, it's really helpful seeing like we learn from other people when we go and we train these other practices, but we also find out what, you know, what's out there and right. You know, and what not to do or, you know, X, Y, Z. Um, but what do you think Dr. Pinto is your biggest piece of advice, uh, for injectors, um, that are trying to get into aesthetics or They're about a year or two years into it and they're trying to build their books,
anatomy.
Like really understand anatomy, learn anatomy, um, you know, get as much education as you can. There's, there are really some really good quality programs out there. That you can attend? Um, uh, I get, I get asked this question like once a week by a nurse, honestly. Uh, or a pa or someone. Yeah. And, and I'm like, you need to learn.
They're like, well, how do I learn? I'm like, just, you know, fi these are some reputable people. Follow them. See, go to courses, you have to spend a little bit of money. You gotta invest. Yep. Invest in yourself. And people don't understand
that there's no residency for aesthetics, you know? No, there's not. Like you're basically paying for all these courses.
This is like your master's or your second degree. Right? Right. A hundred percent. And you're continuously learning.
Yeah. So I would say do that. Mm-hmm. And I would say, um, so that would be number one. Mm-hmm. And I would say like, try to find a place where you can actually learn to inject. There are courses out there where you can actually, you know, just sitting in the crowd is one thing, but at some point you need to put your hand on a, on a needle.
Yeah. And get some hands on. It is, it is hard, right, because you have to find an opportunity. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. And the best thing I can say is, you know, you can't give up. It might take time. It might not be your dream job, the first place you go. Mm-hmm. It might be horrible, but you need to get those experiences.
Mm-hmm. Absolutely. So I, I say determination, not giving up education and really mastering anatomy. 'cause if you understand the anatomy mm-hmm. And look, I feel like I have a pretty good handle on facial anatomy. I'm petrified. To stand on stage with Dr. Koana Right. And not know something.
Right.
So, you know, you, you, you always learn, like you learn all the time.
Yeah. It's, it's an, it's a, it's a never ending learning experience. Mm-hmm. But, um, but yeah, you gotta, you gotta learn the basics. That's really important because when I do trainings, you can tell who understands anatomy and who can't.
Mm-hmm.
And the newer injectors that understand it. They pick it up a lot faster.
Yep.
Yeah,
we were just talking about this in the last episode. Yeah. We like, if you can visualize what's going on under the skin, you're going to be able to give a better result, you know?
Mm-hmm. For sure. Yep, for sure. A hundred percent. I love that. A hundred.
A hundred p John
a hundred P. A hundred p. A
hundred
percent.
Do you have, do you have any questions for us, Dr. Pinto?
Oh gosh. Yeah, I do. So what made this podcast come to fruition? How did this start? Nicole, you wanna answer her? Wasn't me?
Uh,
yeah. I
mean, you, you asked me, you, you were like,
yeah, if I, if I, if we would do it together. I, you know, I just feel like.
Podcasts were starting to be a thing. Mm-hmm. Now they're very popular. But a couple years ago, like I was seeing people starting them and I was like, we gotta hop on this. Mm-hmm. And if we stay consistent with it, I think we could do a good job. Um, so I asked a few people actually live was one of them. You were one of them.
And, and me and John just stuck. We
clicked. Yeah. Yeah, we've been besties like since the skin beef launch. Yeah. And I think too, we wanted a platform where we could collaborate with other providers. And you know, this, I think this, this industry or profession that we're in can get super ultra competitive and people can, it can bring out the best in people or the worst in people.
And I think to have this platform where we're all equal and we're all learning from each other is really what we wanted to give out to. To the aesthetic profession. And, and for us also patients, we have so many listeners. Listeners that are patients as well. So it's, yeah. You know, it's nice for them to hear a little bit of our personal side, but then also, you know, what goes on in our heads.
Right? Yeah. Give back a little bit. Yeah.
So, um, one of the things that I was hoping you would ask me, oh, okay. Okay.
Was it on the list? I'm so
sorry. It was on the list was, does a patient stand out?
Oh, yes, yes. Tell us about it. Okay, so if you, if
you follow me on Instagram, which I'm hoping I get a, a couple, like at least two more followers, I know you guys follow me, but I did, I did a, I did a post a couple, a year or two ago on the why, like, why do I do what I do?
Like why am I here?
Mm-hmm. So
when I first started. Aesthetics. I had a lot of family medicine patients that I was treating in my family medicine practice. And when I opened my new center, a bunch of them like came and followed me. And there was a woman who was not wealthy, was not like, you know, driving around in like a Rolls Royce or a Mercedes.
I mean, she was a very middle class person, but she loved getting treatments. Mm-hmm. And she would, if I said, Hey, you need five syringes. Because that's what I felt she needed. She's like, okay. Right. Never questioned the cost or anything. Right. Was such a great patient. And so one day, I, I, she was, she was in, and we were taking her afters and we were showing her the before and afters and she started to get like teary and she said to me, you know, when, when I come here I've, I look better, and when I look better, I feel better.
And when I feel better, I do better things for other people.
Mm-hmm. And
I was like, oh my God, this is like the greatest thing I've ever heard in my life. Oh, that's a cool, yeah, I love that. She was a, I haven't seen her, I, I, she was an older person and I, I, I haven't seen her in a couple years. I, I don't know if she moved or, or something happened, but her name was Diane and she, she said that to me and it like, it stuck out, right?
Yeah. Like in my head I'm like. That's why I do this. Mm-hmm. You know, because I'm sure you guys have heard it, especially, you know, being in like ICU and stuff, like when I first made the change, they're like, oh, what's it like being a fake doctor? You know? Oh yeah, you're gonna lose your skills. What's like not practicing medicine anymore?
And I'm like. I make people like feel better, look better, and be happier than you.
My biggest peeve, and this is nothing against aestheticians, my bank peeve is when they go, oh, you're my aesthetician. And I'm like, I'm nom. I'm an, I'm an np. Wait. You can prescribe for me. You can prescribe Tretinoin. I'm like, I.
Uh huh. Yep. I can, I actually can. Yeah. Yeah. So, so that's
my why. It's, it's, honestly, it's, it's to make people feel better. Mm-hmm. I, I can tell you as a family practitioner, and I was a good one, I had a really huge, I mean, when I left family medicine patients like literally were calling me and begging me to be their private doctor.
They were offering me like money. They're like, I'll pay you once, you know, a retainer. It, it wasn't because I didn't like them. Yeah. It was 'cause I wanted to do something else. I never really got the same feeling that I got from what that woman told me that day, right when I practiced regular. Medicine.
Medicine. Right. I, we need to,
we need to tell Joey to take that quote, this needs, that needs to be, we, we, we will make that a real, um, map. Because that's really, I love that quote.
Yeah. It's such a, and it was, it was innocent, right? Mm-hmm. She didn't like think about it ahead of time. It just came out. Yeah.
Yeah. You know, and this woman did, she dedicated her life to like helping others. She volunteered at all kinds of places. Um, her husband had fallen and, and, and was, um, paralyzed and he was Oh geez. Had like all kinds of health issues. I mean, she was. She was, um, or she is, I hope she's still around. But, um, she was amazing.
Yeah. And I will never forget that day. Like it's ingrained in my brain. It's just, it will never go away. Mm-hmm. And when I have a patient that's difficult or I have a situation that's with, you know, a a, you know, just a day where you're just like, this sucks. Like, owning a business sucks. I don't wanna deal with this.
Mm-hmm. I just think about her and why, and then I'm like, okay.
Exactly. Yep.
I can, I can handle this, so,
absolutely.
That's amazing. The key. I love that. That's the key. Such
a good message.
That is such a good message. Now, Dr. Pinto, where can our listeners find you? Where is your practice? Say your practice again, and what's your Instagram?
Okay, so my practice is vi vibe, aesthetics and Wellness. Mm-hmm. We're in Marlton, New Jersey, which is 20 minutes from Philadelphia, so we're. When I say New Jersey, people think like where Nicole lives. Yeah. But we're on the other end of the state. Um, and our, our, um, Instagram I believe is VI center. And my personal professional Instagram is Dr.
Matthew Pinto, just DR and then my name Great. M-A-T-T-H-E-W-P-I-N-T-O. Like bean.
Like the bean, like the bean.
Yeah. So that's the best place. And you know, we're on Facebook, we're on, you know, pretty much everything. Mm-hmm. Our website is vi center.com and you know, we, we do have a really nice office. I, I did this.
It's beautiful. Beautiful. Because I wanted to really. Be the, I wanted to be the gold standard as far as like facilities go in my area. I thought it was the gold standard till I went to the a MI center in Irvine. That's beautiful there too, right? I mean, oh my God. Stunning, stunning. Yeah.
No, but your practice is, is gorgeous and that training room you have is incredible.
Yeah. And so my, my goal is in the next. Year or so is to really get an actual training program up. So new injectors, people that wanna get into the industry can come learn from someone who is gonna teach them the right way. Mm-hmm. And, you know, my, my like shtick when I'm, when I do trainings or when I'm on stage doing like an elevator or something is, and, and Nicole's seen me, I, I give it real.
Mm-hmm. And I tell you how to, like, I talk about like. How to talk to a patient.
Yep.
How to, how to do a consultation. It's not just about the knowledge. Mm-hmm. It's not just knowing what to inject, where to inject, how much to inject you. You have to develop a relationship with the patient.
Mm-hmm.
And I have patients that probably would bury a body for me if I asked them.
Oh my God.
It's the relationship, right? You have to have that rapport. I mean,
really. Yeah. Like you could do no wrong. And, and, um, but that's be, that's, that's, that's developed over time. Mm-hmm. Trust. Yeah. And it's being honest and real. Yep. There's a lot of unreal, unreal. There's a lot of people who are fake in our industry.
Yeah, absolutely. That's one of my pet peeves about the social media is like the fake. Yep, I know. Yep. It's just. It's sad because it gives us all sort of a bad name when mm-hmm. When they do stuff like that does. But you guys are real. That's why I gravitated towards both of you. Wow. Um, and that's why we love you
too.
Yep. Yeah. So it's fun being with colleagues who are like-minded, for sure. Yes. Oh, for sure. Absolutely. Yeah.
Oh my God. Well, thank you again. Yes, you welcome. For taking time out of your Sunday to be our guest again, Dr. Pinto. Thank you so much. You're welcome. Until next time guys. Bye guys.