Dr Andrew Greenland: 0:00

Welcome back to another episode of Voices in Health and Wellness. This is the podcast where we explore the people, ideas, and innovations shaping the future of care. I'm your host, Dr. Andrew Greenland, and today we're diving into the world of aesthetics, integrity-driven practice, and female empowerment with someone who embodies all three. Joining us today is Raquel Merlini, a registered nurse, certified aesthetic nurse specialist and founder of R Skin Aesthetics. With over 14 years in the plastics and aesthetics injury industry, Raquel's career is a testament to clinical excellence and purpose-driven leadership. From injectables and laser three surfacing to mentorship and scholarship activities, she's built a brand rooted in compassion, ethics, and empowerment. So with that, I'd like to welcome you to the show, Raquel, and thank you so much for joining us today.

Raquel Merlini: 0:45

Thank you so much, Doctor, for having me. It's an honor and a pleasure to continue having dialogues with people who are passionate about the industry and health.

Dr Andrew Greenland: 0:56

So perhaps we could start a little bit with your journey. How have you sort of ended up doing what you do? What's been your journey to get there and what kind of inspired you?

Raquel Merlini: 1:15

And I would spend most of my days playing there and either, you know, um getting my hair done or playing with makeup. And then that kind of uh fell into, you know, if I'd have sleepovers um in middle school and grade school, you know, I'd be making homemade DIY face masks out of oatmeal and um, you know, constantly trying to figure out. I I put a girlfriend on a diet one year during she wanted to get um we were cheerleading and she wanted to lose weight. So um I put together a system for her. And then when I was uh 17, I ended up working for Clinique, um, big brand, Estee Lauder brand, and I learned a lot about um aging system selling, uh taking care of your skin, being proactive and preventative as well as just corrective. And then my journey took me into um being a stay-at-home mom for many years, and then we had a really bad uh economy crash here in 2000, about 2006 through 10. And I ended up finding myself going to aesthetic school, just trying to reinvent myself and look for an income to help um my family at the time. So um I ended up falling in love with aesthetics, and then from there that segued me as an aesthetician into working for a plastic surgeon. And he said, you know, I hear you're going to school. What are you thinking about doing? And I said, I'm 38, you know, I I don't really know. I was gonna do psychology. And he said, if you became a nurse, I would um teach you everything that I know. And I was like, okay, this is a lot of money, first of all, and I'm very passionate about it. So I opted to go to nursing school, and um here I am, uh now 15, 16 years later, uh working in plastics and aesthetics, and I have my own practice now, and I love helping women and empowering um anyone that I can come in touch with.

Dr Andrew Greenland: 3:18

Lovely, and thank you for sharing. Um, so let's talk a little bit about our skin aesthetics. Can you kind of, I guess you kind of told us a little bit about your inspiration to launch it, but what makes your approach different in the aesthetics world?

Raquel Merlini: 3:31

You know, it was really important for me to create um sort of a safe haven um for not only patients, but also for um uh creating a culture where my staff felt safe and empowered also. Um, a lot of my girls have autonomy and I'm here to guide them and uh I've been I've mentored them for many, many years. Um, so I really wanted to create uh an empowering atmosphere uh filled with talented injectors, caring medical assistants, uh, a front desk that's a concierge uh touch, so that everybody from the first time that you come in contact with us, you feel welcome. And you know, oftentimes when you are not knowledgeable, there's so much information out there. You know, patients can feel foolish even asking a question. And you know, no question's a dumb question. And I wanted them to feel you know safe to be able to come here and uh get treatment and build a relationship. It's not transactional for us at here at our skin. You know, a lot of my patients I've been seeing for 12, 13 years, so um that's really important to me.

Dr Andrew Greenland: 4:48

I mean, I love those objectives, but I'm very curious now how do you actually do that on the ground? So, how do you make the patient feel those in that way? And how do you integrate this kind of um empowerment and integrity with your staff? What do you actually get them to do? How does it work?

Raquel Merlini: 5:03

So, from the first moment that you make contact with the front desk, typically either via phone, we have a lot of referrals. Um, you know, they ask questions to first of all make sure if they're not requesting me or a specific injector, we want to make sure that you are paired up with an injector that can um target exactly what it is that you're looking for. You know, I think one of the appeals for me is I I'm older, I've walked many um walks of life. I'm now a menopausa woman. Uh, you know, I was a personal trainer in fitness for many years. So I have an educational background with that as well for people who are struggling with weight loss. So, you know, but some of my younger injectors are very talented and they can gear their personality and experience with uh the younger generation as well. So we want to make sure that from the first moment that you call, that you feel welcomed, and that we're interviewing you to make sure that we set you up for success. And, you know, we we offer complimentary consultations. A lot of people aren't doing that anymore in the industry. Um, we offer complimentary, you can come in if you want treatment that day. That's wonderful. If you don't, we're here to answer any questions to make sure that we put you on um the right treatment plan. Again, I don't think that it's one and done. I like to do an assessment and then we figure out if you've got a goal in mind, either a timeline or um a certain objective. And then uh you make your appointment and you come on in and you're greeted by my front desk staff. They get up, they greet you, they're not just hiding behind a desk. They typically know your name. Um, if you're a long-standing patient, they know a little bit about your life. And then my medical assistant, you're not waiting in a waiting room. They whisk you into the treatment room uh immediately, and and then they're taking photos, asking questions, and then they come back and relay that to me, and then I'm able to go in and treat. And then you um get follow-up phone calls, text messages. Um, you know, once you walk out the door, uh that's not the end of the journey for us. We want to make sure that you're satisfied if it's uh um a little bit more of a difficult treatment or a vascular, highly vascular area, like if I do a nose or or under eyes. I like for my patients to be followed up the next day just to make sure that their bruising is all normal within normal limits. So it's really, I mean, it's it's a production.

Dr Andrew Greenland: 7:39

Very high-level customer care, client care. I really like it. Um, you actually mentioned injectables a moment ago, and I think there's often a lot of confusion around injectables versus skincare. How do you guide clients in understanding what they really need?

Raquel Merlini: 7:53

So, my belief is it's combination therapy, Dr. Greenland. Uh, I don't, you know, especially coming from a uh heavily um years in the background of uh plastics, you know, I would see somebody come in and get a facelift, and yes, they're a little bit lifted and and tighter. However, they still have skin textural and integrity issues uh with that elasticity that needs to be worked on. So I believe that, you know, it's not just an injectable, which can be your hyaluronic acids. We're seeing a lot of um biostimulators, which is your sculptur, uh, your radius being implemented into the practice of aesthetics medicine. So there's multiple different modalities, but I do believe that you have to take care of the exterior layer of that skin so that you have a nice luminosity and glow to the skin to enhance anything, you know, um, injectable-wise, that you're receiving also.

Dr Andrew Greenland: 9:00

No, thank you. Thank you for clarifying. That's really helpful. Um, what trends are you noticing most right now in the medical aesthetic space?

Raquel Merlini: 9:07

Uh, I believe with a lot of weight loss, you know, here in the States, we're seeing a lot of the GLP ones, um, which are for those that that don't know the terminology, GLP ones. That's your Ozempics, your um Manjaro, uh, some of those injectables. Now they're starting to phase in some oral uh tabs that you can take also, and that's for weight loss. And what we're seeing with those is that people um have, especially when you so my bodybuilding and um previous personal training can kind of come into this where we would be losing weight, but it's usually on a gradual progression. So your skin elasticity has time to um kind of adapt. But when you have quick weight loss, you're gonna lose a lot of that elasticity to the skin. So we're seeing a lot more sag uh and skin laxity um on those weight loss patients. So I think the trend is going to uh regenerative medicine, meaning your biostimulators, which would be sculptor stimulating your own collagen, and then radiate radias, which is a kaha um uh product. It's got um a biostimulator as well as a gel carrier uh in it to help stimulate your collagen to uh rebuild. So I think we're seeing a lot more of regenerative medicine in the aesthetics and just industry.

Dr Andrew Greenland: 10:42

And have you noticed any changes in client expectations in terms of what clients are expecting from you when they turn up?

Raquel Merlini: 10:52

So that's a really interesting question. Um, I feel like there can be some unrealistic expectations oftentimes um with social media. Uh they're looking at photos, and there's a lot of um a lot of shenanigans that people can play with photos in the sense that they can edit them, they can put a filter on. The photos can be taken immediately after a patient's been injected. So, of course, you're gonna have some swelling that's also gonna attribute towards facial volume. So, you know, people come in with a picture also of either themselves from 20 years ago or someone that they uh an influencer on social media and say, you know, I want to look like this. And unfortunately, you have to take into consideration what your own normal features are. Like, I'm never gonna have Angelina Jolie lips. I'm not born with that structure. No matter how much filler we could ever pump into my lips, I'm not gonna have that look. So you have to explain to the patient that, you know, yes, that's a beautiful look, but that doesn't mean that it's also gonna look lovely on you. I think that what's important to me to convey to my patients is the aesthetics industry was originally developed as an enhancement. You know, you come in, you you do a neurotoxin to relax the wrinkles, you get a laser treatment to treat the integrity of the skin, and then you do fillers to replace that volume that either occurs through weight loss or the aging process. So I think that you, and I probably I'm digress as I digress, but I think it's important to make sure that you are educating the patient and explaining what your rationale is for the treatment that you're advising them so that they'll have a realistic expectation. And then at the end of the day, Dr. Greenland, there's moments where I just have a patient and they're like, Well, I want to look like that anyways. And that's where I have to put on my professional hat, and maybe I'm not the provider for that patient that I'm gonna give them an unrealistic look and they can go down the street and they can get that um look from another injector. Did I get an answer for that?

Dr Andrew Greenland: 13:17

That was thank you. That's great. Um, I guess that I mean you're in an industry which is rapidly evolving, there's always innovations and new techniques. What are the things that are most exciting you right now or things that are kind of on the horizon that are coming your way?

Raquel Merlini: 13:31

So that would be your niche, which is um functional and regenerative medicine. Um, you know, the states, we have a lot of cap on uh what the FDA will allow us to use. And um, I'm a big believer in peptides. Um, I love and have used BPC 157 for many, many years for inflammation. I love it uh post-surgery for healing. Um, it was originally on the market for um people with Crohn's and gut health issues, and I think that you know, our microbiome and our gut health really can attribute to our hormones and to the aging process. I also um there's GHKCU, you know, some of the copper peptides. Um, there's so many things that are available, um, NAD glutathione, that I think can really help um just make us, you know, not even so much anti-aging, because again, you know, I don't want to look 25, but I just don't want to get out of bed and have all that joint pain. And, you know, I'm starting to think more longevity, movement, staying strong so that, you know, I've got good bone health, all of that. So I think that they're um, I think functional and regenerative medicine is you know integrating a little bit more into the aesthetics industry. And I'd love to hear what your thoughts are on it.

Dr Andrew Greenland: 15:01

Well, I'm I'm obviously a functional medicine person, so this all completely is my language and what I like to hear. Um, the trouble for us is that we don't have access to as quite as many things as you do in the States. So, for instance, peptides, very, very limited. Um, there's very many of them haven't been approved over here. So we can't even use peptides um to the same level. And this is really frustrating. I've done a lot of training in peptides in the states, and yet I can't use it on my doorstep. But all the other things that you talk about are very much part of my bread and butter. I like to have a holistic approach to helping patients and looking at all the tools I have in my box from a dietary and lifestyle point of view, targeted supplementation where appropriate, to really make sure that we're covering all the bases and treating them at the root cause.

Raquel Merlini: 15:44

Right. I mean, you know, just think what cortisol, you know, I um I had a stressful holiday. My father passed, he was on a hospice for a couple of weeks, and I got up um the day after he passed, and the scale I was up seven pounds. Now I know I didn't gain seven pounds of fat and adipose tissue in you know a one-week period. It was inflammation, cortisol. My stress level was skyrocketed. Again, I'm you know a menopausal female. I've been on HRT for the last three years. You know, they there's um reports that are going back and forth now that you know uh estrogen may not cause. You know, I don't want to say anything that um uh in stone, but there are now studies that are reflecting that um, you know, cancers are not necessarily attributed towards or higher risk uh for women who are taking hormone replacement therapy. So, you know, I'm hoping that there's gonna be more studies that's gonna go into women's health. Even for um a female to get testosterone in the states uh prescribed, we have to be diagnosed as um hyposexual. So if a man goes into the physician's office and their testosterone is low, they automatically can get a script and their insurance is covering it. For females, that's not always necessarily true. So I'd like to see that you know, there's a little bit more um touching on hormone replacement as well for for um both men and women, because I think that men go through, you know, I call it menopause as opposed to menopause, but um, you know, they experience uh things just like we do.

Dr Andrew Greenland: 17:36

For sure. I mean, theandropause is still a much um untalked about subject, but it's getting better. I mean, I've seen quite a few clinics popping up in the UK to help men with this problem, and they are using a more holistic approach. They're not just reaching for testosterone as their first line, they are looking at weight and inflammation and oxidative stress and stress and sleep and all the things that really, really matter to try and treat them more holistically to see whether they can get testosterone to come back online without necessary recourse to you know testosterone injectables or what have you. So totally get it. Um, I think you've spoken in other interviews about bringing ethics and giving back to the aesthetics industry. What does that look like in practice for you?

Raquel Merlini: 18:19

Yeah, so um my injectors here have worked with me for we we pretty much have all been together for at least five years. Um my injectors were either a patient of mine or a medical assistant, and I was had the um opportunity to mentor them, which you know, I always feel like I walk away from those situations also growing and and being better for the opportunity. And so, you know, I'd like to give back and and I have nursing students come in, they can shadow me. There's opportunities that you know you can come in if you're thinking about getting into this industry, that I'll sit down and have a conversation um with you because I think that the view is, you know, right now, especially since the pandemic, people want to get out of bedside nursing and go into something that they think is maybe a little bit more glamorous. And, you know, um that's really not always the point. I mean, yes, there's days that you know we get to look a little bit, you know, more attractive, but we're also, you know, there's days I'm in the trench and I'm doing a laser and I'm just sweating. You know, there's anything but looking attractive, and it's a lot of hand holding in this industry that we have to do with patients because there's a lot of psychological that goes along with the aesthetics industry. So, you know, I like to sit down with my uh girls that I'm mentoring or that are shadowing with me and really just explain, you know, um, the amount of care and listening. I think that especially in healthcare, there is not always the ability for, and I understand that it is time constraints also, but we build that into my schedule so that I'm able to sit down with every single patient and have a conversation with them for a good five to ten minutes before I'm treating them because it also gives me a little bit of an insight as to what's going on with them. So, you know, giving back is you know, I try to do a lot of um uh involvement in the community of always making sure that I'm educated, making sure that my team is educated, supporting also other business owners. You know, I don't look at um uh our community as competition. I try to strive for unity in the community and creating, you know, that we're much stronger as uh whole than we are as individuals. Um, I'm not really intimidated by, you know, uh what's the word that I'm working looking for? Um, Dr. Greenland. See, it's early in the morning. I'm still drinking my coffee. Competition. I'm not intimidated by competition. I think it only makes you stronger, and I think that it also um makes you have to put on your thinking cap because sometimes we get in a field and we can kind of coast. And I I like to be stimulated and have someone challenge me so that I have to either search out the answer if I don't know it. And um, and then also I have a it's not with the aesthetic community, but I have a um I have a scholarship program that um I like to give to somebody who is looking in the healthcare industry, specifically for someone who is divorced or a single parent who's looking to further their education so that they can provide for themselves and their family. So I have the Raquel Merlini Pay It Forward Scholarship. So I again I just um I went Through a horrible divorce and had to pick myself up by the bootstraps. And if I can support and encourage somebody else, that there is hope and that you can get out there and uh and and give yourself a second chance, it's possible.

Dr Andrew Greenland: 22:13

Lovely. So you're obviously running a very busy, uh successful practice. What does a typical week look like for you? And I guess there probably is no typical week, but I'm just trying to get a sense of how you balance you know the clinical work, the business kind of growth work, the mentorship, the mission-driven work. You're juggling lots of hats.

Raquel Merlini: 22:33

Right? I know. As a business owner, you don't really realize it. Um so I work four days a week. Um, nine, uh, I'm here usually about 8:30 to 5 o'clock. I'll see anywhere from 15 to 22 patients a day. Um, Thursdays I take as an administrative day. Um, today's a Thursday. So uh that's typically when I either try to get in social media, um, meeting with my staff, uh, my patient coordinators, seeing, you know, where we're at with either like Valentine's Day is coming up in February or when we were doing Christmas, the holidays, you know, what we were putting together to make sure that um patients were educated on what was happening here at our skin and not missing any specials or activities that we're doing. So I think as a business owner, you're definitely wearing multiple hats, um, not just because I'm in front of the injectable treatment chair, um, but then I have to be behind the chair, also making sure that our business is functioning and also that my team is happy and that we're keeping our culture here where you know it's appealing that everybody wants to, you know, be here and come to work also. So it's it's a lot, especially with the demand on um marketing, too. So, you know, I I've been pretty established, but I have younger, new um uh injectors who are trying to build, and you know, there's a lot that goes into that marketing aspect.

Dr Andrew Greenland: 24:14

I hear you, I hear you. Um so you've talked a lot about the high level of client care that you offer and this really sort of caring, um holistic approach and looking after them throughout the journey. I guess that's something you would say is working really well. What else is working well from a business side of things in terms of how you deliver what you do?

Raquel Merlini: 24:37

This may sound silly, but it's as simple as we all really like each other. So we come to work every single day, and it's a joy to it. It's not like you're pulling in the parking lot and you're like, oh my gosh, I have to do this again. And then, you know, when you're working with the public, also you have to give a lot of yourself. So that can be emotionally draining when you're listening to somebody who's going through a divorce, or you know, they're having difficulty with their children, or perhaps they're in a transitional period with their work life balance. So we're having to be caretakers of those patients all day long. So the last thing you want to do is then walk out of a heavy treatment room and then look at your coworker and be like, oh no. So um, we all genuinely really love each other and care for each other. Tonight we're um coming over my home and we're gonna do vision boards. So we're gonna put together what um this is our uh third year of doing this exercise, and we all bring over magazines and and we start cutting and pasting, and it's also an opportunity for me to hear um, you know, one just had a baby, you know, one might be trying to get pregnant, one's getting married, one wants to buy a home. So it gives me insight also to see where my injectors are, both um mentally and where their career path is. So it I guess the long and short of it is um culturally, we just really all enjoy each other. So that's what makes our vibe here a little bit different.

Dr Andrew Greenland: 26:14

It's powerful. I don't think that sounds silly at all. I think that's an amazing achievement to actually have a working environment where the interpersonal dynamics of the workers are all completely harmonious. I think that's a major, major achievement. Um, congratulations that you've created that space. Because let's face it, I mean, how many people are unhappy at work?

Raquel Merlini: 26:35

Oh my goodness, and get 10 women together. I mean that's um, yeah. So I I don't know, you know, I don't really I can't take the credit for it. They're all um individually amazing uh people and they're passionate about their patient care and passionate about the industry, and it just um it works. That's perfect, perfect recipe.

Dr Andrew Greenland: 27:03

And what are some of the the challenges of running the business that you do, or are there any sort of bottlenecks or things you've had to overcome or things you're working on to overcome to get through?

Raquel Merlini: 27:14

Um, I think I always feel like I should be doing more, right? Like, um, what can we do to grow? You know, um functional medicine, you know, where's the industry going? You know, I I feel like I should be putting my efforts into that, but then it's it's hard to um there's not enough time in the day, I guess, is you know, there's so much information out there, picking the correct information, um, following who might be the best educator or the best conference, you know, financially also picking and choosing, you know, where do you put your resources at? Uh, there's you know, there's so many different aspects of this industry. So um, I guess for me, it's I want to do it all, and there's not always enough time. So I have to give myself grace and you know, say you're one person, and we've only been uh May 1st will be our third year open. So, you know, I have to take that into consideration at moments too, where I'm like, ah, we should be doing so much more. And I'm like, okay, but we're we just expanded last year. We took over another thousand square feet. Um, so my other injector, she was at the hospital, she was a medical assistant. I've now been working with her so that um she's up and running. So, you know, I've got to nurture each individual here. So I just the I mean, you tell me how are you doing it? I could use some advice.

Dr Andrew Greenland: 28:50

Well, my next question was gonna be you mentioned time, um, time lapse for amazingly scarce resource, and we can't create more of it. So I was just curious to know what the biggest time drains are for you, and then maybe I've got some ideas.

Raquel Merlini: 29:08

You know, um, I I could probably almost use another half day for administrative work, but also, you know, I'm still kind of the uh the engine that's pushing our skin, you know, forward. It's on my back. So, you know, maybe carving out, you know, I was in school last year and then and that my father was ill. So I really realized afterwards, my patient coordinator said, you know, you haven't done a social media informational post in like three months, and you and your patients all love that. And I sat back and I honestly, Dr. Greenland, hadn't realized that that had occurred. And I said, you know, I I I think I was a little depressed and overwhelmed with what was happening, and so I neglected some aspects, you know, I could go in and treat my patient, still make sure that we were um doing our administrative work, but I wasn't doing the extras, which is the social media. So um, you know, I'm working. Uh, we just hired a marketing company, so that's new to us, and I have a social media girl who will come in and film, so we're setting um designated days. So that takes a little bit of that creative aspect that I don't always have to be thinking, oh my goodness, because I don't want to do the TikTok videos where I'm dancing like a fool. And no offense to anybody, that's great. I just don't want to do it. I've done it, I don't want to do it anymore.

Dr Andrew Greenland: 30:32

Got it. I mean, for me, I mean, the admin is the thing which um I've tried to remove myself from as much of as possible. The way I've tried to do that is to leverage tech and AI now. I'm using a lot of AI in the business to just take some of that kind of real grudge and um drudgery out of things that can be done in a more automated way. Because I can't, you know, I still need my clinical time. It's the admin, which is the time that I don't enjoy doing that stuff. So for me, it's been about technology and really being very kind of um strict about what do I absolutely need to do, or what could I give to somebody else to do, or what could I use technology to do. And that's how I've kind of solved the scarcity problem of time.

Raquel Merlini: 31:16

Yes, and and I think that that's a really good point. I I'm fortunate that I have a patient coordinator who's my right hand person, Kayla, and um we call her the underboss, and um she has taken a lot of the admin work, and it's uh and she's good at it. So I'm not um like yourself, I'm realizing you know what, I need to hire the right people and put them in the right positions and um set them up for success, which will set me up for success. So uh I'm working on it.

Dr Andrew Greenland: 31:54

So if you had a magic wand and you could fix one thing in the business tomorrow, what would that be?

Raquel Merlini: 32:05

Integrity. I feel like the industry is losing some of its integrity. That um aesthetics is medicine. We uh should know anatomy, you should understand safe practice, you should have safe practice protocols in place, and I feel like um, you know, yes, the business is lucrative and there can be money that can be made in it. However, I think at the end of the day, you should be um, one we take an oath to do no harm, you should be moving with integrity with everything that you do.

Dr Andrew Greenland: 32:49

I hear you, I really hear you. So this is a wider thing about the industry in general. Is there anything that you've done? I mean, you sound like you do you sound like you're very integrated, very in a person who really in implements integrity into the business, but is there anything that you feel that you still need to do to kind of reach that goal?

Raquel Merlini: 33:09

Um honestly, I mean, my thing is is I want to be able to sleep at night in good conscience and know that I did the best uh care and provided the best care for my patient on that particular day. Do I think that there's always room for improvement? Yes. Um, but I I really feel like everything we do here is uh with integrity and the patient first.

Dr Andrew Greenland: 33:36

Amazing. So if your business saw massive influx in clients tomorrow, how would you cope? Would anything break, or would you have the kind of infrastructure to mup up that massive demand?

Raquel Merlini: 33:52

No, I I think that we would thrive. Uh again, I have um I have my team uh is amazing, and they um I don't believe that I've set anyone up for failure. I believe that they are all suited for the positions that they have. Um, one of my medical assistants is gonna be retiring. So, you know, I think we're kind of looking at how is that gonna look for us. So um, but we've been preparing for it and we have a plan in place that for on the more hectic days, you know, um, my injectors are are very um fortunate because they have a medical assistant. However, because they were my medical assistant first and I was a medical assistant, we have the capability to set up our rooms for ourselves. So um, and they're they're knowledgeable enough to know how to reconstitute their own products and um make uh make do if we have a shortage. So to answer your question, our infrastructure, I feel pretty strong. Um, if we were to grow, I may need to add another medical assistant. We have a flex time person who uh works at the desk. She's also an esthetician. So while she's growing her her practice within ours, um, she fills in at the desk. So that because I do I also my patient coordinator is amazing, um, but I don't want her to burn out either. So uh I I believe our infrastructure is pretty strong.

Dr Andrew Greenland: 35:31

Amazing. So um, what's next for you? What's next for the business? Do you have any plans for the next six to 12 months and what you're doing?

Raquel Merlini: 35:39

Yes, so I have been looking a little bit um at the hormones. I've decided that um I need to stick with what I'm good at and I can outsource that. Uh the functional medicine, I'd like to get more into peptides because I believe so passionately in them. I think the GLP ones are definitely, you know, a great accessory for those who are challenged, but I'm still a little old school in the fact that I believe diet and nutrition. So, you know, um, I'd like to implement that a little bit more with guidance. And um our brand recognition, you know, just making sure that people are familiar with what our skin's philosophy is and having people be a little bit more familiar with with that brand.

Dr Andrew Greenland: 36:27

Well, wish you very well with it all. Raquel, this has been such an insightful conversation. Really great to hear about you and our skin aesthetics, your work, your views on the industry, what you're seeing in terms of trends and expectations. Um, thank you so much for joining me today. Really appreciate the conversation.

Raquel Merlini: 36:44

Thank you so much, Dr. Greenland, for having me on. It's an honor and a pleasure, and I appreciate your time. And I look forward to following you in the industry as well.