Katie Mann of Curated Medical: Five Things You Need To Know To Succeed In The Modern Beauty Industry
An Interview With Jilea Hemmings
Fine your niche. Anyone can learn to do the skill but find the thing that makes you different and really go with that. For me, that was learning that I wanted to enhance my clients’ natural beauty vs change them into something else.
As a part of our series about “Five Things You Need To Know To Succeed In The Modern Beauty Industry”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Katie Mann, aesthetic nurse practitioner and founder of Curated Medical, a luxury medical spa in Scottsdale, AZ. Katie is a doctor of nursing practice with over 6 years of experience in noninvasive cosmetic treatments including Botox, filler and laser. She focuses on providing an elevated experience through her extensive knowledge and customer experience.
Katie first earned a Bachelor of Science in dietetics from Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona. She went on to earn a second Bachelor of Science in nursing from Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Arizona. She continued on this path to earn her Doctor of Nursing Practice and her Family Nurse Practitioner degree from Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington in 2019. She has also completed extensive training in advanced injectables, PDO threads, laser, other treatments and continues to attend aesthetic conferences, seminars, and cadaver labs every year where she is able to learn from other world-renowned experts.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit more about you. Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
Growing up I really didn’t know what I wanted to do. I started college as a business major, changed my major several times and then ended up with a degree in dietetics. From there I applied to nursing school on a whim, not really knowing what I was getting into. I did not enjoy the hours or in and out nature of the hospital so I started working as a home health nurse. A friend of a friend recommended I take a Botox course, and then slowly transitioned to working in aesthetics full time.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
I started as an aesthetic nurse before Botox and filler became popular or talked about openly. Maybe a year in, Kylie Jenner came out with her lip kits and bigger lips started trending. From my perspective, that was really a turning point for injections so I like to tease my clients that the Kardashians influence them whether they like it or not!
Are you able to identify a “tipping point” in your career when you started to see success? Did you start doing anything different? Are there takeaways or lessons that others can learn from that?
I’m not sure that I can identify a tipping point where I started to see success, it more resulted from hard work, consistency and time. I would say that it took me a good 4 years to really develop my skills to a point where I feel confident taking on any type of case and consistently provide the best results possible. I think it’s a common misconception that Botox and filler are easy and you can just take a class one time and be good at it.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person to whom you are grateful who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
My husband has supported me along the way. When I first started working in the aesthetic industry, I was working full time home health, part time in aesthetics and completing a doctorate degree. Needless to say, I didn’t have a lot of free time but he stepped in and started cooking, cleaning and doing so many extra things (on top of his full time job) so that I could succeed.
Ok super. Let’s now shift to the main part of our discussion. The global beauty industry today has grown to more than a half a trillion dollar business. Can you tell us about the innovations that you are bringing to the industry? How do you think that will help people?
The biggest “innovation” in the injectables world is that we are starting to see more research so that we can develop safe, evidence-based practice. In the US, all other medical specialties are based on research and evidence that guides safe treatment. Until the last few years, we really had very little research to guide us and it was more based on personal experience. Now, there are some really smart, incredible people who are performing studies on how we age anatomically, how this anatomy functions, how injectables impact the anatomy, and more. This translates to safer and more effective treatments. For example, we used to just put filler in the cheek because that’s where the cheek bone in located. Now we know that there are ligaments that form a “pocket” that is a perfect place to put filler. We can use less product to get better results. Ultrasound is also an up-and-coming technology being used in aesthetics. It’s very helpful for complications but we may start to see ultrasound-guided injections in the future.
Can you share 3 things that most excite you about the modern beauty industry?
1. Nonsurgical techniques that still produce great results. We will see more of this as time goes on as well.
2. I’m starting to see a trend toward more natural-looking injectables, which has always been my style. I think more and more people just want to look like the best version of themselves (versus looking augmented).
3. I just love how much more body-positive Gen Z is than any other generation. It excites me to see how we can celebrate and embrace what we were born with rather than striving to be someone else.
Can you share 3 things that most concern you about the industry? If you had the ability to implement 3 ways to improve the industry, what would you suggest?
Lack of regulation in Arizona is concerning. There really aren’t any requirements to start injecting these medications into peoples’ bodies so there are a lot of inexperienced injectors and this brings down the industry as a whole. Scope of practice is always state-specific but it would be nice if there were guidelines on introductory courses and hours of experience before you can work independently.
Another concern is providers who won’t tell a client when a treatment won’t benefit them. This is sometimes due to lack of knowledge but we have to be our clients’ guides and lead them in the right direction and provide treatments that will benefit them long term. I think this might improve as consumers become more knowledgeable, a lot of times through social media.
Speaking of social media, potential clients may not be aware that the person with the most followers on Instagram or TikTok isn’t necessarily the best provider. Clients should ask how long their provider has been injecting, if they have taken cadaver dissection courses, how much continuing education they do, and how they are prepared for complications if they were to occur.
You are an expert about beauty. Can you share a few ideas that anyone can use “to feel beautiful”?
My number one tip is to do things for yourself. Also, if something bothers you and there is a solution, don’t feel guilty about it! If it’s going to improve your confidence, go for it!
Here is the main question for our discussion. Based on your experience and success, Can you please share “Five Things You Need To Know To Succeed In The Modern Beauty Industry”. Please share a story or an example, for each.
1. Persistence. It’s a steep learning curve in the beginning and for me it was very overwhelming. I wanted to be really great at what I did but at times I felt like I didn’t know where to start. Take it one step at a time and just keep going.
2. Fine your niche. Anyone can learn to do the skill but find the thing that makes you different and really go with that. For me, that was learning that I wanted to enhance my clients’ natural beauty vs change them into something else.
3. Be patient. Can you buy 50,000 followers on IG and have that following tomorrow? Yes, but you won’t attract the type of long-term client you really want. In the beginning, I would say yes to every client because I just wanted to be busier. Now I focus more on attracting clients with the same beauty ideals that I have, and I have developed an incredible clientele that I love seeing every day.
4. Make friends! Find others who are at the same point as you both within your industry and outside of your industry. I have great friends who are injectors and we bounce ideas off of each other or call each other if we need help with something. Sometimes it’s also nice to talk to people in other similar industries, too, because you can different perspective or speak openly about topics that may feel competitive talking to someone within your industry.
5. Learn how to be discerning. Injectables is a type of medicine, not a spa treatment. There is a lot of information out there- both online and through companies that want to sell you a product- and it’s up to you to decide what is good information. I always try to consider how my actions will affect my patients long-term and how I can do the most good for them over years and decades. I never want to look back and think, “Oh, I shouldn’t have done X treatment” or “I wish I would have considered the long-term effects of doing X.” This is just the reality of a new and rapidly revolving medical specialty!
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)
Coming from the perspective of modern beauty, I would want to teach people how to be comfortable with who they are and to do the things that make you happy! Changing your outer appearance can sometimes be used as a band aid for deeper problems. Being confident and comfortable in your own skin actually comes from inner happiness and this is truly a gift!
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
It takes 10 years to make an overnight success.
How can our readers follow you online?
Readers can find me on Instagram @katiemann_np and @curatedmedical
Thank you so much for joining us. This was very inspirational.
About the Interviewer: Jilea Hemmings is a staunch believer in the power of entrepreneurship. A successful career revamping Fortune 500 companies was not enough for her entrepreneurial spirit, so Jilea began focusing her passion in startups. She has successfully built 6 startups to date. Her passion for entrepreneurship continues to flourish with the development of Stretchy Hair Care, focusing on relieving the pain associated with detangling and styling natural black hair. For far too long, people with tender heads have suffered in pain. Until now.
