When I started my training, filler was brand new, and a lot of what we did was mask aging with injectables. There's still a place for that. But the providers with real longevity in this field are the ones helping patients build their own collagen back. When patients like how they age, they keep coming back.
I've been a dermatologist for 20 years. I practice with my husband in Dallas at Revival Dermatology, which we opened five years ago. We have three full-time dermatologists and three estheticians doing both medical and cosmetic work, and I say that because the way a practice is built shapes how you think about treatment. When you have both sides under one roof, you stop thinking of non-invasive treatments as secondary. They're just part of the menu.
Patients Aren't Afraid of Aging. They're Afraid of Looking Like They Tried Too Hard.
Almost everyone who sits down with me for a cosmetic consultation says the same thing in some version: I don't want to look different. Not younger, not altered. Different. They're scared of looking overdone. They're scared of looking weird. And I think that shift in what patients are asking for is one of the clearest signals about where this field is going.
People aren't coming in with photos of celebrities anymore. They're coming in with a photo of themselves from ten years ago. And if you're building a practice around masking rather than restoring, that becomes a lot harder to fulfill.
The Non-Invasive Option Isn't Optional
I'll be direct about this: patients will do non-invasive, no-downtime treatments at a much higher rate than they'll sign up for anything with downtime. That sounds obvious until you look at how many practices underinvest in that part of their menu. If a patient doesn't want downtime and you don't have a strong answer for them, they're going somewhere else to find one.
When I demoed Glo₂Facial, the wow factor was there. I personally loved how my skin looked afterward. And I really do think it's the oxygenation step. The science isn't complicated. What's the one thing you can live the least amount of time without? It's oxygen. We know it. The science backs it up. That's what clicked for me.
How It Actually Fits Into a Dermatology Practice
I don't have one rigid protocol for how Glo₂Facial fits into a patient's plan, because every patient is different. Some are on a monthly routine and have been for years. Some use it standalone ahead of an event. Some layer it alongside laser resurfacing or injectables. I don't push one approach over another.
RF Pro is FDA-cleared for the non-invasive treatment of mild to moderate facial wrinkles and having that RF option inside a facial made sense to me immediately. I've been using radiofrequency in my practice for many years with RF microneedling, and I think getting some of that energy-based benefit in a no-downtime format makes other treatments down the line even better.
I also build it in about a week before laser resurfacing. Resurfacing lasers are looking for the water in the skin, and patients who've prepped tend to react more favorably. For patients with acne or really dehydrated, sun-damaged skin, the visible difference afterward tends to be some of the most noticeable. They leave with skin that looks refreshed, and those patients come back.
Keeping Both Sides of the Practice Talking
My desk is right next to my estheticians'. I know what's happening with their patients because I'm present for it. We have a consultation system where patients can book with me or with one of the estheticians, and in both cases a fee is involved, because the time is curated and real.
Whatever gets discussed goes into the chart. So, if a patient who saw me later books with an esthetician, that esthetician already knows what we talked about. The treatments that take off in a practice are the ones the whole team is excited about, and the ones patients keep choosing on their own. That system only works if both sides are communicating.
What I'd Tell a Provider Who's on the Fence
Think about what you want your menu to do. You need non-invasive options with no downtime, things patients are going to want to come back for over and over. Glo₂Facial fits that role well, and it has a way of opening doors to other treatments in the practice too. My estheticians use it as a starting conversation with patients who are curious about what else is available. That's how it becomes a gateway.
And if you're not sure whether patients want it, build it and see. I was surprised. You might be too.
Dr. Lisa Pruett, MD, FAAD is a Board-certified Dermatologist and Fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology. She is the founder of Revival Dermatology in Dallas, Texas, where she practices comprehensive medical and cosmetic dermatology alongside her husband and a team of dermatologists and estheticians. Follow her on Instagram at @dallasderm and Revival Dermatology.
by Dr. Lisa Pruett, MD, FAAD, Dermatologist at Revival Dermatology in Dallas, TX
