Today we’d like to introduce you to Yasniel Valdes.
Hi Yasniel, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I Ran and Swam to Get to This Country
My name is Yasniel Valdes, and today I am a nurse practitioner in Miami, Florida, specializing in aesthetics, longevity, and preventive medicine. But my story did not begin here—it began in Cuba, where I was born and raised.
Growing up in Cuba, my parents knew early on that they wanted something different for me: freedom, opportunity, and a future that did not feel limited by the reality of living in a communist country. Like so many immigrant families, they made impossible choices for the hope of something better.
When I was nine years old, we left Cuba and moved to Venezuela, hoping to rebuild our lives. We spent four years there trying to create stability, but when Hugo Chávez came into power and the political climate shifted, my mother knew we could not stay. Once again, we had to leave everything behind.
What happened next felt like a movie.
My mother, my older brother, and I were forced into the dangerous world of illegal migration. My father stayed behind in Venezuela, doing everything he could to help us. We worked with coyotes—human traffickers—who promised to get us to the United States. We traveled with fake papers, hidden in airports, smuggled through countries, and lived in fear every single day.
At one point in Mexico, we were locked inside a room for nearly a month, unable to leave, unable to speak to anyone, simply waiting. My brother, who has Type 1 diabetes, was running low on insulin. My mother was desperate. The coyotes kept demanding more money, knowing we had no choice.
I watched my mother become the strongest person I have ever known.
She stood up to those men and told them that if they didn’t get us out, there would be consequences. Somehow, that courage moved things forward. We were given fake documents to travel to Matamoros, Mexico—the border town near Texas and the Rio Grande.
I was only 12 years old.
When we landed, the coyote told us that if security questioned us, we had to run. There would be a red Cadillac waiting outside the airport.
And that is exactly what happened.
Security approached us. My mother grabbed our hands, and we ran. We found the red Cadillac, jumped inside, and the car sped off. My mother pulled my brother and me under the seats, holding us there, telling us everything would be okay.
We were taken to another house, blindfolded, questioned again, and pressured for more money. Thankfully, my mother had hidden emergency cash inside her tampon—money she protected so we would have something when we finally crossed.
That same night, at 3 a.m., they told us it was time.
We ran through dark fields until we reached the Rio Grande.
My mother didn’t know how to swim. My brother and I found an old tire so she could float while we swam beside her. In complete darkness, with fear I cannot fully explain, we crossed that river together.
I remember reaching the other side first. I turned around and saw my mother and brother still in the water. I started crying, screaming for them to hurry because I didn’t want to be there alone.
When they finally reached me, we hugged, covered in mud, exhausted, terrified—but we had made it.
We had made it to America.
Soon after, we were detained by Texas police and taken into custody. Because we were minors and my brother needed medical care, we were released quickly. We boarded a two-day bus ride to Miami with almost nothing.
What I remember most from that trip was my mother using the little money we had to buy food for other children on the bus who hadn’t eaten.
That moment defines her.
It defines me.
It taught me that no matter how hard life gets, kindness should never leave you.
That journey shaped everything I am today.
I started my career as a paramedic, working in ambulances for two years before moving into emergency and trauma nursing. I spent over 12 years working in the ER at the University of Miami and Jackson Memorial Hospital, where I learned resilience, urgency, and the true meaning of caring for people in their most vulnerable moments.
Later, I earned my Nurse Practitioner degree from the University of Miami and transitioned into what I now call functional aesthetics—combining beauty, prevention, wellness, and longevity.
Today, I work at Skin Local, where I focus not just on aesthetics, but on helping people optimize their lives from the inside out. I believe medicine should not only treat problems after they happen—it should help prevent them before they begin.
I also train internationally in aesthetics, traveling to places like Switzerland and London every year to continue learning so I can bring the highest level of care back to my patients here in Miami.
Outside of medicine, I’m an athlete. I love CrossFit, movement, discipline, and pushing myself mentally and physically. My fiancé, Rafael Rey, is a functional fitness trainer and personal trainer who dedicates his life to helping others become stronger, healthier, and more confident. We share the same passion for longevity, discipline, and purpose. We are getting married on October 2nd, and together we are building a life that reflects everything we believe in—love, growth, family, and intention.
We are very different in many ways—fire and earth—but somehow that balance creates something powerful. He grounds me, challenges me, and reminds me that success means nothing without peace and people you love beside you.
One of the hardest parts of my journey has also been learning to fully love myself.
Being openly gay came with struggles, fears, and moments of feeling different. But today, I stand proud—not just of my success, but of my authenticity. I’ve learned that the most powerful thing you can do is become fully yourself.
I hope my story reminds someone—especially a kid who feels different, unseen, or uncertain—that your beginning does not define your ending.
I ran and swam to get to this country.
And today, I live every day trying to honor that journey—with passion, gratitude, and purpose.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It definitely has not been a smooth road, and honestly, I think the struggles are what shaped me the most.
One of the biggest challenges was being an immigrant and constantly having to adapt to different countries, cultures, and realities. Leaving Cuba, living in Venezuela, going through the dangerous journey of crossing through Mexico and into the United States—it forces you to grow up very fast. You learn survival before you learn comfort. You learn sacrifice before you understand success.
Another major struggle was understanding who I was at a very young age—especially being gay while growing up in a very traditional Hispanic household and within a strong spiritual and religious environment. For many years, I felt like I was living between two worlds: my faith and what society expected from me, versus who I truly was inside.
That internal battle lasted for years.
Coming out to my parents was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. For almost 14 years, my relationship with my father was not good because of that. There was distance, pain, and a lot of silence. Today, thankfully, everything is much better, and we have found healing, but that journey was not easy. It taught me patience, forgiveness, and that sometimes love takes time to evolve.
I’ve also always struggled with feeling like I had to prove myself—to show people that I was worthy enough, good enough, deserving enough. I was always the first person to say, “I’ll do it. I can handle it. I’ll figure it out.” Part of that came from ambition, but a big part came from constantly trying to prove my value to others.
I spent a lot of my life being kind to everyone else, helping everyone else, saving everyone else—but not always being kind to myself.
As a nurse, especially working over 12 years in emergency and trauma, I have held people’s hands while they were dying. I have comforted families in the worst moments of their lives. I have given everything I had emotionally to strangers because that is what compassion asks of you. I’ve poured so much love into others, but one of my greatest struggles has been learning how to give that same love back to myself.
The biggest battle of my life has truly been self-love.
Learning that I do not need to change who I am to be accepted. Learning that I am enough. Learning that being chosen by God does not mean being perfect—it means living with purpose, kindness, and authenticity.
I am very spiritual, and I know I was brought into this world for a reason. I believe my purpose is bigger than myself. I believe everything I’ve gone through was preparing me to serve others, to heal, to inspire, and to remind people that their pain can become their power.
If I could tell anything to a younger person—or anyone struggling to find themselves—it would be this:
You are enough.
You do not have to change who you are to become your best self. In fact, your best self begins when you finally stop running from who you truly are.
Give yourself grace.
We are often our own hardest critics. But healing begins when we stop asking for permission to be ourselves and start choosing ourselves first.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Currently, I work at Skin Local in Midtown Miami as a Nurse Practitioner specializing in what I call functional aesthetics. For me, aesthetics is not just about looking better—it’s about helping people feel like the best version of themselves from the inside out.
I focus heavily on prevention, longevity, and optimization. That means I look deeper than just surface-level treatments. I review labs, identify nutrient deficiencies, evaluate hormones, and help patients optimize their overall health through peptides, IV therapy, supplementation, and wellness protocols. At the same time, I also specialize in facial balancing and aesthetic treatments such as neurotoxins like Botox and Daxxify, dermal fillers, biostimulators like Sculptra, lasers, skin rejuvenation, and regenerative treatments.
I am also currently a national trainer for Revance, one of the leading companies in the aesthetics industry. I train providers on Daxxify, the RHA filler collection, SkinPen microneedling, and advanced injectable techniques. Being trusted to educate other medical professionals across the country is something I’m incredibly proud of because it reflects both my experience and my commitment to continuing education and excellence in this field.
What makes my approach different is that I combine medicine with artistry.
A patient may come in thinking they just want Botox or filler, but often what they’re really looking for is confidence, energy, restoration, and to feel like themselves again. My job is not to change people—it’s to help them return to the healthiest, most refreshed, most confident version of themselves. I believe in natural results, subtle enhancements, and creating harmony rather than overdoing anything.
One of the things I’m most proud of is that I truly live what I teach. I believe patients can feel authenticity, and I think that’s why many of them trust me. I prioritize my own health, movement, discipline, longevity, and wellness because I never want to recommend something I wouldn’t do myself.
I’m also proud of how I’ve learned to merge science with creativity. Through therapy and personal growth over the past few years, I discovered that medicine and artistry are deeply connected. Precision, beauty, balance, and intention all exist in both worlds. That realization changed everything for me.
Interestingly, I also discovered that I love painting. Art became another outlet for me—a way to express emotion, process life, and channel energy outside of medicine. I don’t sell my paintings; they’re personal. But they remind me that healing and beauty exist in many forms.
What sets me apart most is passion.
I care deeply. I’m meticulous, detail-oriented, and I genuinely want people to leave better than they came—physically, emotionally, and energetically. Whether I’m treating a patient’s skin, helping them optimize their hormones, or simply listening during a consultation, I want them to feel seen.
At the end of the day, I’m not selling aesthetics—I’m helping people reconnect with themselves.
And that, to me, is the most rewarding work I could ever do.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
My biggest advice for anyone just starting out is to invest in your education—constantly. Never stop learning. Whether it’s higher education, advanced certifications, hands-on trainings, or traveling to learn from the best in the industry, growth comes from staying curious.
Especially in aesthetics and medicine, this field is always evolving. There is always a new technique, a new perspective, a better way to approach patient care. The moment you think you know everything is the moment you stop growing.
I always tell people: travel, learn, and expose yourself to different levels of excellence. Go train in other cities, other states, even other countries if you can. Some of my greatest growth came from stepping outside of my comfort zone and learning from people who challenged the way I thought.
At the same time, stay true to yourself.
That is probably the most important part.
Many people can do the same treatment, use the same products, or follow the same trends—but what truly sets you apart is your authenticity and your artistry. Especially in aesthetics, this is an art form as much as it is medicine. Your eye, your intention, your integrity, and your personal touch are what make people trust you.
Do not chase what everyone else is doing just because it looks successful. Build something that feels true to you.
I also wish I had understood earlier that perfection is not the goal—consistency is. In the beginning, I put so much pressure on myself to be perfect, to prove myself, to get everything right immediately. But growth happens in the mistakes, in the uncomfortable moments, and in showing up even when you feel unsure.
Be honest with yourself, be humble enough to keep learning, and never let ego get in the way of progress.
Most importantly, remember why you started.
If your work is rooted in passion, service, and purpose, success will follow. Skills can be taught, but heart cannot.
Stay curious. Stay disciplined. Stay kind.
And never lose the art in what you do.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: yaskin_aesthetics
