Today we’d like to introduce you to Leslie Rohaidy, PA-C AAOPM.
Hi Leslie, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started to receive injectables in my 20’s. At that time, the landscape for aesthetics was limited to sketchy medspas or traditional clinical offices where I had to sit in a sick patient waiting room with other patients who were often not even there for injectables. It was common to sit in your endocrinologist’s waiting room and see a sign for Botox. Everyone from dentists to day spas were offering injectables. The industry was so fragmented, and it seemed as if few people were dedicating their full scope of practice to cosmetic injectables. Photography was not being taken, medical intake was limited to exclusion criteria, and treatment records were poorly kept. It was not a holistic assessment. There was no panfacial or global assessment for the young person interested in injectables. As a woman, I felt you were grouped into two categories – a “young” person who wanted big lips or an “old” person who needed smile line filler. None of these environments appealed to me or seemed worthy of a repeat visit from me either. After obtaining my license to practice, I founded IMO Cosmetic Dermatology to provide what I knew others also sought:continuity of care for cosmetic injectables in an elevated medical environment focused on safety, sterility, conservative results and injectables as the full scope of practice.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
No, it was not smooth. I began my educational journey in a medical doctor program. Upon completion of the first few years abroad, I switched my focus to obtaining a medical degree from a US school. This switch meant I had to start from zero. I worked my tail off in school during the day and spent evenings researching offices, conferences, or shadow opportunities that would increase my exposure to cosmetic dermatology. I offered to work for others in the field for free. I didn’t care if I was sweeping floors after hours in a plastic surgeon’s office if it meant I would have added exposure. I purchased textbooks, spent time and money on independent conferences and private training.
After a long pursuit of credentialing myself, I was ready to practice. I rented a room out of an OB GYN’s office 40 miles away from my home. I didn’t receive any referrals because pregnant women aren’t candidates for cosmetic treatments. It was a sick patient environment and not what I had envisioned. I then built a small exam room within my home to see patients. I made sure the space met all hygienic and sterility requirements, had an exam table, medical refrigeration and counter spaces. I placed product brochures throughout and decorated with style. I set up a medical photography workspace, complete with background and lighting. I purchased an electronic medical record system. I was concerned about my ability to create what I had envisioned but it turned out that what I thought was going to be a disadvantage turned into an advantage. Patients told me they were more comfortable receiving treatments in this ultra-personalized concierge environment. A bell went off in my head and I went running in that direction.
I began filming videos during my downtime at my OBGYN office location. I would talk about all these things I’m mentioning and create free educational videos. They were a hit and slowly I grew. I viewed the environment as a challenge, married to an opportunity. I woke up each morning excited to grow and speak to what was my tiny, at that time, online community. Through hard work and determination, my practice grew. I began to get more successful and recognized as providing excellent service and results. Doctors, nurses, and students from all over started watching my videos and asking me to train them. It was very cool.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about IMO Cosmetic Dermatology ?
I am fully self-funded and own 100% of my business. I have never taken any money from investors. This forced me to remain as lean as possible for as long as possible. For the longest time, I was literally a one-person show. I was the receptionist, medical assistant, marketer, practice manager, scheduler, and practitioner. I was solely responsible for not only providing the treatments but also patient acquisition, website development, inventory management, creating service protocols, designing workflow and curating office design, and I relished doing it all.
I feel proud to be a key opinion leader and have built a 3,000 sqft, million-dollar medical office with over 18 staff members and a 2,000-patient census where 90% of patients choose to return. I feel proud to have a board-certified plastic surgeon on my payroll and serve as our medical director. I am also proud of the incredibly strong clinical resume I possess. I am proficient in combination techniques, off-label treatments, and achieve excellent cosmetic results safely for extremely difficult conditions to treat such as melasma and acne vulgaris.
At IMO Cosmetic Dermatology, our practice is solely devoted to providing our patients with global cosmetic and skincare treatments to achieve a natural and conservative outcome so they look and feel like themselves, only better. We provide these services in an elevated, sophisticated and bespoke luxury medical environment. Our dermatology treatment experiences are cosmetic in nature and extend to chemical resurfacing, Botox/Dysport, Dermal Fillers, medical grade peels, lasers, Hydrafacial MD, derma-planing, and vitamin injections. Among other ways, we differentiate ourselves by providing the most robust treatment consultation in the industry. We spend an hour with each new patient, whether they proceed to receive a treatment or not, reviewing their medical history, skincare regimen and aesthetic goals.
What was your favorite childhood memory?
My mother is a primary care physician and had her own practice when I was growing up. I always enjoyed visiting her at her office and watching her interact with her patients. She was always so knowledgeable and her patients were always so grateful for her advice and counseling. She directly led me to want to pursue my medical career.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.imoglow.com
- Instagram: @lesliezrf and @imodermatology
Image Credits
IMO Cosmetic Dermatology
