Hello everybody. Loved doing this episode with the lovely Leslie Rohaidy and we absolutely fell in love with her! In short, Leslie Rohaidy is a medically-licensed PA, and the founder of IMO, short for IN MY OPINION. She is board-certified in procedural medicine and aesthetic dermatology by the American Academy of Procedural Medicine (AAOPM) and is considered an expert in delivering conservative, modern, and safe anti-aging treatments. In 2019, she completed her fellowship in Aesthetic Medicine and currently runs a small concierge millennial-focused practice based in Miami.
Background
She was raised in Miami but born in Cuba to Lebanese parents! Which is super cool. Her journey started in medicine a long time ago. She graduated from the University of Miami with a science degree in chemistry and biology. She then completed some postgraduate work in evolutionary genomics followed by a trial run in medical school (specifically, at SGU which is a Caribbean medical school) and saw that she was unhappy (due to exhaustion of studying and being away from her hubby) so she left. After this, she had to make a decision of what she wanted to do next but she knew aesthetics was her thing. So, of course it led her back into the medical field and decided to become a physician assistant (PA) which she describes as an accelerated path into medicine. She completed her PA at FIU (where I did my clinical rotations... by the way) and her procedural medicine fellowship through the AAOPM. She picked her specialty right away and did another year of fellowship. So she had a total of three and a half years of training.
Minimally invasive is in and we're loving it... Moving along we get into how she started her practice. Right after finishing training, she went on a whim and opened a small boutique aesthetic derm practice called, I.M.O. She launched it as a solo practitioner in the summer of 2019 and it has grown to just under a 200 patient census. It started as a concierge service where basically every potential patient gets a survey or questionnaire to fill out in order to figure out who they are. The IMO employees want to get to know the patient, their concerns, and interests. After that they get a list of first available appointment dates so they can come in for a consultation. Note: work is not guaranteed on the day of consultation so it really just depends on the client.
She has gained her clientele through word of mouth and via her social media account. You have to checkout her page as she posts videos about her procedures, skin product reviews among many other things! She aligns perfectly well with our mentality where there is such a thing as too much work and has a criteria of who she will as well as, will not do work on. Leslie is conservative when it comes to her approach which is SOOO important. No one wants to be liable for something that they don't believe in and she stands by it.
We really wanted to know who the worst patients are... these include the following:
The Do you have a discount? patient. We agree with this.. It is your face we are talkibng about here so why are you trying to cheapen out?
The I'm scared patient. Bruising may or may not happen but there are things you should avoid (ahem.. alcohol) to lower the likelihood of bruising. If you're not willing to depuff your face on a daily basis with all the chemicals you put into it then why are you worrying about the bruising from the injection? Sorry we're not sorry but the bounce back from these procedures depends on you and of course, genetics (along with a bunch of other factors).
The I need more work patient when it's obviously too much. These patients Leslie won't take but, she will offer dissolving options if a patient wishes to reverse some of the work and start from scratch for a more natural look.
The most common treatment? You thought lips right? But, no it's the smile lines and under-eyes.
We always talk about going to some odd people for getting your work done. We discussed some funny stories that are actually horrifying. The things people will do to get that work is mind blowing and we want to say don't do it. We've talked about this on numerous episodes so we don't need to get into it further but take a listen for some of Leslie's stories.
Plans for the future?
She's doing a global beauty brand collaboration and is working on expanding. We can't tell you who yet (SHHH, it's a secret) but, when we can you will be the first to know! She has two offices currently, and wants to consolidate everything (basically expanding under one roof) as well as, focus on local growth.
Favorite myth?
Leslie has these Monday myth days on her instagram so we thought we would ask about her favorite myth?
People thinking that Botox is a treatment. IT IS NOT. It's a brand name and it's one of four. Botox was the first to market but it may not be the best one because some of the others are more natural and tend to even last longer. So be aware.
Favorite beauty product?
Argan oil that she bought in Morocco so I doubt we will find this product but good to know.. We will make sure to look for it ... When in Morocco.
Secret tips?
1. After you get treatment don't stay still. Laugh, make facial expressions, drive without your sunnies. You want to move your face as it can help your treatment.
2. Don't just do your forehead. Basically, your expressions can make you look small and tiny. So this should go along with treatment at the sides of your eyes (crows feet) or in between your eyebrows.
3. Chemical peels. Everyone loves a chemical peel. Yes, it's super scary to watch your entire face peel off but it gives you that GLOW. Unlike all the products that we continue to add to our face this allows us to resurface the skin. Couple of rounds before summer should get you up and running.
Podcasts she LOVES:
The Secret Scope.. obviously (do you even need a summary?!)
AmSpa podcast (injectables focused medical spa podcast, for people who are in the business)
Where to find Leslie?
Instagram: @lesliezrf
Practice: IN MY OPINION (IMO) website: www.imoglow.com
Please go ahead and DM her with any questions!
Stay tuned for a part two, coming soon where we get into all the myths cause you know she loves them and obviously we do too. We always want to debunk stuff from a medical perspective, so there's that. Anyways that's all for this week, don't forget to leave us feedback, rate, review, subscribe and send in your questions so we can continue to improve as well as, provide you high quality content!
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