Beyond Skincare: Facial Balancing & Aesthetic Enhancements with Vanessa Lee

Summary

Naked Beauty Podcast: Beyond Skincare – Facial Balancing & Aesthetic Enhancements with Vanessa Lee

Release Date: July 7, 2025

In this enlightening episode of the Naked Beauty podcast, host Brooke DeVard sits down with renowned medical aesthetic provider Vanessa Lee to delve deep into the world of facial balancing and aesthetic enhancements. Their conversation spans a broad spectrum of topics, from the art and science behind natural beauty treatments to the latest advancements in skincare technologies. Here's a detailed summary capturing the essence of their discussion.

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1. Introducing Vanessa Lee

Brooke kicks off the episode by introducing Vanessa Lee as a "world-renowned medical aesthetic provider" known for her dedication to natural beauty and her role as the owner of The Things We Do, a celebrated beauty concept bar. Vanessa's philosophy centers on enhancing inner beauty by emphasizing and restoring her clients' best features to achieve facial balance and harmony.

Notable Quote:

Brooke [01:45]: "You're easy to speak about because you do such great work."

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2. The Importance of Transparency in Aesthetics

Vanessa emphasizes the growing trend of transparency in the cosmetic industry, highlighting how celebrities like Kris Jenner and Kylie Jenner openly discuss their aesthetic procedures. She shares her own commitment to being upfront about her interventions, believing that honesty fosters trust and empowers clients to make informed decisions about their beauty journeys.

Notable Quote:

Vanessa [04:09]: "With beauty and esthetics, everything really is in the eye of the beholder of how they want to take that beauty treatment."

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3. Understanding Facial Balancing

A core topic of the episode is facial balancing, a term coined by Vanessa in 2017. She describes it as a comprehensive approach to evaluating facial symmetry, the interplay of different facial thirds, and overall face shape to maintain natural beauty as one ages.

Key Points:

• Symmetry Analysis: Assessing the right and left sides of the face to ensure harmony.
• Facial Thirds: Dividing the face into upper, middle, and lower sections to identify strengths and areas needing attention.
• Face Shapes: Categorizing into five main shapes to tailor treatments accordingly.

Notable Quote:

Vanessa [08:05]: "Facial balancing is a way at looking at a face as a medical esthetic provider practitioner and studying symmetry from right to left side..."

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4. Aging Patterns and Specific Concerns

Vanessa discusses how different face shapes age uniquely. For instance, diamond-shaped faces often show thinning skin around the eyes and mouth, while rounder faces might experience more jowling. She shares her personal experience with jowls, detailing her surgical interventions to maintain a youthful and natural appearance.

Key Points:

• Diamond Face Shape: Prone to nasolabial folds and marionette lines.
• Jowling: The descent of facial fat pads leading to sagging.
• Surgical Solutions: Jawline liposuction and platysmaplasty to enhance facial structure.

Notable Quote:

Vanessa [14:05]: "Facial balancing is a way at looking at a face as a medical esthetic provider practitioner and studying symmetry from right to left side, studying the thirds of the face..."

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5. Aesthetic Treatments Discussed

Vanessa provides an in-depth overview of various aesthetic treatments she employs, emphasizing minimally invasive procedures that preserve natural facial expressions.

Highlighted Treatments:

• PRFM (Platelet Rich Fibrin Matrix): For skin thickening and strengthening, especially around the under-eye area.

  Vanessa [44:06]: "The PRFM is great for skin thickening, for skin strengthening, for making sure that the scaffold of the skin is as young and healthy as possible."

• Sculptra: A bio stimulator used to enhance tissue volume and promote collagen production.

  Vanessa [44:17]: "Sculptra is a bio stimulator. That I love to not mess with it everywhere in the face you'll see these, like, sculpture die Hards..."

• Picosure Pro Laser: Specifically designed for darker skin tones to treat hyperpigmentation without adverse effects.

  Vanessa [19:30]: "Picosure Pro by Cynosure is absolutely safe for darker skin, it's acoustically sound wave and it's fragmenting hyperpigmentation..."

• Microcurrent Treatments: For facial tightening and enhancing the V-shape of the face.

  Vanessa [16:19]: "It's really like three to five PRFM treatments in one. So it's a little bit more impressive."

Notable Quote:

Vanessa [06:22]: "More of the bio stimulators, more of the filler, more of the Botox. No matter how everyone comes into our offices saying that they want to look as natural as possible."

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6. The Korean Aesthetic Advantage

Vanessa recounts her transformative trip to Korea, a hub for advanced aesthetic treatments. She highlights the stark differences between treatments available in Korea and those in the U.S., noting that Korean clinics often offer more comprehensive and cutting-edge procedures at a fraction of the cost.

Key Points:

• Advanced Techniques: Learning Asian-style neuromodulator placements and thread enhancements.
• Cost Efficiency: Treatments like Picosure Pro are significantly cheaper in Korea.
• Competitive Excellence: The high concentration of plastic surgeons in areas like Gangnam drives innovation and quality.

Notable Quote:

Vanessa [22:15]: "In Korea, I had a talk with Dr. Han Jin Kwon... we have just within this one block, 50 plastic surgeons who are doing everything that I do."

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7. Addressing Emotional and Mental Health in Aesthetics

Recognizing that physical treatments alone aren't sufficient for everyone, Vanessa explains how her practice collaborates with licensed therapists to support clients exhibiting signs of body or face dysmorphia. This holistic approach ensures that emotional well-being is addressed alongside aesthetic goals.

Key Points:

• Body Dysmorphia Signs: Extreme self-critique, unrealistic expectations, and persistent dissatisfaction despite treatments.
• Integrated Support: Referral to therapists for emotional assistance before proceeding with further aesthetic interventions.

Notable Quote:

Vanessa [28:59]: "That's the true way of working on beauty is like, let's figure out what's going on in the inside. All of that is connected..."

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8. Favorite Skincare Products

Vanessa shares her top three skincare products, reflecting the latest innovations she adopted during her time in Korea.

Top Picks:

1. Acid Buff from The Things We Do: An at-home peel with alpha glucan oligosaccharides for minimizing pore size and enhancing skin health.

   Vanessa [52:19]: "The acid buff has alpha glucan oligosaccharides. It's an at home peel that you can do that doesn't feel like an intense peel..."

2. Anua Dry Rice Powder Cleanser: A gentle exfoliant that doubles as a ceramide-rich cleanser.

   Vanessa [53:10]: "It's an anua dry rice powder that's a cleanser. So it's a very, very gentle exfoliant."

3. Unsung by Katanya Breaux: A beloved sunscreen being discontinued soon.

   Vanessa [53:23]: "Unsung by Katanya Breaux... The product was genius. Just beautiful, and I love it so much."

Notable Quote:

Vanessa [54:17]: "She put a story out on it how when she first started selling in larger retail, there was something up with the contract, and then the numbers weren't correct..."

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9. Personal Health Journey with GLP1

Towards the end of the episode, Vanessa opens up about her personal experience with GLP1 medications for weight loss, highlighting their positive impact on her health and mental clarity.

Key Points:

• Weight Loss Success: Lost 35 pounds over a year and a half with a combination of medication and lifestyle changes.
• Mental Health Benefits: Increased clarity and reduced reliance on ADHD medications.
• Medical Guidance: Emphasizes the importance of professional supervision and integrating support systems like nutritionists and health coaches.

Notable Quote:

Vanessa [50:12]: "After a year and a half, I lost 35 pounds, which I was so slow to lose the weight, by the way."

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10. Final Thoughts: Embracing Natural Beauty

Vanessa concludes by advocating for a balanced approach to beauty—using treatments to enhance and preserve natural features without overdoing it. She underscores the importance of emotional well-being in achieving true beauty.

Notable Quote:

Vanessa [28:17]: "The true way of working on beauty is like, let's figure out what's going on in the inside..."

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Conclusion

This episode of Naked Beauty offers a comprehensive look into the nuanced world of facial balancing and aesthetic enhancements. Vanessa Lee's expertise, combined with her transparent and holistic approach, provides listeners with valuable insights into maintaining and enhancing their natural beauty through informed and mindful choices.

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Disclaimer: The information provided in this summary is based on the podcast transcript and is intended for informational purposes only. Always consult with a qualified medical professional before undergoing any aesthetic treatments.

Transcript

[Vanessa Lee]

Foreign.

[Brooke Devard]

Hello, hello, this is Brooke Devard and you're listening to the Naked Beauty podcast. If you're joining us on YouTube, you can see my anchor woman hair that I'm rocking today. It's gorgeous. Thank you. I am so excited to speak to Vanessa Lee. You all have maybe heard her on the podcast before because when I did my prfm, the under eye rejuvenation that I did, she was with me. She was actually administering it and talking us through. But I had to get her here in studio to talk all things aesthetic facial balancing. This has been such a big conversation. The transparency is off the charts. I'm sure you all have seen. Kris Jenner has been very open about the work she's done on her face. I think it's her second facelift, right? Second one or maybe third, I'm not sure. Okay. She's, she's being trans. Everyone's being more transparent. Kylie Jenner has talked about the breast implants that she's gotten done and is given like the exact menu item of what she's done. This Vanessa has been transparent about cosmetic surgery before it was fashionable and very regularly shares all of the great things that she does for her face and her body. I'm going to give you a bit of her background. Vanessa is a world renowned medical aesthetic provider, sought after for her dedication to the look of natural beauty and known for her contribution to training and educating in the cosmetic and medical field. She is a best kept celebrity secret skincare expert and the owner of a beauty concept bar, the Things we do, which I've had the pleasure of going to. Her work can best be described as beauty guidance with natural intention. Vanessa believes in prioritizing inner beauty and uses her clients best features as her focal point to restore and improve facial balance and harmony. Vanessa, welcome back to Naked Beauty.

[Vanessa Lee]

Thank you so much for having me. Also, you are such an amazing speaker. The way that you just. Without a beat, right. That's poetry.

[Brooke Devard]

Well, you're, you're easy to speak about because you do such great work. And I feel like even in the past six months it feels like there's been more and more conversation and transparency about tweaks and little things that people are doing to their face. And I love the transparency. I find it so refreshing. I feel like you've been very transparent just about all of the things that you've done yourself. Why has it been always important to you to be upfront about that?

[Vanessa Lee]

I think, I mean, here's what I go to. Oversharing has been my thing since 1986. Right. Like, I just, that's the way I feel like I've always bonded with my friends and, and with women is through like oversharing with beauty tips and tricks. And I've told my friends this story. I'm, I'm back in like 1998. If we can just take it back for a second. I was in the sixth grade, I was hosting a sleepover and I was like, everyone is going to do DIY masks. We're going to go ahead and do some anti aging masks. And I remember people saying, why are we doing this? We're, we're in the sixth grade. And I'm like, yeah, this is going to really pay off in the future. It's just been my thing to connect with others also, I think because being an only child and growing up in like a smaller town, I was like, what am I going to do do to get gals to come over and hang out with me. So it's always been through beauty for me. Okay, so growing up, what's the small.

[Brooke Devard]

Town that you grew up in?

[Vanessa Lee]

Chino. Okay, 909.

[Brooke Devard]

Yes.

[Vanessa Lee]

I mean it's, it's more developed now. We have an in n out now, which is very cool. But I mean, I grew up around corn and cows basically, is what it was. And so now it's so funny, I actually moved back there. I'm back in Chino Hills now. I lived out in the city for a while for college and then, you know, worked out here in Beverly Hills and West Hollywood for a while. And then I ended up moving back because my husband was like, okay, we're having kids. Let's do something that's great for the kids. Public school that are nines and tens. And I was like, we're going back to the nine or nine, baby.

[Brooke Devard]

Okay, I love it. But it sounds like from an early age you always loved beauty, skincare.

[Vanessa Lee]

Yes.

[Brooke Devard]

And I feel like aesthetics, what you do is very interesting because it's that blend of art and science, you know, like your focus on natural beauty, like keeping work, like looking at you, I would never know you've done anything, but you've been upfront about all of the things that you've done.

[Vanessa Lee]

I do so many things, but you.

[Brooke Devard]

Make it look so natural. And not to name any names, but I've been watching some reality television lately, a little Love island here and there. And I'm amazed at the evident work that I see, especially on really young people that are like 21, 22 and have all of this work done and it doesn't look good.

[Vanessa Lee]

There's so many layers to this. I feel like, okay, because this side of medicine that I'm in, aesthetic medicine, is so subjective. It's really difficult to find yourself in cardiology and have surgeons and docs in that field be like, you know what? I'm just going to wing it according to, you know, my style of how I'm doing things. There's very specific formulas for other facets of medicine. And with beauty and esthetics, everything really is in the eye of the beholder of how they want to take that beauty treatment. And so there are so many different ways of looking at beauty. There are so many different ways of, I think, appreciating different ethnic features, appreciating east meets west, and how we all view beauty and what we treasure and what we don't. And then it comes down to really what your personal preference is and who you choose as a provider. And I think a lot of times people get confused by what they really want and what they find is beautiful, and they end up getting led by what they think the world or whatever society or culture they're in or whatever echo chamber they're in, that's what they think beautiful is. Because other people are saying that this is what it is. And then they find a provider who does these, you know, kind of cookie cutter treatments. And then you end up with a face that kind of just looks like it's been done. It's not quite beautiful or untouched or undetectable. It kind of just looks like somebody else is on you, you know, and if it. You don't look younger or more attractive, you just look like you have stuff done. I feel.

[Brooke Devard]

Yes.

[Vanessa Lee]

You know what I mean?

[Brooke Devard]

There is this phenomenon that I see all the time of people that kind of have this eerily similar. Similar face and eerily similar features.

[Vanessa Lee]

Yeah.

[Brooke Devard]

The thing that you said about beauty being in the eye of the beholder is interesting because I also think your own eye can get. The goalposts can keep moving. It's like, you can start. And I. I did an episode about I was getting eyelash extensions, and I was saying, I'm. I'm deep in this eyelash addiction cycle. And it was like, the first two times I did, like, very natural, and then I was like, ooh, I want a little bit more. And then we were adding in thicker lashes and more lashes and longer lashes. And I was like, I see how you get to, like, the crazy lashes that look insane, because it's like your own eye gets used to Something. And then you want more.

[Vanessa Lee]

Yes, totally. So I see that a lot with my patients.

[Brooke Devard]

What is it that they want more of? More Botox. More filler. More.

[Vanessa Lee]

More everything. More of the bio stimulators, more of the filler, more of the Botox. No matter how everyone comes into our offices saying that they want to look as natural as possible.

[Brooke Devard]

Right?

[Vanessa Lee]

And that's why they've chosen us. And then the story starts to change after the first treatment and the second treatment, because it's like, oh, my gosh, I actually really look so much more refreshed. It's amazing. What else can I do? Let's step it up. Let's step it up. And then we have to. So at every single treatment, we take before and after photos, so we have this, like, you know, documentation of, like, everything, all the different changes that you're experiencing after treatments with us, and we like to use that as evidence or like a report card of, like, remember, this is where you started from. We look great here. We look great here. But if we continue to do more stuff, you're gonna really stray away from looking as natural as possible, and you'll just look like everyone else, you know, and that's not what we're trying to do. So I think that it's really important to also understand and take it back a step further and realize that as an industry, we all started injecting, so nurse injectors, Penns injectors, Maryland injectors. We all started learning these techniques from the pharmaceutical companies that sell this stuff to our offices.

[Brooke Devard]

Right.

[Vanessa Lee]

So they were the original trainers. And of course, they're going to, you know, want us to push as much as possible and to load up as much as possible within one treatment and then have them come back every six months. And I tell my patients when we do a facial balancing treatment with a filler and with bio stimulators. And by the way, facial balancing is a term that I coined back in 2017.

[Brooke Devard]

So that's all you. Because, you know, now all the girls are saying facial balancing. All the girls.

[Vanessa Lee]

And I love it. And I really do love it.

[Brooke Devard]

And could you. How would you define facial balancing?

[Vanessa Lee]

Yeah, facial balancing is a way at looking at a face as a medical esthetic provider practitioner and studying symmetry from right to left side, studying the thirds of the face and which third of the face is possibly the strongest and which third of the face is possibly the weakest and bringing balance to those thirds. And then also there's another component of looking at the face shape. So technically, there's like nine to 12 different face shapes out there. To simplify things, we bring it down to five face shapes. And according to each face shape, there are hallmark ways of aging. So rounder face shapes tend to age downwards more. So more angled face shapes like squares and diamonds tend to get more gaunt and they age inwards more. So, so recognizing these patterns of aging and being able to preserve that face shape as much as possible. So it combines all of those different things. I teach these courses called beauty theory and we really focus on facial balancing. And I have the trademark on facial balancing also. And I bet people use facial balancing as just now on social media as like, oh, we're doing facial balancing for her and I just see injections everywhere and it turns out kind of weird. So. So there is a very specific meaning and it really is to harness that person's natural, whether it's conventional or unconventional beauty, harness that beauty and preserve that and maintain it as much as possible.

[Brooke Devard]

Okay, well, I'm going to take advantage of the fact that we are in the studio. What face shape would you say that I have? And if you were going to balance my face.

[Vanessa Lee]

Yeah.

[Brooke Devard]

What would you do?

[Vanessa Lee]

You're a diamond.

[Brooke Devard]

I'm a diamond. Okay. You knew that. You just knew that instantly. I'm like looking at my camera. So I'm a diamond face shape. So what does that mean?

[Vanessa Lee]

So diamond face shapes tend to be a little bit more narrow on the top and bottom of the and they have a little bit more width towards the temple and top of the cheek.

[Brooke Devard]

Okay.

[Vanessa Lee]

And diamond face shape, you have a little bit of heart to you because you have a little bit more of a rounder malar fat pad. Like a little bit more of a rosiness and fullness to the cheek than most diamonds typically have.

[Brooke Devard]

Okay.

[Vanessa Lee]

But I would say this, a diamond is the most sought after face shape. Patients ask for it all the time and they don't even know they're asking for it. They're constantly asking for a more defined jawline. They're constantly asking for lifting in the face toward elevation, towards around the temples and around the upper upper cheek zone. I would say to balance you further, I wouldn't do anything that would be silly. Why mess with a good thing? I always tell my patients, and you know Sir John very well, I talk to him all the time. I'm like, you know what, we just don't need to fuck with a good thing. Like, just leave it where it is and then preserve as much as possible. So we've talked about The PRFM treatments before the platelet.

[Brooke Devard]

I want to come back to do more.

[Vanessa Lee]

Please do. That's a beautiful skin strengthener. But as far as diamonds, the aging pattern. Yes.

[Brooke Devard]

Tell me, how will I age?

[Vanessa Lee]

Yeah. Tends to be. Their concerns are always around the eyes and around the mouth. So we can say that for a lot of different face shapes, but for diamond, that's where we see just kind of a hint of thinning of the skin, a hint of shadowing starting to pop up more so in those areas versus other areas of the face. I'm a natural round, so aging for me doesn't come towards the mouth area. The mandible zone doesn't really bother me so much. What bothers rounds more so is the jawline and the jowl space. So I can have no nasolabial folds probably into my 50s and 60s. But I will jowl, but I won't because I had them removed surgically.

[Brooke Devard]

Yes. But let's talk about that, because I'm on the. So I was. I've been on the skincare addiction Reddit for years and years and years, but I just recently joined the 35plus skincare Reddit. I'm on.

[Vanessa Lee]

Like, I'm on 45plus.

[Brooke Devard]

Oh, wow. Okay.

[Vanessa Lee]

I want to know what they're doing so that I can start doing it now.

[Brooke Devard]

Because you're only 39, but you're like, okay. So if you're on these kind of other skincare Reddits, you see a lot of conversation is about jowling. There is so much concern that people have about jowls. This area around their mouth. I've heard of people doing, like, face facial tightening. Some people say, do I get buccal fat removal?

[Vanessa Lee]

There's a lot of that, too.

[Brooke Devard]

Okay, so tell us about the jowl mouth area and what you've done.

[Vanessa Lee]

Love to. I'm so passionate about it. So the true jowl is right here in this area. So if you take the corners of your mouth and then come all the way down, the jowl is just behind it. So if you're working back, closer towards the back of your jawline, it's right here in this soap. Okay. So when people actually get jowling and come into the office for a treatment for that, it's when the gel, that fat pad, is starting to sink lower than the actual jawline. So now you have this bit of hammocking underneath the jawline, and it's this fullness that's surpassing your jawline. So now you have an uneven jawline, or there's like a lower inferior bump.

[Brooke Devard]

Okay.

[Vanessa Lee]

But some people naturally just have fullness here in comparison. And that's not true jowling. That's just. We have a natural fat pocket here, and we don't have a fuller fat pocket closer towards around the mouth. That's more muscle. So as we age, the muscle becomes a little bit more pronounced. The area next to it is where the fat is, and that area starts to look demarcated in comparison to the mouth zone. So as far as diamonds, they're always worried about usually nasolabial folds and then a little bit of marionette because there's not a lot of fullness and subcutaneous fat tissue within that zone to begin with.

[Brooke Devard]

Okay.

[Vanessa Lee]

And also diamond face shapes tend to be a little bit more slim, so that's where it tends to show up. But I think everyone over time starts to talk about that area. And it's so natural because as we age, the tissues are shifting down and forward. And so it's this collection of shadow and fullness here. And we just. It's easiest to just say, oh, it's jowling. So it's a lot of different components for each individual. But I would say gels are hard to deal with. So for heart face shapes as well, because there's some rounding of the cheeks, so for heart, for oval, for round. And also I would say for someone who's like in between a square and around someone who's more square but has like a fullness to the face, jowls pop up very easily for us and much sooner in life, too. So I was starting to notice my jowls in my late 20s and early 30s, and I went to go visit a plastic surgeon who is Dr. Sharmila Sunderland. And she's in Beverly Hills. She's wonderful. Also woman of color. Brilliant, Brilliant. Mine. And she is double board certified facial plastic surgeon, and she was chief of her residency at Stanford. So she's like a genius.

[Brooke Devard]

Okay.

[Vanessa Lee]

Plus, she just looks so natural and so lovely. And I was like, whatever this woman is doing, I need her to do five times to my face.

[Brooke Devard]

Yes.

[Vanessa Lee]

So I went to go see her and she was like, we're not doing anything for you. You're so young. And I was like, can you just. Just give me a moment. Study my anatomy. Tell me. And she's like, you know what? Let me see a picture of your mom or your aunts and your grandma. Let me just, like, see what your lineage is, like what your genetics are. And I showed her a photo and she goes oh, we've gotta do this. And I was like, I know. Cause their jaws were to the ground. And I was like, I know what's going to happen to me. It's just my genetics. Let's do something. So we ended up doing jawline liposuction and we ended up also doing platysmaplasty. So we. She took my neck band, sewed them together and pulled them back so I have a longer floor of mouth. So it gave my, I would say jawline a little bit more space because my neck bands were so forward. And that went so well. And we were just talking about this that I was like, what else could we do a year later? And she was like, I don't think we do anything. I think you're great. And then I was like, can I just show you what I'm starting to see over time in my. The women in my family? And she was like, well, yeah, that's the buccal fat. And that starts to shift towards the jowl space and it starts to push on that zone. And so she was like, listen, I'm not a fan of removing buccal fat, but I can reduce your buccal fat slightly so that you still have some beautiful fullness as you age, because you are going to need that.

[Brooke Devard]

I think that's so important because I think in a lot of people that get the buccal fat removal, like those beautiful baby faces that, like, are full, kind of make you look more young and youthful and then you can kind of get this very gaunt appearance.

[Vanessa Lee]

Yes.

[Brooke Devard]

When you remove that.

[Vanessa Lee]

Yes. And it just ages you.

[Brooke Devard]

Yeah, it's.

[Vanessa Lee]

And you look tired. So I was so happy that she was looking out for me. And I was like, great, let's do it tomorrow. So she ended up scheduling me. We did it. And that's the last thing that I did surgically to my face. And that was back five years ago. And I've been so happy ever since. I have been doing skin strengtheners, so bio stimulators, like platelet rich fibrin matrix, like Sculptra. But I've been doing sculpture back in my hairline instead of doing it in the central portions of my face.

[Brooke Devard]

Tell me about Sculptra in the hairline and also. Can't you also do PRFM in your hairline?

[Vanessa Lee]

Absolutely. Okay, so Sculptra in the hairline I would place a little bit deeper and that helps strengthen the skin. It's almost like maybe like three to five PRFM treatments in one. So it's a little bit more impressive. And it just keeps that tissue nice and thick so that you have almost like a tack back within that zone. And so when I place threads in a face, I know that typically how the west does threads is we go out wide with them. And so we enter wide, we enter out towards the lateral portions of the face and we come across and then pull back to the side. And so what I love is to pull up and back. So I want a more V shape to the face. And that's a little bit more of an eastern style of doing things. And instead of having to do threads every two years, I've done threads twice in my face and I've had, I'm like, wait, is it more than twice? No, twice to my face and only once every three years. And I've also talked to my surgeon about that too, and she was like, it's fine. We talked about the technique that I, that I do, that I implement, and she was like, it's gentle, it's, it's minimal, it's totally fine. But if you start doing it every six months to a year and placing too many threads, it's an issue if you want to have a facelift in the future.

[Brooke Devard]

So can we talk about the facelift in the future? Because a lot of people are saying that all of the filler and both. A lot of times what's better is actually to save your money and just do a. I hear about partial facelifts, full face, like a lower facelift. I feel like it's very popular now. What do you think about that?

[Vanessa Lee]

I mean, I disagree. I highly disagree. And also I have quite a few friends who are surgeons, facial plastic surgeons, who also do these injectables. And I think it really comes down to their surgery is great. And I'm definitely getting a facelift at some point in the future. I mean, that hasn't been established. Now I am a surgery girly. I'm going to get one in the future. But I also think that there are specific layers that are aging in the face and they're all needing different types of attention and treatments. And I think if you do things taste, if you do things tastefully, and you also treat those areas just to what they need instead of overextending or overfilling or over treating, you are just preserving yourself a little bit more so that when it's time for facelift, your tissues are in great shape and are going to respond beautifully. So I think if you just age completely naturally with nothing that's totally Fine. And that's a choice. However, it's a little bit more heavy lifting. And also I like things to be so undetectable that when I have it done, I want people to just. When I'm done healing and I come out of my cocoon, I want people to just be like, oh, my God, did you. Did you lose weight? Did you get a new, you know, are the brows. What's going on? You look so amazing. Because I've been doing these many things and working up to it. So the difference, by the way, with PRFM and sculpture in the hairline is PRFM is mainly for making the follicles healthier.

[Brooke Devard]

Right.

[Vanessa Lee]

Really trying to spur back hair growth and sculpture underneath the hairline is really to thicken the tissues to help tack and hold the face.

[Brooke Devard]

Okay. Okay. I feel like I have this whole list of cutting edge services that you offer that I want to ask. So we've talked about PRFM and prp. What about lasers? I feel like, yes. Especially for darker skin. One of my most tricky, commonly asked questions.

[Vanessa Lee]

Yes.

[Brooke Devard]

They Brooke, what laser? And I say, I haven't done lasers because I'm terrified.

[Vanessa Lee]

Yeah.

[Brooke Devard]

And so I'm just sticking to my skin care for now. But what do you think about lasers for darker skin?

[Vanessa Lee]

Yes. There's one laser in particular that I think is absolutely safe for darker skin, is made for skin of color and is probably the only true laser that we're going to have at the things we do. It's called the Picosure Pro by Cynosure. I personally think that. Here's the thing. I saw an episode recently where a dermatologist was talking about how there are plenty lasers out there for dark skin. It's just not marketed for dark skin. And we can now change the setting so that it is safer. It's just not as strong, and for me, that's cutting corners. So it's not for me. You know what I mean? So if it's not marketed to me and others and it's not meant for me, and you have to do all of this Jimmy John ing and getting, you know, really creative with things, then it's not as safe. And also it's not meant for me. And maybe a specialist could make it safe for someone. But the bottom line is that's not the standard for everyone. And if you're not equipped with those settings, then this machine is meant to harm darker skin. So I would say Picosure Pro is really wonderful because it's acoustic sound wave and it's fragmenting hyperpigmentation so it's for the treatment of hyperpigmentation and for smoothing skin tone, skin tone and texture improving that. Picosure Pro specifically is used to break up all of that hyperpigmentation that you have from breakouts or even as deep as melasma within the tissues. And that hyperpigmentation within your skin is now fragmented and is so tiny that your skin from the inside can now eat it. Your basically your macrophages can eat it, and you just release it through your lymphatic system. So you're gonna be peeing and sweating it out versus having a lot of, I know, ablative treatments and then having it slough off and having all that downtime. There's very little to no downtime. And it's such an intelligent laser. The only problem is it does one to two things extremely well, and it's extremely, extremely expensive as a laser for a practice to purchase. That's why it's not everywhere. That's the only thing. And that was inspired by when I went to Korea recently, just a few months ago, I was out there and you know that there's so much beauty tourism out that way. And I was like, I feel like.

[Brooke Devard]

You really did Korea the right way. You went in and you were like, this is everything I'm gonna get done while I'm here. And you also studied while you were there too.

[Vanessa Lee]

Absolutely. So I was with two facial plastic surgeons learning, you know, Asian style neuromodulator, Botox placement, and also Asian style threads and Korean style filler and facial balancing and all of that kind of stuff.

[Brooke Devard]

Do you agree that they are much further ahead than we are?

[Vanessa Lee]

Oh, 1,000%.

[Brooke Devard]

How many years ahead? Like, five years, 10 years?

[Vanessa Lee]

I think they're always 10 to 15 years ahead of us.

[Brooke Devard]

Wow.

[Vanessa Lee]

Even with micro needling.

[Brooke Devard]

Let's really think about that.

[Vanessa Lee]

Yeah.

[Brooke Devard]

10 to 15 years ahead of us in esthetics, in skincare. We know that the sunscreen is, like, superior, but, yeah, in facial treatments, you think that they're that far ahead?

[Vanessa Lee]

Yes. And I know this because even when microneedling first came out here in the U.S. it had already been popular in Korea for 13 years before us.

[Brooke Devard]

Wow.

[Vanessa Lee]

So it's like, you know, we're held back with ingredients, we're held back with procedures, and some of that is really great because we have regulations that keep us super, super, super safe, and then some of it holds us back from a lot of really great stuff. So in Korea, I had a talk with Dr. Han Jin Kwon, who I Had a training with, and he is the CEO of Ultracall, which is like a very, very popular and wildly impactful biostimulator out that way. And he actually did my hands with it, by the way, when I was out there.

[Brooke Devard]

Can you explain what a bio stimulator is?

[Vanessa Lee]

Yeah. So a bio stimulator is a treatment, usually an injectable, but it can be a device as well that is causing your body to do what it does best and heal and regenerate itself when it has a little boost of something. So it can be an injectable. So a bio stimulator injectable can be like PRFM or Sculptra. It can be through microneedling. So microneedling is creating, you know, controlled, gentle micro channels, which essentially are controlled injuries to the skin and trauma. And your skin wants to regenerate collagen and elasticity and all of that. So he's the CEO of a new bio stimulator out there. And he also is very well known and respected for the thread work that he does. And so I was asking him, what. What's happening out here? Why are you guys so advanced? And why do you guys like to do so many things at once? And how do you guys come up with all of this stuff? Like, what. What's going on out here? And he was like, vanessa, we have just within this one block, 50 plastic surgeons who are doing everything that I do. And I was in Gangnam, which is like their, you know, Beverly Hills, and everyone gets surgery there. And he was like, and this is just one block. And so you have to be incredibly, incredibly impactful, efficient. And you have to show with one treatment how insanely different you are as a plastic surgeon, how good you can make someone look with just one visit. And if not, you failed. You're not gonna have a great career. Like, you just won't be busy.

[Brooke Devard]

The competition breeds excellence.

[Vanessa Lee]

Absolutely. And so I was like, that's fascinating. And then after my studies with the two surgeons, so it was about five days, we did hands on, and we were also doing didactic. I was like, go do some stuff. Let's get some stuff. What's out here? And I had been researching for quite a while also, because I knew I had this trip coming up, what to get done. My skin struggle has always been hyperpigmentation. I also have rosacea. And as a brown woman, that looks different for my skin. It almost looks like allergic reactions are happening. And so I've been, you know, in talks with dermatologists for years, and years, and no one could figure it out. And then, actually, one of my friends who's a woman of color goes, you just have rosacea. And I was like, what do you mean? And she was like, yeah, I have it too. And I was like, no, I. I don't know. And it just looks so differently in our skin. And with rosacea, you're getting these kind of, like, mini rashes that are happening on the surface of the cheeks, is what it looks like. And those mini rashes are bringing so much vascularity to the surface that it turns into hyperpigmentation, where, for someone who is Fitzpatrick skin types one through three, like, very fair skin and white skin with pink undertone, they don't go into the brown. It stays pink, and then it fades. And for me, it's constantly hyperpigmentation. And so when I was out there, I was like, at three different clinics. What do you guys suggest? And all of them said picosure. One of them said, if picosure is too expensive for you.

[Brooke Devard]

And how much is Picosure, by the way?

[Vanessa Lee]

Picosure out there is, like, $150 here in the U.S. it's like 950 to 1400 I've seen at some clinics, which is insane.

[Brooke Devard]

So there's a huge price difference in these treatments in Korea. Okay.

[Vanessa Lee]

Huge. So they were like, you could do the picosure. It is the best. And you'll see most results from one treatment. Or, you know, we have other cheaper picos, which are. Pico is a name of the laser wavelength. So we have other picos that are cheaper. You just have to do more treatments, and it's fine. So it's. It's your choice, whatever one. And I was like, well, I want to do the best, and I'm. I'm not coming out here all the time, so give me that pico. Sure. And it was so wonderful of a treatment. I saw my skin clearing up as far as the, like, brown spots and, like, some of the scarring and some of that deep pigmentation that I had actually gotten when I was younger and used to be really naughty and not wear sunscreen and just be out in Hawaii, out at the beach, you know, in Newport. And I saw that clear up beautifully after one treatment, and I was like, this is fantastic. And so I came back three weeks later, we bought it, and now we have it in our location at the Things we do.

[Brooke Devard]

Oh, my gosh. Okay. So I know what I'm booking when I. When I come to see you.

[Vanessa Lee]

Yeah, I can't Wait to treat you. Oh, you had Erika Chidi on.

[Brooke Devard]

Yes.

[Vanessa Lee]

Erica just came in for it. She's posting about it because she was like, I had no idea how safe this was gonna be for my skin.

[Brooke Devard]

Yes.

[Vanessa Lee]

I'm telling everyone. And I was like, oh, my God, thank you. This is amazing.

[Brooke Devard]

No, she literally texted me and was like, we need to do a full new hour about my skincare. I have new things, I'm doing new things, I'm doing new updates. So, yeah, her skincare journey has been amazing. It must feel so good to make people feel so good about themselves and good about their skin.

[Vanessa Lee]

It does. So I tell friends and family all the time. I tell this to my kids too. You don't have to make your life look one way when it comes to work or career or your path or whatever it is. You have to figure out what you really love in life and what your God given talent is. Mine is connecting people and making them feel good and showing them their light and showing them their power. And for a lot of women, unlocking our beauty and realizing how comfortable we can be in our own skin, that is what gives us, I feel so much power within ourselves and then it unlocks other sides of that power. And so I love to do that for our patients.

[Brooke Devard]

Yes. I mean, I think a lot of what you're talking about is having autonomy about how you want to show up and the work that you want to get done. And it's not necessarily like nitpicking or trying to look a certain way, but taking like the power and agency in your hands and saying, okay, this is something I want to improve upon. This is a feature that I love. I want to make it look even better.

[Vanessa Lee]

Yeah.

[Brooke Devard]

How do you kind of deal with or assess if someone has more like kind of deeper self esteem issues that maybe like work won't fix? Like, have you ever had to have like a deeper conversation with a potential client or a client that has been coming and wants more and more and more to like, figure out what that line is?

[Vanessa Lee]

Yeah. So we work with two licensed therapists. Well, actually one got so busy and she no longer accepts new clients. So we work with one licensed therapist now that we were refer to. She's a local in Los Angeles and she was a friend of mine out of college. And the reason why we work with her is because there are a lot of patients who come in and there are very clear signals that a person who is sitting in our chair as a patient has body dysmorphia or face dysmorphia.

[Brooke Devard]

Face dysmorphia. What are those signs that someone may have? Face dysmorphia.

[Vanessa Lee]

Yeah. So extreme nitpicking at things. So generally, if you look like you're in great shape and your skin looks healthy and your face shape is technically balanced and. And complete. If someone is showing me in the mirror and pulling the mirror very close to them and saying, hold on right there, and putting their face in a really strange angle and holding the mirror so close and being like. When I make this facial expression, when I smile, and usually you can see it in, like, my rear view mirror in. In a. In a darker garage, I get this line, can you get rid of that? And it's like, is the line in the room with us? That is the craziest ask, by the way. And I don't say that, but I can see what's happening. This person is spending too much time critiquing themselves, and they can't take a step back and see how the world perceives them. Like, already you're stunning. And so usually I'm like, okay, let's take a step back. If we do this treatment and we get rid of this line, do you think you are actually going to look younger and more attractive? And usually with someone with body dysmorphia or face dysmorphia, they'll say, I don't know. And so they're just so lost in all of it. And it's like, I think you need some emotional help. Not this kind of help. And then once you get that emotional support, come back and let's talk again. And so we've had patients, first of all, no one has ever been like, how dare you? Usually people are like, I know that I'm really weird about certain things. Thank you for offering that. And we've had a few patients come back after some time and be like, I'm so glad you sent me to that person. I'm so glad I saw Stephanie. Thank you so much. I think I'll just do some skincare. I think I'll just do some, you know, like. But I just wanted to come back and see you and say thank you. And that's been really, really rewarding for us. And that's the true way of working on beauty is like, let's figure out what's going on in the inside. All of that is connected and how we show up for ourselves in the inside, emotionally, mentally. That reflects in our skin and in our face and in the emotions we most portray. That starts to wear on the face.

[Brooke Devard]

Oh, absolutely. Now, I just zoomed right past this bio stimulator in your hands and all of the stuff that you did in Korea. Please tell me all the treatments you did in Korea.

[Vanessa Lee]

Oh, my gosh. Okay, get ready for the launch.

[Brooke Devard]

And why bio stimulator in your hand?

[Vanessa Lee]

Okay, so truthfully, this biostimulator in the hand happened because we needed a model in the training class.

[Brooke Devard]

Okay.

[Vanessa Lee]

And so you volunteered. Yeah. He was like, so this bio stimulator called Ultra Call, we can place it in the under eyes. We can place it in the face. We're going to place it on the jawline. And so we watched him do that, and he was like, oh, I really want to show you guys. In the hands, too. And he was like, where's the model for the hands? And the assistant was like, we don't have one. And he was like, vanessa, how about you? And I was like, how do you know that I'm down for everything, doc? And so I was like, yeah, let's do it. And so he placed the Ultra Call, and he placed one vial in each hand, and there was some numbing placed in before, and it took about 10, 15 minutes. It was totally fine. The interesting thing is he was like, you have to go to the pharmacy afterwards, and this is your prescription. Just bring this to them. Take those medications for sure. And I was like, what's in here? And he was like, stuff that's gonna make sure that you don't have, like, extreme swelling. And I was like, what's really in here? And I had my Papa Gao. It's a little app that's like a translator. So I had my Papagao app, like, read it and everything. And it was anti platelets, antibiotics, and also something for pain. And so I was like, anti platelets? That's really interesting, because we don't do that in the US after treatments. And I was like, wonder what happens when you don't take it? So I didn't take it. The next day, my hands blew up. I was supposed to do threads. That was our next training day was threads. I was like, there's no way. I can't even. Like, I had Kirby hands, you know, like, they were just, like, little pink. Anyways, and so I was like, I should have taken that medication. He was like, you didn't take the meds, did you? And I was like, no. And he was like, take them tonight. And it was fantastic. Everything went down. It was totally worth it. But now I had it done. Back in March, the back of my Hands were quite sinewy. They were.

[Brooke Devard]

Hands are the first sign of aging, right?

[Vanessa Lee]

One of the first signs, yes. But it's definitely a telling sign. So usually with hands, it starts to look like the youthful fullness in the back of the hand starts to fade. And you can see the tendons and the muscles and the bones start to really poke out. And that's something that I'm particularly not concerned about usually. But when he was like, does anyone want to do this? Now that the results have set in, I'm like, oh, wow, that's actually really nice. These are my 28 year old hands. You know, like, that's. I didn't even know that that's something that, you know, we, we could actually really do and improve. So I'm really happy that I did it actually. And the results will last years and years. So I will be losing collagen 4 to 8% annually, you know, all throughout my skin.

[Brooke Devard]

And that happens after the age of 25. You lose collagen every year.

[Vanessa Lee]

So after the age of 25, your collagen production starts to slow down. And then closer towards your 30s, you start losing 4 to 8% every year. Which if we're at the max side of things, if we're at 8%, even 8 to 10% because we've been baking out in whatever sun, because I hear my patients say, I don't see what the problem was. I wasn't laying out the sun. Doesn't care if you're moving or if you're still. You're out in that sun. I know it's getting you. So yeah. So then in your 30s is when we start losing the collagen. It just. The collagen production in your 20s starts slowing down and then the production is stopping at a certain point and it's starting to reduce. So I was all about that hand treatment. And then as far as my face, I visited two different clinics for my face. One of them was like this very chic, known for, like, Naomi Campbell goes here. It's so hard to get an appointment. People were messaging me like, how did you get an appointment? Like, this is so crazy. Like, even like the richest housewives in Korea have a hard time getting in with this doctor. And I was like, I honestly just messaged her on WhatsApp. I don't, I don't know what the exclusivity is. I don't know. Maybe it was a slow week for her. I ended up seeing her and she did a very extensive skin analysis in the beginning. So we did A skin analysis moment where she was going over all the different sunspots that I have, all the different, like, sunspots that I'm gonna get in the next five years that are gonna come to the surface, which. That really scared me. And I was like, oh, my God. I thought that I had it under control, which led me to the laser treatments. And then she showed me the lines on my face, and she was like, hmm. So all of the lines were highlighted, all the little wrinkles. Oh, my gosh.

[Brooke Devard]

See, this would, like, mentally be a lot for me to handle.

[Vanessa Lee]

Oh, I was fascinated. I was like, give it to me. Give it. Give me all of the things. Give me my report card. And she was like, have you been doing things? And I was like, we had a translator with us, too. And so I was like, yes, I do a lot of things to my face. And she was like, your skin looks really good, especially for your age. We're. We're clocking you at about three to four years younger. And I was like, thank God if all this poking is going to. You know what I mean, has been like, it's coming to fruition. I was like, fantastic. And she was like, really? Let's do some microneedling. Let's do a little bit of, like, stem cell microneedling for you. Let's do one thera, which is like a baby ultherapy, because we don't want to minimize any of the fullness in your face, but let's tighten you up a little bit. Let's do about 45 minutes of microcurrent. I've never had so much microcurrent in my life. Afterwards, my hair was like. Like, I've just. I. It was insane, the amount of microcurrent that they gave me. So the treatment wasn't done by the dermatologist. It was done by a nurse afterwards. And I was like, huh? That's an interesting way of doing things, because typically what we see is the doctor does the treatments, and then you have, like, a skincare consultant start the, you know, consultation, and then the doctor comes in afterwards. So it was opposite. And then I went to a different clinic. And I was like, okay, let's see what this experience is going to give me. And I wanted to see if their suggestions would match up. They didn't do a full skin analysis. So I sat down with a skincare advisor or like a beauty advisor. And she was like, so, what do you want to do? And I was like, well, what do you think I should do? Right? Like, I really wanted the guidance. And she was like, okay, let me look at you. And she was writing notes down, typing. And she was like, hyperpigmentation. Let's tighten the face. Let's do some injections. And I was like, what kind of injections? And by the way, I'm not saying what I do. I haven't sent these. You know, this office, my social media, they have no idea I'm paying for all of this, like, out of my own pocket. And so she was like, we can do Botox for you. We can do filler, we can do some bio stimulators. And I was like, where? Where would they go? And she was like, I don't know. You have to talk to the doctor about it. And I was like, okay, this is really interesting. I'm not gonna do any of those things. Cause I'm scared of getting injected overseas. I just want to be close to a physician or an injector after. And I was like, tell me about the bio stimulators, though. And she was like, oh, yeah, you know, like, we have stem cells. And I was like, oh, that's fascinating. I wanted to do this stem cell procedure where they take the stem cells and then they do an IV and they can also inject it. I just didn't have. I wanted to stick around longer. So I was going to be leaving in a couple of days. And just in case there was complications, I wanted the possibility to stick around. So I didn't opt in doing that treatment. However, I did all the other treatments. Okay, so we did on.in the back of my arms, which is a really strong skin tightening and fat dissolving treatment that they told me you can only do this once or twice a year. You cannot do it more than that because it takes so much fat. And I was like, I think I can handle it. Let's go for it. After one treatment, I was like, oh, my God. Something actually happened. Because, you know, you see these machines that are going on the back of the arms with the gel, and you're like, is anything really happening? There's always an immediate effect afterwards where there's a degree of tightening because some massage has happened. But the ondo was amazing. It's from Italy. It's not approved here in the US I don't know if we'll get it because it's so powerful. And the FDA is really tough with that kind of stuff. But it was fantastic. And then they did picosure laser to my face and my neck is what they suggested, which is really interesting because Usually in the US we're only suggesting things to the face. So they didn't forget my neck, which was fantastic. They did titanium tightening for me, which. It's from ALMA lasers, which we do have ALMA lasers in the U.S. but we don't have the titanium tightening for some reason. So that was to tighten the lower face and also my jawline. And so we did all of those treatments within one sitting, and it took about two hours. And I was like, okay, we'll see what happens. When I got back, I think I was like, okay, a little bit swollen. There's a little bit of puffiness, but it doesn't really look like I did all of these different procedures. A couple weeks later, people on my staff were like, did you lose so much weight out there? What's happening? And I was like, why? And they're like, your face is tiny. It's so tight. And I was like, you guys, I did 12,000 things out there. Like, I'm sure it's paying off now at this point. So that's my journey in Korea.

[Brooke Devard]

I love it. I feel like people are going to listen to this and want to go to Korea to get things done. What would be, like, your top piece of advice for assessing where. I mean, it's like, obviously there's just so much in Seoul, like, how to figure out where to go.

[Vanessa Lee]

Yeah.

[Brooke Devard]

What to budget for. Where do people start?

[Vanessa Lee]

Yeah. So there are a few different tiers of clinics. There's like these. They call them factory clinics, where it's.

[Brooke Devard]

That sounds bad.

[Vanessa Lee]

It's. It sounds bad. It is bad. I think for women who are a little bit more mature and looking for, like, a luxury, very legit, complete science procedure, it's probably our worst nightmare.

[Brooke Devard]

Okay.

[Vanessa Lee]

So it's where you can, you know, you walk in and there's tons of people and everything's super, super cheap. And they're stacking everything possible, whether it's for you or not. We're avoiding this, avoiding those at all costs. And then. And I see a lot of influencers on social media who are really young going to those because of budget. And that's where things get really tricky. And then there are clinics that are more popular but are more expensive because you are getting so much more attention to detail. All of the, you know, doctors, there are plastic surgeons and dermatologists there. It's very private. And then there are very, very private, exclusive clinics where a lot of these, like, K pop celebrities go to Korean actors and actresses where it's the doctor doing the consultation. They're going to do all of your procedure. They lay out what the rest of the year is like for you because you have to come in multiple times for all these different things. So I would say starting off at the mid tier clinic is great. I think making sure that you're in touch with them and see how they schedule you and how, how they respond to your questions. And if they offer a translator or if you need a translator is really important. If they have, you know, these professionals who are doing this, the consultations. If you're going deep into very particular things that you need, you probably want to go to a clinic where it's the doctor doing, you know, the actual consultation. So that's where there's so many of them, you guys. So that I ended up going to Lian Jing is one of the clinics that I went to. And I also went to Evercel. I liked my results from Lian Jing more than Evercel. And that's where the doctors were doing the treatments. And they were more impactful and more efficient within one treatment, for sure.

[Brooke Devard]

Would you mind sharing how much you spent on everything you did?

[Vanessa Lee]

So at Evercel, I ended up getting the microneedling with the stem cell and then they did that baby Ulthera treatment, and then they did the microcurrent forever and that. And they also did one other thing. I believe it was like an LDM treatment which is like, you know, hydrating, ultrasonic. And that entire treatment costs $850 US dollars.

[Brooke Devard]

Oh, wow.

[Vanessa Lee]

And then the skincare that they sold, one spray, I think it was like $150. So it was, it's, it's quite expensive. And then. But for, I mean, the skincare was expensive a lot. The skincare was expensive. The treatment was like 850 for all of those things.

[Brooke Devard]

It's amazing.

[Vanessa Lee]

And it was a beautiful facial treatment as well. So the nurse also gave me a facial. It was about two hours, my consultation with the dermatologist. She sat with me for about, I think, 30 minutes. We were just going over skin history and she was analyzing and showing me and telling me how to take care of my skin. Afterwards at the other clinic, I did the Onda for my arms picosure for my face and my neck. I had my titanium lifting, which was the skin tightening and face slimming. And then I also had an LDM treatment there as well. And that was also close to 850. It was just under 850, I believe. So it was like where one PicoSure treatment here in the US because, you know, Everything is so much more expensive for us here for so many different reasons. Is around 950 to 1400. So I got all of those things done. It was fantastic. So affordable.

[Brooke Devard]

That's. That's amazing. I'm sold. I'm sold. Well, you were talking about that doctor in Korea that's so hard to see. No one can get an appointment with her. But that is you in la, Vanessa. People, people will. They'll say, I'm trying to get in with Vanessa. Like, how do I see her? Her schedule's booked, she's packed. Everyone comes to see you.

[Vanessa Lee]

I know.

[Brooke Devard]

And I think your staff, all of your staff is extremely talented. You train them each personally. If someone is coming into. We do. And they just want. They're in their 30s, maybe early 40s. They just want a little, like, spark, a little lift. What are treatments that you recommend for everyone?

[Vanessa Lee]

Okay, great. So these are the treatments that I say, if you are 30 plus and have skin, this is for you.

[Brooke Devard]

Okay? Yes.

[Vanessa Lee]

So one is prfm.

[Brooke Devard]

Yeah.

[Vanessa Lee]

So platelet rich fibrin matrix. Not this PRF easy gel PRF wannabe prfm. You guys, the PR FM is the true PRFM that is trademarked by the company Self Fill. So all this, all this other stuff doesn't last as long. It's not as power. It's made from platelet poor plasma, not platelet rich. And who wants platelet poor? No, thank you. So the PRFM is great for skin thickening, for skin strengthening, for making sure that that scaffold of the skin is as young and healthy as possible. It's fantastic when it's injected with a cannula in the under eyes, which is.

[Brooke Devard]

What I did, because I have kind of dark circles under my eyes and thinner skin there. I feel like I need to come back and do more treatments.

[Vanessa Lee]

Yeah, we can do another one. So within one treatment, you already will see a significant difference. But if you do two in a year, that's like Megalodo. So I really love that treatment for the under eye area, for the fine lines around the mouth, and these all labial folds getting into the areas of the marionettes. And then when people smile and they start to get these radial lines back here, I do like to treat that area. You can also treat in front of the ear where that skin starts to thin. When that skin starts to thin, what happens is the tissues are able to shift forward more easily. So we want that elasticity to be preserved as much as possible. And then Sculptra is a bio stimulator. That I love to not mess with it. Everywhere in the face you'll see these, like, sculpture die Hards that you can put it anywhere. It's like, remember that movie Meet the Fockers? Like you, you can milk anything with nipples. You can't. You can't. So I like placing it towards the hairline in the outer portions of the face. That really needs some heavy lifting as far as, like, making sure the collagen is. Is as protected as possible. But leave the delicate stuff towards the center of the face to prfm. And then I would say Picosure Pro for sure. Picosure Pro is one of those things where you can do two to three treatments and be imp every single time, not just that third time. At the very end, you can be impressed and reset your skin. And then I would say those are probably the two. The two or three most important things. I feel like Botox. I love Botox so much. I love Neuromodulator so much. I love the Korean talk so much called Javo, which is approved here in the US now that we've started using. I love them so much for smoothing lines and. And stopping super strong dynamic movement. But I don't like it to freeze the face. Everyone should have movement. You gu. And that's one thing about Korea, they're not okay with movement. They want Botox all throughout the entire face and they want to have glass still skin and that's totally fine. But I think for like Southern California, we love emotions, we love expressing. Yeah. We love to connect through that. So. So I think Botox is great. But just do the right thing, smooth things out. But don't get carried away.

[Brooke Devard]

Yes. I'm going to ask you two last questions. I truly could talk to you about all of this all day. You've been very upfront about your GLP1 usage and how great that's been for you. And I haven'. Really had a conversation here on Naked Beauty with someone that is taking one. What has your experience been?

[Vanessa Lee]

My experience has been so excellent 10 out of 10 that I bought stock in the company. How about that? I'm not even kidding you. So about a year and a half, I was at Shani's, Shawnee Darden's. She was having a barbecue. She's a good friend of mine and she's a great esthetician here in Los Angeles.

[Brooke Devard]

She's a great host. Was it at her house?

[Vanessa Lee]

She is.

[Brooke Devard]

Yes, she is.

[Vanessa Lee]

And she was like talking to me about this and she's like, there's this New weight loss thing that everyone's talking about. And I was like, I usually know everything about everything. What is it?

[Brooke Devard]

This?

[Vanessa Lee]

And I had just completely healed from a surgery. I had a breast lift. And then the year before that, I had a mommy makeover. So I had like a Tummy Tuck and 360 Lipo, among some other things. And she was like, it's, it's weird that you don't know about this. And then I ended up researching it and I was like, hold on. I actually really love this because I was reading that it minimizes inflammation. It, you know, stops a lot of like the, the food chatter in your mind, like all of that. And I was like, let's try it out. Out. I ended up having, well, here's, here's the thing. I spoke to my general practitioner first about it and she was like, you're almost pre diabetic. I can't prescribe it to you at that time. And she was like, I just found.

[Brooke Devard]

Out I am pre diabetic.

[Vanessa Lee]

Oh my gosh. Well, insurance will cover it then.

[Brooke Devard]

Oh, gosh.

[Vanessa Lee]

And so she, okay, so I was feeling like my body is going through something. It's so hard for me to shed any weight. I'm eating healthy, I'm working out, I'm pickleballing left and right. How much more can I do? I'm chasing these three kids around the house and it's just not dropping. And she was like, you're almost pre diabetic. I would need you to be pre diabetic or diabetic to give you this medication to help you. And I was like, doc, you need me to be sick. You need me to be sick first to give this medication. Like, I, I, I'm almost there. So then I spoke to a different doctor and they were like, listen, I can prescribe it to you. You're just gonna have to pay full price for it. So that was the hard part. I was like, you know what? I just wanna try it and see how it goes. Not only was it so helpful for me to slowly and gradually lose weight over time, by the way, that doctor that I was seeing was like, you are going to meet with a nutritionist and a health coach every single week. That's what our program is. Because you need, it's a lifestyle change. Because if you stop this medication and you don't go through all of that.

[Brooke Devard]

Then you're gonna gain it all back.

[Vanessa Lee]

Exactly. Then what's it all for? So I ended up up starting on a very low dose and of manjaro and it was wonderful for me. But I did notice something that really surprised me. My ADHD medication, my Adderall seemed like it was like becoming more powerful on this. And I actually asked my doctor about it and he was like, it's so new that we just don't know how it interacts with it that much. And it's not been studied, so I don't know. But thank you for reporting it. So I actually got off of my Adderall because I was like, I just feel like I have so much more clarity.

[Brooke Devard]

Interesting.

[Vanessa Lee]

And I really only needed it when, like, you know, stuff was getting really, really intense in life and with work, I would have like the lowest dose possible of my Adderall. I actually tied her down, which my psychiatrist was like, this is wonderful. I'm really happy for you. And there's studies that are going to come out over time how this is going to help Alzheimer's and ADHD and all of these things.

[Brooke Devard]

I've read how it's helped people stop smoking, it's helped people drink less. It's seemed to have effects in all these areas of life.

[Vanessa Lee]

Yeah. So just within the first couple of months, I like, I don't know what this is, but I'm buying stock in this. Oh, my God, this is so amazing.

[Brooke Devard]

And so how much weight have you lost overall?

[Vanessa Lee]

Oh, my gosh. So after a year and a half, I lost 35 pounds, which I was so slow to lose the weight, by the way. I know a lot of people will, you know, the first couple of months they get on it, they lose the 30 pounds right away. I was really, really nervous about doing that because I saw what it was doing to some of my patients faces. I saw what it was, how it was reflecting in their skin. There was just so little subcutaneous tissue so that they were no longer plump, you know, that, that, that youthfulness in the tissues. And so I, I actually, even though I was taking the lowest dose for a long time, I would skip a couple of weeks in between with the guidance of my providers also. And at one point, I actually stopped for about four months and I gained three pounds back during that time. And I really attributed it to being able to have the health coach and the nutritionist and going through all of that. I had great habits by that point. Point. So now I'm on the lowest dose possible and I take it about once every three to four weeks. And that's just to maintain what it does for inflammation and how that helps me with my mental health too. And it's been great.

[Brooke Devard]

Amazing. I'm so happy you've had a positive experience. Yeah. My listeners will kill me if I don't ask you your top three favorite skincare products that you can't live without.

[Vanessa Lee]

Oh, my God, absolutely.

[Brooke Devard]

What are your. What are your go to's?

[Vanessa Lee]

Okay. So it's changed recently quite a bit ever since, since, you know, I. With my Korea trip. That's changed a lot of things for me. So number one, I would say is my barrier boost set. Well, no, I, that's not fair because that's three in one. Okay, I'll choose one out of the three from the barrier boost set. From the things we do, I would say it's the acid buff. So the acid buff has alpha glucan oligosaccharides. It's an at home peel that you can do that doesn't feel like an intense peel, but how it shows up for you literally the next morning, it looks like you've done probably five Dr. Dennis Gross without those, like swipey pads without all the irritation.

[Brooke Devard]

Okay.

[Vanessa Lee]

And so that's been my favorite for minimizing the appearance of pore size and for also increasing the healthy bacteria on the skin. Because of that alpha glucose, my cleanser has changed to. I mean, I still love the cleansers that I've been using and posting about. But I picked up something in Korea. It's anua and it's an anua dry rice powder that's a cleanser. So you have to add a little bit of water to it. So it's a very, very gentle exfoliant. But as it applies to the skin and you start lathering it up, it starts to act as like a ceramide cleanser. So it's almost like it's nourishing and moisturizing at the same time. But because it has that, the tiny granules of that rice powder, it starts off as a baby exfoliation, then it goes into a cream, which is beautiful. And then I would say number three is I have to be really thoughtful about.

[Brooke Devard]

Can I ask which sunscreen you use?

[Vanessa Lee]

Oh my gosh.

[Brooke Devard]

Because I know you're diligent about sunscreen, but people have such a hard time finding a sunscreen that they love. And please don't say something we can only buy in Asia because people will be like, no, I need something I can buy today.

[Vanessa Lee]

It's in Asia.

[Brooke Devard]

It's in Asia, of course.

[Vanessa Lee]

So I'm going to tell you two that I really love. Okay, I'm going to Tell you two. And one of them you can get here. So the one that you can get in the US but you have to order from Olive Young is Babua.

[Brooke Devard]

Babua.

[Vanessa Lee]

And it's so. It's B, A, B, U, A. And it's not a super fancy or super popular. You're not going to find this all over TikTok. A little lady in a pharmacy. I mean, can we just give her more credit? Vanessa. Thank you. She's a pharmacist. Intelligent woman. Was like, this is my favorite sunscreen. I think you should. So I brought it back home. It is delicious. And I do believe it is available on all of y' all Young. Other than that, I would say here in the U.S. oh, shoot.

[Brooke Devard]

What?

[Vanessa Lee]

It's going to be discontinued.

[Brooke Devard]

Okay, well, tell us now while we can still get it.

[Vanessa Lee]

It's called Unsung by Katanya Breaux, which.

[Brooke Devard]

Is Frank Ocean's mother.

[Vanessa Lee]

Yes. Yes.

[Brooke Devard]

Okay.

[Vanessa Lee]

I've been using it for years.

[Brooke Devard]

Wait, why is it being discontinued?

[Vanessa Lee]

She put a story out on it how when she first started selling in larger retail, I think it was cvs, there was something up with the contract, and then the numbers weren't correct, and she never fully recovered from that loss. And so it was just so hard to keep up with other newer brands. But it was nothing about the product. The product was genius. Just beautiful, and I love it so much. So buy all of it. Get out right now. Unsung, please.

[Brooke Devard]

I love this recommendation.

[Vanessa Lee]

Okay. And then something that does exist right now, I will say this. This is not very sexy at all, but Skin Medica by Allergan has a sunscreen called Essential Defense. So I have that. Is it the clear one or the tinted?

[Brooke Devard]

I have a mineral one, and it, like, looks.

[Vanessa Lee]

Looks.

[Brooke Devard]

It's very. It does not blend into my skin.

[Vanessa Lee]

Yes. The clear one is the one that I like.

[Brooke Devard]

Okay. I haven't tried that one.

[Vanessa Lee]

I think Skin Medica tried to get it right with the tint, and they just cannot. So I like the clear one, and it's beautiful. But what I like about it is that it wears really light, but is still a strong enough spf. And it has a lot of. There's, like, antioxidants. So. So there's a lot of antioxidants in it as well. So it's protecting your skin in different ways, and it's also anti aging at the same time.

[Brooke Devard]

Amazing. Vanessa Lee. Wow. First of all, you guys, this was like. This was a free episode. You guys got this for free. And the amount of knowledge that you dropped on us has been.

[Vanessa Lee]

That's too much words. I'm so sorry. Thank you for having me.

[Brooke Devard]

Thank you. I need you back. Like, this needs to just be like a monthly segment where we love that. Give, you know, you give us the latest. I can't let you go without asking you, when do you feel most beautiful?

[Vanessa Lee]

Oh, gosh, I feel the most beautiful right when I wake up and I realize, guys, I'm still fucking here. And I think as a mom, you, you go into existential thoughts a lot, you know, so right when I wake up, when I see that morning light and I go, what am I going to do today? What am I going to have in my coffee today? And I just, I have a beautiful backyard and it spans over this green valley and there's nature everywhere. There's like donkeys and sheep and horses and all of that right in my backyard. I can go ahead and see that they don't belong to me. They're my neighbors, by the way. And that's just when I feel complete and safe and gorgeous. And by the way, I haven't eaten for the past 8 hours cuz I was sleeping. I'm tiny, so I feel gorgeous when I wake up.

[Brooke Devard]

I love it. I love it. Vanessa, thank you so much for coming on and I can't wait to have you back.

[Vanessa Lee]

Oh, thank you. Can't wait to be back. Thank you so much. Acast powers the world's best podcasts. Here's a show that we recommend. Love music. We do too.

[Brooke Devard]

Well, if you ever feel like it's.

[Vanessa Lee]

Hard to keep up though, don't worry.

[Brooke Devard]

We'Re here to help. Monday through Friday, daily music headlines gets.

[Vanessa Lee]

You the top happenings in music from.

[Brooke Devard]

Chart toppers, news releases, concert announcements and.

[Vanessa Lee]

More all in less than five minutes. Don't miss out. Get the show at dailymusicheadlines.com Acast helps creators launch, grow and monetize their podcasts everywhere.