Start with being beautiful on the inside. I think a person’s internal beauty and energy is equally as powerful as external beauty. Some of the most beautiful people in the world don’t feel that way about themselves and its always a shame to see. When you have more than just your external beauty you have something to fall back on when you are not always feeling your best. One of the things lacking in our world today is an understanding of beauty. It is much more than external. There is power, sexuality, humor, intelligence, and attitude that all contribute to someone’s beauty.
As a part of our series about how technology will be changing the beauty industry over the next five years I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Christie Prendergast.
Dr. Christie is a double-board certified female plastic surgeon with a non-traditional path to medicine. She grew up in Europe & Asia with a large family and as a first-generation physician, never dreamed of becoming a doctor. At age 17, with $100 to her name, she moved to Los Angeles and through hard work and mentorship, found her way into medicine. Her osteopathic medical degree laid down the foundation of a holistic approach to plastic surgery — treating inside-out. Her passion for helping others, cancer research, and surgical artistry lead her to pursue a career in general surgery as well as plastic surgery.
Dr. Christie’s vision is to collectively use 16 years of education to change the beauty world! She wants to start by make beauty procedures less overwhelming for consumers through education and curating beauty treatments. The Beauty MatrixTM is a treatment strategy developed by Dr. Christie to help patients desiring rejuvenation navigate through cosmetic treatments. She believes correctly addressing all the components of aging with a long-term strategy yields the best natural results.
Dr. Christie is recognized by colleagues and industry professionals as rising star within the field of plastic surgery. She shares a passion for innovation, collaboration, entrepreneurship, & technology but isn’t afraid to call out the hype. She collaborates with the top cosmetic companies in R&D, education, and is a brand ambassador for many aesthetic technologies. Despite her many accomplishments, those who know Dr. Christie can speak of her kindness, excellent bedside manner, and dedication to her patients. To learn more about Dr. Christie, visit www.drchristiela.com
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit more about you. Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
I had a very unconventional path to medicine that started with realizing at a young age that the key to overcoming my socioeconomic disadvantaged background was education. When I was 17 I was living in LA supporting myself with no formal education and working odd jobs to make a living. I quickly realized that I needed to change my world because I wanted to give myself and my family a better life. I wasn’t sure where to start, but I knew that if I started with school, I would eventually figure it out. I started off by enrolling in junior college while working a full-time job supporting myself and my siblings.
At the time, my only influence was traveling all over the world and so I thought I wanted to be a journalist. Because of my lack of formal education as a child, I had really never had any exposure to math or science at this point in my life. As soon as I was exposed to science I was immediately fascinated. I never really considered being a doctor as I just didn’t think this was in the realm of possibility and did not have exposure to doctors as a child so it wasn’t even on my radar.
It was through mentorship at the university while teaching organic chemistry that one of my professors asked me if I had ever considered becoming a doctor that first made me consider pursuing medicine as a career. And this is what I love about mentorship, sometimes it can be as simple as taking an extra interest in someone’s future. After some research into medicine, I decided this was definitely the career path for me and I worked very hard to be given equal opportunity for acceptance. This was difficult as I had limited financial resources to apply to medical school and also had no connections for internships, research, or interviews. Through a lot of hard work, I was accepted in to medical school and found my way in to plastic surgery and have never looked back!
When I was young I never dreamed of becoming anything because my life was consumed with surviving. In a world where it is is harder and harder for kids that come from disadvantaged backgrounds to see equality in opportunity, I want to be an example of what you can achieve with hard work and mentorship.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
Ha! I could literally write a book on interesting stories as a surgeon! Every day there are interesting stories. It’s hard to just pick one! I am a tiny person and am always mistaken for every other title except surgeon but, in my trauma surgery training my tiny size made me ideal for certain foreign body retrievals. As you can imagine, this comes with a number of interesting stories. As a plastic surgeon in the meca of los Angeles, I have met some interesting characters and had to accommodate a variety of requests and this is why there are shows like “Botched.”
But in all seriousness, there have been moments throughout my career that have been very impactful. I think every physician can say that COVID has been a recent interesting time for all of us. For me it was a forced pause in my clinical practice since starting this crazy whirlwind of a journey 18 years ago. It was also a time of transition and uncertainty that forced me to re-evaluate my career as a whole and once again, set an intention for how I would like to see my future. As a surgeon you never get the luxury of time so I took this opportunity to reset and focus on building my entrepreneurial goals.
Are you able to identify a “tipping point” in your career when you started to see success? Did you start doing anything different? Are there takeaways or lessons that others can learn from that?
Success is an accomplishment of a goal and I would say throughout my life, I have had many little successes. My first and most memorable success was graduating from college. This was a huge personal accomplishment for me as it was my most challenging obstacle. I know I have only been able to achieve each goal by taking them one at a time, understanding the long term plan, and expecting challenges along the way. I have also worked my way from a childhood where we had nothing to becoming a plastic surgeon. I am so grateful that I have had this unique journey to medicine as I feel that growing up with responsibility and struggling to survive has given me a unique set of skills that I can apply to other aspects of my business. I also think innovation requires going outside your comfort zone and my childhood was all about being put outside comfort zones. What I like to tell those who I mentor is that your past sets the path for your future so remember that in the present!
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person to whom you are grateful who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
I completely agree and I am no exception to this. I have had a number of people who have had key influences throughout my life that guided me to where I am at today. First, my grandfather was a math professor and seeing how he was able to provide for his family through education is what gave me my starting point.
One of the things that I love about medicine is the built-in mentorship. From college to completion of my training I have had key people who have influenced me through each step. I initially started college planning on doing optometry. I eventually transferred from junior college to college and while teaching organic chemistry to make extra money, my professor asked me if I ever thought of going to medical school. I ultimately ended up applying to medical school because of his encouragement.
In medical school, I was influenced by my City of Hope Cancer Center rotation and chose to go in to general surgery. I was fascinated by cancer biology and the complexity of cancer surgeries and was going to become a surgical oncologist. I ultimately chose plastic surgery when I saw what plastic surgeons can do as both artist and surgeon. I was hooked!
I love to mentor and believe it is such an important part of medicine and that collaboration not competition should always be part of our profession. I have integrated it into my company by helping junior surgeons coming out of training. This is a time in a young surgeons life where a lot of the built-in mentorship from training is suddenly over. Traditionally, we have also been part of a profession that can be very competitive and predatory at times. It is challenging for a young but very qualified surgeon to start trying to make a living, have confidence as a surgeon, obtain board certification, and run a full business for the first time in your life trust me, I know!. My goal is to help make this transition a little easier for them.
Ok super. Let’s now shift to the main part of our discussion. The beauty industry today has access to technology that was inconceivable only a short time ago. Can you tell us about the “cutting edge” pardon the pun technologies that you are working with or introducing? How do you think that will help people?
We are in a cutting edge time in the beauty industry as the consumer demand for less invasive procedures has driven companies to new constantly invent new technologies. Technology really refers to all the energy devices that we utilize like lasers, ultrasound, radio frequency, etc. While a lot of the energy types are not new, the delivery of the energy is what has been refined over time. These refinements are built around giving patients more predictable results and improving patient safety.
I see a big future in the aesthetic technology as we are living in a world that is very conscious of beauty & wellness and there is a demand for less invasive treatments. Patients are interested in treatments that help them feel and look their best at every age without the need for surgery. I think a lot of these treatments go hand-in-hand with wellness. Investing in your skin and preventative measures are always going to pay forward when it comes to aging. At the same time, we are also in a rapidly growing cosmetic world where there is equally as much hype and scam artists trying to capitalize. My goal is to help shape the aesthetic world by making sure patients are educated about treatments so that they get a good return on their investment, and more importantly, don’t get “botched.”
My company is called Curated Beauty Rx because we really curate all of our products, technology, and services that we offer to patients. There is a lot of work into researching technology and understanding each device, indications, and appropriate patient selection as well as technologies that will be a good return on investment for both the practice and patient. So, when I chose a technology or device to carry and offer my patients it is after a lot of research into the technology and company. What I am looking for in both the technology and company is strong science and R&D with predictable results, robust safety profiles, low recurring costs, and something that can be used on all skin types. I am particularly excited about devices that offer options for all skin types especially ethnic skin (from a selfish perspective), but also because there are not a lot of great options for darker skin types. From the manufacturer of the technology, I want to see support of physicians/practices that carry their technology by offering ongoing training, networking, and marketing support.
I am really, really excited about a new technology that has not even hit the market! Alma laser has released Opus which is a plasma resurfacing and tightening technology & I have partnered with them as a brand ambassador. What is so exciting about this technology is that unlike other traditional forms of energy, plasma energy has really not been utilized in the aesthetics industry so it is a whole new approach to resurfacing and tightening. And, because this technology does not produce any heat, it can be safely used for all skin types. Ethnic skin does not typically do well with technology because heat-based treatments can stimulate pigment and is one of the things we struggle with. But on the flip side, we typically have thicker skin that responses very well to the skin tightening and remodeling effects of technology. It is really exciting to be able to have options for resurfacing that can be safely used on every skin type.
Another technology that I am really loving right now for my skincare services is the Salt Facial. They have a very unique facial machine that does not use suction for exfoliation but rather natural salt crystals that can be gentle or cranked up to act like an ablative laser. Once again, this is an excellent machine for patients who have sensitive skin like rosacea or are doing skincare in combination with other anti-aging technologies. This machine is also great for all skin types and conditions and combined with ultrasound and LED therapy this is a great return on investment for a practice.
Keeping “Black Mirror” and the “Law of Unintended Consequences” in mind, can you see any potential drawbacks about this technology that people should think more deeply about?
There can always be unintentional side effects to technology and this can be prevented by educating patients on which treatments are appropriate for them and improving the expertise of providers performing these treatments. All of the unintended side effects I have seen are due to either poor patient selection for the technology or lack of understanding of the technology by the technician. As we have more untrained providers entering the cosmetic world, we are going to be seeing more unintended results.
For example, I recently saw an Asian patient who had an energy-based treatment for skin tightening that caused the desired tightening however resulted in a line of pigmentation straight across her face. In this case, it doesn’t matter how much tightening you have achieved you have lost the battle because this patient has a permanent dark spot across her face that will be a challenge to reverse.
Another example, is a technology that is for skin tightening but also can result in volume loss. Volume loss is another component of aging so if you lose volume you are not going to appreciate the effects of the tightening. This would be an example of choosing the inappropriate candidate for the technology. So a technology is only as good as its technician!
I also recently saw a patient who was 25 years old and had 9 syringes of filler in her face! At this age, we are really not experiencing volume loss from aging. This poor patient wasn’t sure what was wrong with her but after analyzing her earlier pictures we realized she had lost a lot of her identity as she looked like a completely different ethnicity with that much volume in her face! After dissolving her whole face she looked normal again and we could start over with a strategy that started with addressing her acne skin (much higher yield for her). This is the kind of misguided beauty that wastes young girls money and causes unnecessary distress by not doing what is best for the patient or having a comprehensive approach.
These are the kinds of things that should be kept in mind when navigating through medical spa treatments. Technology is a double-edged sword and many of these technologies are backed by a lot of marketing without a lot of substance or safety directions and can have many unintended consequences. This is one of the reasons I developed the Beauty MatrixTM.
Can you share three things that most excite you about the “beauty-tech” industry? Can you share a few things that concern you? How can we address these concerns?
1) I get most excited about skin tightening technologies. I think this area of technology is still in its infancy and the demand is going to drive new combinations for better results.
2) Using technology to create individualized patient experiences.
3) Technology shaping the way that patients approach beauty treatments
1. I am concerned about the amount of providers entering into the industry without the necessary aesthetic background to actually give good long-term advice. The core specialists that have extensive training in aesthetics are first plastic surgeons, facial plastic surgeons, oculoplastic surgeons, & dermatologist. There is a reason why some of us go through years of extra training to ensure that we have the foundations for sound decisions and patient safety in place. Some of the unnatural beauty trends we are seeing is due to the loss of balance of all the components of aging and no long-term treatment plan. If you go to a medical spa that just does injections, guess what you are going to get? An injection! This is fine for a few times but over a period of a year or two you need to address other areas of aging and not just utilize injectables.
2. The other thing that concerns me is that many technology companies are first, directly marketing to consumers and then, present themselves to physician practices with technologies that are meant just to generate revenue. These can be expensive machines that deliver subpar results and do not offer a good return on investment for either the physician or patient. We need to do a better job as physicians to verify the technologies we invest in and take the opportunity to learn them in depth so we can get the best value for our practice and patients.
3. Lastly, I also think that there is way too much competition within the industry when there should be more collaboration. With collaboration and mentorship we can give our patients better results and guide patients to those best suited to treat them.
I am working on making strides to reform these parts of our industry by partnering with companies as a brand ambassador, key opinion leader, or consultant to be able to influence practitioners using these technologies to not only be educated about the technology but also understand where that treatment fits within the larger spectrum of a patients aging journey.
I have also developed a treatment guide called The Beauty MatrixTM to help educate patients and industry providers on putting all these treatments together from skin care to plastic surgery! Say a patient wants to rejuvenate their face but doesn’t know where to start? This guide helps patients navigate through the medical spa world. This helps patients create their own tailored beauty journey and gain the knowledge on each treatment so that they can get a good return on their investments. The primary goal of this concept is empowerment through education.
I am also working on creating a CBRx referral network where like-minded colleagues can work together to collaborate. This is also for ancillary services like eyelash artists, hair stylists, brow and tattoo artists, etc. and we are actively accepting applications for the network! Appropriate qualifications is the minimum requirement but we are also looking for other things like bedside manner, beauty philosophy, professionalism, office standards, experience, and artistry. I have met so many talented, passionate people in the beauty industry and I want to bring all this talent together for the good of our patients.
You are an expert about beauty. Can you share 5 ideas that anyone can use “to feel beautiful”? (Please share a story or example for each.)
1. Start with being beautiful on the inside. I think a person’s internal beauty and energy is equally as powerful as external beauty. Some of the most beautiful people in the world don’t feel that way about themselves and its always a shame to see. When you have more than just your external beauty you have something to fall back on when you are not always feeling your best. One of the things lacking in our world today is an understanding of beauty. It is much more than external. There is power, sexuality, humor, intelligence, and attitude that all contribute to someone’s beauty.
2. Skincare. Good skin always helps you feel beautiful. This can be very achievable with a strategy and understanding of the products even if you are not blessed with genetically perfect skin. But, this is not something that happens overnight. Making this a priority in your beauty routine is important and worth the long-term investment.
3. Staying true to your natural self. I think the trend of fake beauty leads to a lot of long-term dissatisfaction because its almost like you are playing a character that isn’t really you and there is sometimes no end to the maintenance involved in this look. If you try to look your best in your natural state you will age more gracefully and it will feel more authentic. I don’t care how great you look on IG with a filter or photoshop, at the end of the day, we have to take our makeup and filters off and be more than just pretty.
4. Keeping up with other beauty services. I always think that a nice set of eyelashes, getting your nails done, or shaping your brows can really frame your features and help you feel beautiful.
5. Taking time for wellness. We never feel beautiful when we have been running around like a crazy person without time for ourselves. I know I feel the best when I am well-rested, exercised, and internally optimized. One of the areas that I think complements external beauty treatments is addressing your internal biochemical state and overall mental wellness. Whatever routine you may have that makes you feel rejuvenated is so important to maintain. I also think that these days, we are just not getting what we need from a nutrition standpoint in our food, and supplementation with the right products is really important to supporting all the external beauty treatments that we are doing.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
I am passionate about bringing equal opportunity and equality in healthcare and specifically in the beauty industry. I would like to inspire a movement of equal opportunity for other kids like me who need mentorship to guide them to careers they may not even consider. I would also like to inspire equality in the beauty industry by helping to bring to market technologies and products that address all ethnicities and offer solutions for all different skin types.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
Yes, I love the quote: “Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny.” I am at a point in my life where I can reflect on all the hardships of where I came from and where I am at and see the lessons along the way. I often thought of this quote during the difficult times. It helped me not give up on always striving to achieve my maximum potential. I have learned that every challenge in life prepares you for your future and you really have to go through the hard times to develop the emotional bandwidth and skill sets needed for achieving greatness. So, with that, you should not have any regrets but take each experience as a lesson in something that your future self with you thank you for!
How can our readers follow you online?
curatedbeautyrx.com @doctor.christie
Thank you so much for joining us. This was very inspirational.
My pleasure. Thank you for the opportunity!
Dr. Christie Prendergast: “Why you should start with being beautiful on the inside” was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.