August 14, 2025

00:32:39

Innovating Cosmetic Dermatology with Dr. Sergio and Marly Gaitan: Self-Pay Success and Social Media Savvy

Innovating Cosmetic Dermatology with Dr. Sergio and Marly Gaitan: Self-Pay Success and Social Media Savvy
SKIN DEEP
Innovating Cosmetic Dermatology with Dr. Sergio and Marly Gaitan: Self-Pay Success and Social Media Savvy

Aug 14 2025 | 00:32:39

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Show Notes

"Opening up our own private practice together has been such an incredible experience. It's so meaningful that we're able to help so many people and make a difference in so many lives." - Marly Gaitan 

Dr. Anna Chacon interviews Dr. Sergio Gaitan and his wife Marly, the dynamic duo behind Certified Cosmetics, a Miami-based cosmetic dermatology practice. Dr. Gaitan brings a unique engineering background to dermatology, focusing on data-driven treatment selection and cutting-edge laser technology. Their innovative self-pay, patient-centric model emphasizes efficiency and minimal downtime treatments while building a nationwide clientele through robust social media marketing strategies. With advanced laser technology and streamlined appointment booking systems, they've revolutionized the traditional dermatology experience in West Kendall. 

The interview explores their biggest challenges: educating patients about the self-pay model and maintaining work-life balance as a couple running a business together. Their successes include positive patient feedback, strong reputation building, and attracting clients nationwide through platforms like YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, and Google My Business. They discuss measuring patient satisfaction through direct feedback and before-and-after photos, which serve as crucial screening tools. Future goals include service expansion, continued community engagement including Nicaraguan community outreach, and maintaining personalized care with transparent pricing. 

In This Episode: 

  • (00:00) Why insurance companies prevent doctors from being experts 
  • (02:17) From preschool sweethearts to dermatology power couple 
  • (05:22) Choosing Miami and cosmetic dermatology as their artistic calling 
  • (07:49) Data-driven approach over trends: selecting the best laser technology 
  • (10:22) The main challenge of educating patients about self-pay dermatology 
  • (13:54) Working as a married couple: boundaries and balance advice 
  • (17:36) Transparent pricing and eliminating surprise medical bills 
  • (21:47) The red flag that makes them turn away cosmetic patients 
  • (25:15) Community engagement and serving the Nicaraguan population 
  • (28:07) Biggest startup expenses and the cost of cutting-edge equipment 
  • (30:02) Social media strategy across all platforms for nationwide reach 
  • Share with a dermatology pro you know, like and subscribe to hear all of our future episodes! 

About the show: Welcome to Skin Deep, a podcast designed for dermatology professionals. Host Dr. Anna Chacon, a distinguished dermatologist and author, shares her unique experiences and offers valuable insights on the future of dermatology, including telemedicine and teledermatology in reaching underserved communities. Dr. Chacon provides actionable recommendations for dermatology practices, emphasizing compassion, patient education, and staying current with advancements in the field. 

About the host: Dr. Anna Chacon, board-certified dermatologist and founder of Indigenous Dermatology, specializes in treating patients in remote and rural communities. As the first dermatologist serving Alaska's Bush region, she travels by bush plane to reach isolated communities. Dr. Chacon holds medical licenses in all 50 states, DC, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, providing both in-person and teledermatology services. 

Resources:  
Website: https://www.certifiedcosmeticsmiami.com/ 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/certifiedcosmeticsmiami 
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CertifiedCosmeticsandSkinCare 
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@certifiedcosmeticsmiami 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CertifiedCosmeticsandSkinCare 

Website: www.drannachacon.com  
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/miamiderm  
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/miamiderm/  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/miamiderm/ 

Chapters

  • (00:00:00) - Taking insurance off my patients' hands
  • (00:00:31) - Meet Dr. Sergio Gaetan
  • (00:03:14) - Married Dermatologists: How to Work Together as a Cou
  • (00:05:11) - What motivated you to start a cosmetic dermatology practice in Miami?
  • (00:06:15) - How to care for hyperpigmentation with a laser
  • (00:09:11) - What are the biggest challenges facing your practice?
  • (00:12:05) - How has cosmetic dermatology changed recently?
  • (00:13:48) - Brian and Sergio: Going into Business Together
  • (00:15:20) - What are the differences between private dermatologists and hospitals?
  • (00:16:45) - Beyond the Dentist: Future Goals
  • (00:17:28) - dermatologist: No surprise bills under Medicare or Medicaid
  • (00:21:24) - How to get the best result from your cosmetic dermatology patients?
  • (00:24:25) - How to Get Botox
  • (00:25:04) - Dermatologist and Nicaraguan doctor volunteer in Miami
  • (00:27:52) - Start a New Practice
  • (00:31:20) - A Taste of Private Practice
View Full Transcript

Episode Transcript

[00:00:00] Speaker A: That was the main challenge, not taking insurance. The insurance has gotten so crazy with these high deductibles and, you know, all these hidden costs and charges. You know, as a doctor, it was hard to deliver care, compassionate care, and get patients what they need. When you have someone telling you, no, you can't use that medication, no, you can't do that, have them fail this, this is the medication we cover. And what's the point of being an expert if you have an insurance company telling you what to do? You're no longer an expert. You just work for them. Welco. [00:00:31] Speaker B: Welcome to skin group. I'm Dr. Anish Chacon and today we have a very special guest joining us. Get ready for some expert insights you won't want to miss. We have Dr. Gaetan and his wife Marly Gaetan, who owned certified cosmetics and skincare in Miami. Tell us a little bit about yourselves. [00:00:53] Speaker C: My name's Marlee. I'm an RN, BSN and I work with my husband, Dr. Sergio Gaetan. We opened up our own dermatology office in May of 2023. Private practice, self pay with a focus on cosmetics and lasers. [00:01:12] Speaker A: Yeah, I'm Dr. Sergio Gaetan. I'm blessed to work with my wife. And we have our own practice where we do, we do dermatology, all types. Mainly focus on cosmetic, laser, natural skin rejuvenation. And we're just trying to push the field forward with comfortable treatments to look young forever. [00:01:30] Speaker B: How long has your practice been open? [00:01:33] Speaker A: About a year and a half. [00:01:34] Speaker B: I know where it is, but for our audience locally and abroad, where exactly? What part of Miami is it? [00:01:41] Speaker C: So we're located in West Kendall, so Kendall Drive and 165th Avenue. [00:01:47] Speaker B: How can people find you and book an appointment or to learn more? [00:01:51] Speaker A: Yeah. On our website, www.certifiedcosmeticsmiami.com. there you'll see all about us. You'll see our information, location and online. We have a book now button and you can click on that and it's really easy to make an appointment. We made it as simple as getting food over the Internet. [00:02:11] Speaker B: We both practice in Miami where it can be a little difficult to practice sometimes. Tell me what inspired you to go into this space and away from the health insurance space space of dermatology. [00:02:26] Speaker A: We went self pay ever since we started our practice. We went self pay from the beginning. I was an engineer in undergrad and you know, everything engineers, we love efficiency and we just wanted to build a system that was purely efficient, focus on patient satisfaction, kind of introduce a hospitality aspect to medicine, which I think was lacking. And I know. I think insurance just kind of get in the way of taking care of patients. I think as dermatology, we're lucky that we don't need all these fancy machines or tests, CT scans, MRIs, blood tests, most of the stuff we can do in our office. And we can practice independence. So it's one of the fields that we're pretty ripe for being direct to the patient. And with anything direct, you cut out middlemen, you cut out costs, Everybody wins. [00:03:14] Speaker B: Tell us a little bit about your background, how you met, and what inspired you to pursue a career in dermatology and medicine. [00:03:21] Speaker C: So we actually met in preschool, which is incredible that we've known each other since we were four years old. But really, we connected in high school. We were in several classes together our senior year, and that's when we became friends. And we were both going to be going to the University of Florida when we graduated. So we started officially dating as soon as we graduated high school. So we've been together ever since our first year of college when we were in ufc. And, you know, I've been able to be lucky since I pursued a degree as an rn. I can find a job anywhere. So during his medical school training, I moved with him. We moved from Houston, Texas, to San Diego, California, and then to North Carolina and then back home to Miami. So we've been together for a while. It was always like our plan in the future. We, once he opened up his own private practice, that I would join him and help him build, you know, his dream and our dream together. [00:04:24] Speaker A: Yeah, it's been great. I get to work with my wife, my best friend. [00:04:28] Speaker B: What makes it sometimes hard to work together as a couple. You know, I know that you guys don't have any employees, Is that correct? [00:04:35] Speaker A: Yeah. At this moment, it's kind of just us two as we're getting started. I love it personally, but I'll let her talk. [00:04:43] Speaker C: Yeah, it can definitely have its challenges. You know, that's why we're kind of like a yin and yang always on. So when he goes home, he doesn't turn off where I want to kind of disconnect a little bit. So just finding that balance, to be able to have a successful practice and then also have a successful marriage. So that's something we work on on a daily basis. Just, you know, figuring out where our boundaries are, that will make both of us happy and allow us to continue to thrive in our business as well. [00:05:11] Speaker B: And what motivated you to start a cosmetic dermatology practice in Miami versus elsewhere. And cosmetic dermatology vers other aspects of dermatology. [00:05:22] Speaker A: I was born and raised in Miami, my wife's from Miami, so we were coming to Miami either way. And so as a dermatologist, you know, I always like, I've always been artistic and creative and I think cosmetic dermatology is just a field where it's, it's very artistic and that's kind of what drew me to it. Like it's very skill heavy. And it depends, you know, on your technique, your tools you have. You can completely create different things versus like, you know, the other types of surgical is similar as well. But you know, certain dermatology, like medical, you know, psoriasis, there's a couple medications that you can use. And there's an art to it too as well. But you know, the end product of psoriasis, always clear skin. Right. The end product of cosmetic dermatology, that's very person dependent who was taking care of you. So that's what I liked about it in the terms of like the art aspect. [00:06:15] Speaker B: And then what are some of the most popular treatments that you offer at your practice? [00:06:19] Speaker A: What's special about our practice is we have the latest laser technology. You know, we opened a year and a half ago. My oldest laser we're talking about, we're now in 2025, it's two years old. So we're using a lot of stuff that when I graduated residency didn't even exist. So it's cool. We're combining our lasers. We're seeing results that we've never seen before. Minimal downtime, super comfortable. It's really awesome. And we're bringing in a lot of stuff from other countries that's finally available in the US So as you know, as a medical doctor, I gotta wait for the approval from the FDA for clearance for many of the products. And a lot of stuff has come in. One that's really popular right now is Reguron that we're using. But we have a special way of using it where we've figured out a way how to do it comfortably and still get amazing results. So that's been our most popular treatment. And then our Pico laser, which is a pigment laser and we live in Miami. Everybody too much, so much sun. Everyone has hyperpigmentation. A lot of people treat it with like IPLS or other lasers which create heat. You know, ours is so powerful. It can do it with no pain and no downtime. It truly is like, it's groundbreaking. And we're just touching the surface of it, like the machines just got this power about less, not, not even a year of the machine's been out with this level of power and we're able to do things that used to take three sessions in one session and everybody wins. Patients love it, we love it. It's incredible. [00:07:49] Speaker B: How do you stay updated with the latest trends? [00:07:52] Speaker A: I don't really do trends, I do more the data. Published literature, you know, there's journals like cosmetic dermatology journals, foreign journals. I'm always in those, reading those and seeing what's up. And a lot of the stuff though we come up with, you know, as an engineer I kind take a problem based approach to everything. And so, you know, when I bought my lasers, you know, there's so many lasers out there, there's so many energy based devices. Like how do you choose? Well, the way I did it was, you know, I saw what problems I deal with as a dermatologist. And then for instance, hyperpigmentation, redness and burning, skin laxity, you know, pores, those are the problems that my patients were having. And so for each of those problems, we went out and got the best technology. As an engineer, I say best based on a technical aspect. You know, the most power, the most energy. So all of our machines, they, they can do things that no other machine can do. And that's the cool thing because when you're technical you can get reach areas that you couldn't do. Right. So we don't buy based on marketing and what's the most heavily marketed device or what patients are asking for. We buy based on the best technical because we know that we'll be able to deliver with it. [00:09:11] Speaker B: What are some of the biggest challenges you face in your practice? [00:09:15] Speaker C: I would definitely say just getting the word out to everyone about our office. You know, as a new office we've been a year and a half and so just letting people know where we are, having them find us. Now we're getting a lot of word of mouth, a repeat of patients of ours, but that's always a challenge in any new business, you know, especially since our office is so specialized as a self pay cosmetic dermatology office. You know, we do get lots of calls, but a lot of people will ask right away, do you take insurance? And so kind of like trying to educate them on the phone very quickly so that they understand it's not the same experience. We're not the same as other offices that take insurance to kind of get our point across. And a lot of people surprisingly now are really Wising up and realize, yes, you know, I don't want to be waiting two hours in the waiting room and to have a five, 10 minute visit. So yes, that sounds good. I'm booking. [00:10:12] Speaker A: Yeah. I think like she said that that was the main challenge, not taking insurance because most people are used to the insurance based care, what we do. It's kind of how most people are accustomed. They think that but the insurance has gotten so crazy with these high deductibles and you know, all these hidden costs and charges. You as a doctor, it was hard to deliver care, compassionate care and get patients what they need. When you have someone telling you no, you can't use that medication, no, you can't do that, have them fail this, this is the medication we cover. And what's the point of being an expert if you have an insurance company telling you what to do, you're no longer an expert. You just work for them. You know, not directly, but indirectly. So at that point we decided no, you know, we're going to do everything I've done. I've always been elite. I've been top of my class and everything. Medical school and you know, it's all about being elite. And you can't have people that want to limit you when you're trying to do what's best for your patients. And that, that's kind of like the main thing. I think patients see it, time is the most valuable thing. Everyone talks about money, but the people with the most money, they'll tell you time is the most valuable thing. And you know, once you realize that, the money just comes. But it's kind of one of those things where we were at every other office I used to work with, people would wait two hours to see the doctor. Two hours out of your life. I mean people are, I mean we live in a busy world and that was just unacceptable. And I think it's not possible to do that, taking insurance and all and all that stuff. So we just focused on making sure our patients time was the most valuable, make every experience they have with us comfortable and personalized. And at the end of the day we just take care of them like they were our family. And I think that's what leads to our success. [00:12:05] Speaker B: How has the demand for cosmetic dermatology changed recently, especially with social media and images? I know you guys are, you take a lot of before and afters and you're active on social media. What would you have to say about that? [00:12:18] Speaker A: I think in Miami, cosmetic dermatology has always been in, in the past A lot of people would, you know, they associate. A term came out called injectors. I don't know if you've heard the term injector. You know, that was the things you inject stuff into people. Me, personally, I like to do things comfortably. So a lot of people do it with needles and sticking stuff in your face. We do it with light. That's what makes it special. And we're really big on before and afters because these cosmetic treatments, patients pay for these things to try to feel better. And the times I've heard, oh, I spent so much money and no result. Why would you buy something that you never saw what the result was possible? So we show our results, and the patients see themselves in that. Yeah, I look like that. And then, boom, one month later, they look just like that picture I showed them. And so it kind of sells itself, you know, cosmetic industries. A lot of hoopla, smokes and mirrors. And, you know, a lot of even people will talk about, like, oh, why we don't share results. You know, we share results, but there's also 90% we don't share. But we have that many great results that we're able to put so many before and afters out. [00:13:32] Speaker C: Yeah, we ask for our patients permission. You know, this is something very important to us. So, you know, as long as they're comfortable. And we always try to make it so that, you know, they're not identifiable, but that you can see the actual before and after result. [00:13:48] Speaker B: What advice would you give to other couples considering going into business together or families going into business together? [00:13:54] Speaker C: I would definitely say we have another friend in a different state, that they are also a husband and wife, and they were in practice together, and so they kind of gave us a little bit of advice. It's definitely challenging. We hear so many times in our office from our own patients. Wow, I can't believe you guys work together. Like, I can never work with my spouse. And it does take a special dynamic to be able to work together. There's always going to be somebody that, you know, is. Is just a little bit more involved, more heavy on focusing on things, and then somebody else they're balancing. And, you know, that's how I feel like it works for us. Sergio is very much, you know, always on trying to find the best things for our office to improve, and I'm there to support him. But when we come home, I remind him, I'm like, okay, we're home. Let's talk about this tomorrow when we're in the office. So, you know, it's definitely something that will take time, you know, to get the hang of it. But in the end, when we have our wins and our successes, when we see our patients so happy and tell us how they love coming to see us because we're family, you know, they feel comfortable when it's a husband and wife. They know we're there to do the best because we're really invested in our office, you know, that makes all the difference for us. [00:15:11] Speaker A: Yeah, I think the advice is to be flexible. At the end of the day, it's the marriage supersedes the business, and so that's the top priority. [00:15:20] Speaker B: I remember you mentioning this to me, but there's very few dermatologists left in private practice, especially where we are. I think you could count them on your hand. How many people are not tied to private equity or a hospital or university? What are some of the differences you see between these private practices that are still there and some are old, some are new versus big groups like platinum dermatology, Skin and cancer, Derm care, University of Miami Baptist. [00:15:53] Speaker A: I can't really speak to the experience per se for there, like for all of them. I've worked personally with one of them and I can just say that, you know, the experience is totally different. When you call our office, you speak to someone. There's no phone tree, there's no speaking to someone in a call center, speaking to someone in another country. I think when you do the stuff that we do, you know, very specialized work, patients like to have that comfort that they could reach you if they need you. And that's one of the things that was very important to me when we were starting our practice. When it comes to the biggest thing I see is wait time. With us, there's absolutely no wait time. You can book your appointment to see a board certified dermatologist within a week. And I think that's unheard of anywhere in the country. And we made it possible here in Miami. So that, that's very special for me. [00:16:45] Speaker B: What are your future goals? Any new services or expansions on the horizon? [00:16:50] Speaker A: The biggest thing is, you know, our goal is always to deliver like a personalized experience to our patient. And you know, we say that from the heart. It this is, you know, we're not owned by anybody. We own it ourselves. And that's what lets us do that thing. I remember someone told me one time, you know, how, you know, you have a good dentist, you see their name on the, on the door, and that means they're responsible for it. So if the person Whose name on the door is not there. It's a whole different aspect. And so our goal is to, you know, our name's on the door, so we have to be there and we have to stand behind it. [00:17:28] Speaker B: How do you main trend, maintain transparency and pricing and ensure there are no surprise bills for your patients? [00:17:36] Speaker C: I feel like that's pretty easy. We do put all of our pricing on our website. We always inform our patients of the price they are going to expect to pay for their consultation, whether they call on the phone or they book online. And whenever they're in the room with Sergio, you know, before anything is done, we always tell them, this is the price of that procedure. Are you okay with that? So everyone's upfront, knows everything. We never have to send any bills. They're not going to receive any surprise costs. And that's something our patients love. We've seen many patients that have insurance, but they're been burned in the past because they get these surprise bills months later that they thought, you know, their visit was over, they paid their copay and everything was taken care of. So they, you know, they're like, no, I rather know upfront what I'm going to have to pay for my, for my treatment and not be surprised later on. That way they know what they're budgeting. Because nobody likes receiving a Surprise Mail Bill 3, four months later. In fact, I recently received a bill from an optometry, sorry, an ophthalmologist that I saw back five years ago. And I mean, it's a minimal bill, but still, I'm like, really? I'm receiving a bill for an appointment I had five years ago. How, how did this fall through the cracks? And why am I receiving this bill now? So, you know, it's. It's crazy out there with insurance. And we just want to make it simple, transparent, and our patients feel comfortable and know that they're getting the best care with us. [00:19:06] Speaker A: Yeah, I think when you set your own prices, you can tell the patient exactly what it costs. So that's the biggest thing with insurance. When you take insurance, every plan pays you differently. So you don't know what each patient's gonna cost them to do anything. So you can never, like, quote them a price. You could quote them a range, but you can't really quote them a price. And so like she said at our office, you go online on our medical derm, general dermatology part, every cost is explicitly stated. And if there's anything, before we do anything, we let the patient know. This is how much it's cost, this will be the total, is that okay? And they can decide, yes, it's okay or no, I'm going to come back and get that done. And so it's really simple. It makes it really nice and a pleasant experience. [00:19:51] Speaker B: How does your online or the 247 accessibility work? What feedback have you received from patients about this convenience? [00:20:00] Speaker C: They can just go on our website, they can click book now and they can see exactly what we have available. And then for a new patient it's listed, it's 150. If you're an established patient, $100. You pay for that at the time you book. We've actually had several patients tell us, oh, you know, I'm actually like that. You have to pay for the appointment up front because then that means I'm definitely going to make it to my appointment. So, you know, that was an interesting feedback we got from some patients that they actually liked being able to do that. And our patients also love it because they can easily reschedule appointments online if their schedule changes. They can see what we have available. So it's very easy and accessible for them to be able to see a dermatologist like Dr. Gaiton. [00:20:43] Speaker A: Yeah, one of the things, like I said, there's a convenience factor that is very big. You know, like now you can order your groceries, you can order food, you can order a smoothie in like five clicks. So we wanted to make it that simple. You can book an appointment in like, I think it's three clicks and you'll have a dermatology appointment at the time you want. You have live availability, you don't have to call anyone. If it's 2am and someone has a rash, you can go online, see if there's any availability the next day and you'll have your appointment, you'll have your rash fixed by the next day. You don't have to wait for the office to open. You know, putting things into patients hands is really expands the ability to reach more people. [00:21:24] Speaker B: The cosmetic dermatology patients can sometimes be difficult patients. Do you have any rules or guidelines that you've developed in your practice that you inform patients about or just internal kind of rules or guidelines that you have discussed with each other? Because I'm sure there's been instances where some of the patients maybe haven't been easy to deal with. [00:21:47] Speaker A: I love what I do and so I think it comes across in our patients. One of the top things, what we do in our practice, our primary goal is to make you happy. We may have the Most technically incredible result. But if you're not happy, then we fail. And so we live by that. You know, obviously there's always going to be that one person that something you just can't please, you can't satisfy. But we still try. We try. I think the biggest thing, we have them sign consent, we show them before and after. We really educate them on clear expectations of what you can expect from this. So we don't have people that are expecting facelift like results when you can't deliver that with non invasive treatments. And we, the big thing we do is we take before and afters. That's huge. [00:22:35] Speaker C: So that would be like a red flag for us. If a patient does not agree to take a before picture and we always just maintain it in our chart. But if they do not agree to a before photo, that is a red flag. And unfortunately we let them know that, you know, we can proceed with the appointment if that's not done. [00:22:54] Speaker A: Yeah. So when we mean that, that's private photos for your chart. So those are for your chart, not to share. [00:23:00] Speaker C: Right. [00:23:01] Speaker A: So for, if anyone, if you do cosmetics, you have to get photography because there's, you know, no other way to truly data proof that you've got a result. And so all of our patients, and we've had patients we've turned down because they didn't want to take pictures. I said, well, if you don't want to take pictures, you know, we can't do it because then, you know, how do I know that I gave you the best result possible if I can't analyze it with you after? [00:23:29] Speaker B: Yeah, no, I've heard that from actually various healthcare attorneys that if they're not willing to accept your policies, you shouldn't really accept that patient. And your consents, did you develop them yourself? You had some sort of guidance on it, I'm assuming you have one for each procedure and device that you have? [00:23:48] Speaker A: Yeah, we have consents like we develop ourselves based on the risk, benefits, anything that we bring on, we're very educated on. We look over the risk, the benefits and you know, our consents are derived based on that, what we've seen and historically what we've seen and other theoretical complications that could happen based on the technology. Even though if it hasn't been seen theoretically, you know, it is possibility. So we write that in as well and educate the patient on, although very unlikely, never been seen before, theoretically, you know, it is possible. [00:24:25] Speaker B: So you mentioned this with photos, but how do you measure patient satisfaction and. [00:24:29] Speaker A: Success of treatment if they're Happy, we succeeded because that's what you do cosmetic treatments for. I mean, a lot of people say, oh, it's vain. It's not. It makes you feel better. You know, one of our most popular treatments is Botox, right? In Botox, I could change your life in two weeks. In two weeks you're a different person. You've seen it. We see it all the time. You come back smiling, happy. It's a new you. It erases the years. You look in that mirror, you feel different, you feel better, and you know that you do more stuff. It's one of those things, look good, feel good, makes it all happen. [00:25:04] Speaker B: You both are Nicaraguan background, correct. Engage with the local community. Both Miami community at large, Nicaraguan community. What impact do you hope your practice has had on this front? [00:25:19] Speaker C: That's a part that I really love to incorporate in our office. Being part of the community, helping. So we've done multiple things. We are connected with the community, business partners. West Kendall, that is kind of like the West Kendall Chamber of Commerce that it is, through Baptist. So we do participate in several events there. We've done things like helping build a garden in one of the local schools. We volunteered at events for sun safety, for safety out swimming and things like that. And then, you know, we also always love when we have Spanish speaking patients that they feel comfortable with us. That's something that fills our heart, that able to easily communicate with them. They're able to get good care. We do see a lot of patients that are also from Nicaragua. And so I'm really good at catching on the accent. So, you know, I always ask them, oh, where are you from? And then that's an immediate bond as well. When they're like, we're from Nicaragua. And they're like, really? You are. You know, that excites them to have somebody from their community that they can trust and that we're their providers. So being involved in our community is extremely important. And I'm always trying to find ways to reach out, you know, and just be an integral part to help people. Because we've heard many stories from our patients, whether it be them telling us, you know, nobody was able to help me. I think I didn't understand what the doctor was telling me. They didn't give me enough time. So, you know, it's very nice to make a difference in those respects as well. [00:26:54] Speaker A: Yeah. And from the community, I think we're proud to give easy access to a dermatologist. You're a dermatologist yourself, so you know how specialized the field is, you know, how specialized your skills are. And we have, you know, we love. We love to provide care to the uninsured. Those without insurance provide meaningful care. They don't need referrals. They don't need to go through this complex health system. They have a rash or an issue or something. They need to take care of something growing on their skin. They can easily reach us. We solve it for them that day. And, you know, that's big for me because not everyone, even in the United States, has easy access to a dermatologist. We live in Miami. There's a lot of dermatologists here, but they're not spread across the US Equally providing care like that. And it just feels great to be able to provide easy access to such a specialized field. And I think that's kind of very meaningful and impactful for us. [00:27:52] Speaker B: What have been some of the biggest expenses in starting a new practice? Expenses that maybe you weren't aware of when you started, things that you would have had like to know in starting a practice. [00:28:07] Speaker A: You know, when you start direct pay, there's. There's not a lot of expenses. For us, our biggest expenses are probably our lasers. [00:28:14] Speaker C: Right, Lasers. [00:28:15] Speaker A: And that's because I don't think that applies to everyone. But I like the best of the best, and I brought that into my practice. So that's probably our biggest expense. But that's not going to be for everybody. But overall, when starting our practice, I think when you eliminate middleman, like insurance, you can run pretty lean, as we say in business, so that you don't have any major expenses. It would be your. Your place, your location, probably the least. Yeah, your malpractice insurance, those are probably your biggest expenses. And then in our practice, of course, we're very specialized. We have the most advanced tech, so that. That's a whole nother game. [00:28:52] Speaker C: But maintenance on our equipment as well, that definitely has a hefty price tag. But I would say, like starting your own practice, you know, we feel that we were very lucky. We started it within a month from when we decided to open. We opened up in a month. And yes, there has been many expenses throughout the way. Some that sometimes, you know, you don't realize that may come up. And that was an advice one of our other friends gave us. So you just always have to have a good safety net so that you can practice and feel, you know, like you're not like, in the negative always. So just always keeping that good safety net, those margins. We try to keep, you know, our cost low as much as we can and you know that's, that's a really important thing. Not diving too heavy deep right out of the get go sometimes with like things like we've been approached by many marketing companies promising us the world but you know, you have to see the numbers. Is it going to make sense, you know, and really go from there. [00:29:55] Speaker B: And what social media platforms are you on? Instagram, I know for sure which you have a Google my business. What other platforms are you on or planning on being on? [00:30:07] Speaker C: Yeah, so we're on all the platforms. We're on YouTube, we're on Facebook, we're on TikTok, Instagram, Google my business really everywhere. And our name is the same across all platforms. Certified Cosmetics Miami. So it's very easy to find us and we're very active. We definitely love to share results on there behind the scenes, how our procedures work and we're always trying to educate our patients as well. [00:30:33] Speaker A: Yeah, I think social media is very powerful in a sense that you know, we get a lot of out of state inquiries. You know, they see our work and they see our results and something they don't really see anywhere else. And all the equipment we have, we get people flying in from out of state, out of the country. And I don't think that would be possible without social media, you know, because you wouldn't really market to other states or you know, word of mouth. It goes pretty far but someone's not really going to travel unless you know they are in the area and things like that. But I think with social media you can actually build, you know, when you do something so specialized like us, it brings people from all over the country to experience it so that I think that's what it's really been cool and helpful with. [00:31:18] Speaker B: I think we're gonna wrap it up. Any last minute thoughts? Parting thoughts to the audience I will. [00:31:25] Speaker C: Say, you know, opening up our own private practice together has been such an incredible experience. It's so meaningful that we're able to help so many people and make a difference in so many lives and do it in a way that we can easily make changes and control the quality of care we provide to our patients. We're always open to our patients feedback and we're always here to make, you know, the experience better, more comfortable. So we love like being able to get feedback from our patients and, and you know, make adjustments if necessary to what they want. So we're always looking to improve and make everything better. And that's, you know, our ultimate goal. [00:32:05] Speaker A: Yeah, I think the advice I would give is life is short. You should do what you love and, you know, you should enjoy. You get one life. You should be. You spent the majority of it doing what you love and then using that to give back and be able to help. [00:32:20] Speaker B: Awesome. Thank you, guys.

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