Brittany Nelson, RN - Aesthetic Injector in Portland, Oregon

Eva Sheie (00:03):
Whether you're trying injectables for the first time or making a change to a new provider, the more you can learn about who your injector is before you're in the chair, the better that appointment will be. You are listening to Meet The Injector. Hello and welcome to Meet the Injector. I'm your host Eva Sheie and my guest today is Brittany Nelson. She's an injector at MD Beauty Lab in Portland, Oregon.

Brittany Nelson (00:27):
Hello. Thanks for having me.

Eva Sheie (00:29):
Hi, Brittany. Tell me about MD Beauty Lab. What's it like there?

Brittany Nelson (00:33):
MD Beauty Lab is just a fun place to work. It's kind of where nursing meets beauty, meets art, for me at least.

Eva Sheie (00:41):
And you're inside of Portland Plastic Surgery Group or next door, right?

Brittany Nelson (00:45):
Yes. I actually work for both sides, so I'm an injector and I am the postop nurse, so I get to kind of bounce back and forth.

Eva Sheie (00:53):
How much time do you spend on each side of the business?

Brittany Nelson (00:55):
I'd say 60 40, probably 60% on the post-op sites requires a lot more time. The injector side is a little bit faster and less complications or just things to triage and whatnot.

Eva Sheie (01:10):
Yeah, they're really different.

Brittany Nelson (01:12):
Yes.

Eva Sheie (01:12):
What do you like about taking care of patients after surgery?

Brittany Nelson (01:15):
I like that you get to be there with them at our most vulnerable time and make them feel better. A lot of times the day after surgery is when they typically come in, they're a little scared and is this going to be my final result and all that stuff, and it's a good time to bring 'em back down and be like, okay, this is just day one. Three months from now, things are going to look a lot different and just reassure them that everything looks as it should on day one.

Eva Sheie (01:40):
Yeah, that is a really vulnerable moment. Do you ever get to see the great reveal with the patient? Does that happen in your job?

Brittany Nelson (01:47):
I would say that actually the doctors end up seeing them later on, so I typically get to see them much more when they're right out of surgery and if there is any complications, which they're very rare, but I do see some, of course, I see them in those moments and then sometimes I get to see the final result.

Eva Sheie (02:02):
Yeah.

Brittany Nelson (02:03):
Usually when I see the Instagrams.

Eva Sheie (02:06):
Oh right, yeah, that's when they're really done baking. What motivated you to want to take care of people who were having surgery? Is there something way back that made you want to be a nurse in the first place?

Brittany Nelson (02:21):
Yeah, actually it's probably when I was, I think 16, I was hospitalized for about two weeks around Christmas time and it was a very scary time and I was never been in a hospital before and it was just so refreshing and nice to meet some nurses that they took care of me like I was their kid and I felt loved and cared for. And I just remember thinking, that's kind of fun. That's a nice job. I want to give somebody that when they're at their most vulnerable time.

Eva Sheie (02:52):
Did you have siblings, younger ones that you took care of?

Brittany Nelson (02:55):
I had three younger siblings. Yeah.

Eva Sheie (02:57):
Yeah.

Brittany Nelson (02:57):
That probably played a little role.

Eva Sheie (03:00):
That doesn't surprise me. Yeah. Did you make them, your little patients?

Brittany Nelson (03:05):
Well, sometimes we were varying in ages, so I was older and at some point I was like, go away.

Eva Sheie (03:14):
Go away. Yeah, we all did that.

Brittany Nelson (03:17):
But no, I definitely cared for them, looked out for them, especially in our household.

Eva Sheie (03:21):
Where'd you grow up?

Brittany Nelson (03:22):
I grew up here in Oregon, specifically Westland, Oregon.

Eva Sheie (03:26):
So you don't care about the weather, cuz it was always your weather. It's like,

Brittany Nelson (03:29):
No, I don't love the rain. I don't know why. I'm like, I should get used to it, but I also don't use an umbrella like most Oregonians are just Okay, fine rain.

Eva Sheie (03:39):
Yeah. You wear a raincoat.

Brittany Nelson (03:40):
Yes.

Eva Sheie (03:41):
If you want to look like you're from here, you never use an umbrella.

Brittany Nelson (03:44):
No. You don't use an umbrella.

Eva Sheie (03:44):
The horror.

Brittany Nelson (03:44):
It's just not okay.

Eva Sheie (03:48):
It really isn't okay. It's not good. So you figured it out when you were a teenager based on that experience you had in the hospital. And then tell me where you went from there after you graduated from high school.

Brittany Nelson (04:01):
So from high school I went into a few colleges. Actually. I went to OSU then PCC and PSU. Just finishing up my pre-reqs, took my time and then I got into nursing school. Actually started off at OHSU when I was younger and didn't quite know if I wanted to do it, so I ended up dropping out, decided to do a little life searching, goal searching, and ended up back in nursing. And so I applied again and went to Linfield Nursing School and finished my degree and now I know this was the right choice. I went to the hospital straight afterwards.

Eva Sheie (04:34):
What did you do at the hospital?

Brittany Nelson (04:36):
Well, I started on MedSurg as most nurses have to. It is to pay your dues, but I was ultimately trying to get to labor and delivery and I thought that would be kind of my end all be all, but obviously it was not. So I worked in MedSurg for two, three years and then labor delivery for about seven ish.

Eva Sheie (04:52):
And that was enough babies for you?

Brittany Nelson (04:54):
Yeah, it's a lot of reasons. I guess I wasn't really a new grad, but it's hard to get on a day shift in labor and delivery and night shift was very grueling and covid happened and a lot of factors played in and I just lost my love for it. And I saw this job posting and I started looking into what this world might be and I saw, oh, you can inject, make people's faces look different. And I love to draw and paint and I started daydreaming on my night shift. I need to have this job. I want to somehow do my art at work because I don't have time for it at home. I have two small children, so I just was like daydreaming and got the position and I was really excited.

Eva Sheie (05:30):
The nurses in the hospital at night in L and D are the most amazing. They're like actual angels.

Brittany Nelson (05:38):
It's a good crew. Yeah, they are. And they're chill. And the night shift culture is wonderful. Just my body couldn't handle it.

Eva Sheie (05:45):
So when you had your two babies, did you have them at your own hospital with your own friends as your nurses?

Brittany Nelson (05:51):
I had one there and then I had the other, prior to being a labor and delivery nurse at Kaiser. I was kind of newer on the floor at that time when I had my second daughter. I'm like I guess we're going to be friends real fast. Definitely.

Eva Sheie (06:03):
Okay, so then you landed the job at MD Beauty Lab in Portland Plastic Surgery. And so how has your life changed since then?

Brittany Nelson (06:11):
Oh, so much better. My work life balance is much easier. I go home before the kids are in bed, get to see them, put them in bed, have dinner and all that. Day shift is obviously a huge bonus, but it's just nice. And doctors here are wonderful. They're so nice and very understanding and everyone's trained me very well and I never feel like I'm asking a dumb question and I just feel very supported. So emotionally and physically, this has been a great change for me and my family.

Eva Sheie (06:44):
What do you like about the patients there?

Brittany Nelson (06:46):
On the surgery side, I get to help them when they are their most vulnerable and they're generally just wanting some reassurance and kindness, which I love to give and especially love our recon patients, the cancer, breast cancer patients, it's just a really hard time for them in general and we do get to see them longer, a lot more of that process for the surgeries. It's a whole different world and I'm glad I get to still help people on the nursing side, but I also love patients on the aesthetic nurse side. It's just fun to make them feel confident. Everyone's beautiful and I always say, you don't need this, but if you want it, then you need it and it's okay. Let's do it, as long as it's appropriate.

Eva Sheie (07:27):
Had you been an aesthetic patient yourself prior to becoming an injector?

Brittany Nelson (07:31):
One time.

Eva Sheie (07:32):
One time?

Brittany Nelson (07:32):
Yeah. I started getting Botox before I got this job just once and I was like, oh, okay, I'm hooked.

Eva Sheie (07:41):
Pretty sure that happens to everyone.

Brittany Nelson (07:42):
Yeah, it's a slippery slope, but it is such a fun field. It's a fun person to be a patient and I'm sure it's fun to be a nurse in for sure.

Eva Sheie (07:50):
Let's switch over to that aesthetic side more. I think it's really fun to hear about how you care for patients and brought your hospital background to the plastic surgery practice, but at MD Beauty Lab, you get to explore that whole other artistic side. How long have you been injecting and tell us what your days are like over there at MD Beauty Lab?

Brittany Nelson (08:08):
So I started my injecting journey about three-ish years ago. Been learning ever since, going to trainings and being trained by other injectors here. Since I work on both sides, I'm typically bopping back and forth. So when I'm over here, I just love the calm that I feel. It's kind of the same feeling as when I'm painting at home, I'm looking at the person talking with them, trying to really gauge what they want and whether it's appropriate, of course, because there is that. It just is a place where I can really delve in and just focus on that one patient and it helps me just push out everything else really focusing on that one patient. And I focus on the other patients too, on the other side, of course, but there's more urgency sometimes, this next person, and this person needs to be seen and all that, whereas people have their spots and their appointments and I can take the time to say, okay, what do you want? What are you looking for? What are your goals, concerns, what do you like? It's a fun time to, I guess you don't want to call it person a canvas, but it's kind of like a canvas. What can we do here? Are things even? I just love it.

Eva Sheie (09:09):
What's the first question you ask when you have a consult with somebody that you've never met before?

Brittany Nelson (09:14):
Usually I kind of start off with how did they come to be here? What is their treatment they're looking for? What is their main concern? And then they tell me that and we kind of go from there.

Eva Sheie (09:23):
Does anyone ever surprise you with their answers?

Brittany Nelson (09:25):
No. I find that a lot of times people come in for Botox and they say, I want this to go like this. And that's the most common thing I see and I'm like, oh, okay, that's not Botox really. I mean, of course you can do some lower face Botox. We have the FDA clearance for Botox for platisimal bands now, and that does give you a little lift, but a lot of times what they're worried about is the marionette lines and the nasal labial folds, and that's different products. That's the most common one I get. It was surprising at first, but now it's just a point to reeducate and say, this is probably what you would need if you wanted help with that area.

Eva Sheie (10:01):
Do you think that it's common for people to think that Botox can just fix everything?

Brittany Nelson (10:06):
Yeah, I think a lot of people think Botox is filler too. That's what I've gathered from people in here. And then of course, outside family members and stuff, they think that Botox is filler.

Eva Sheie (10:18):
I'm sure Allergan is thrilled that everyone thinks Botox can fix everything.

Brittany Nelson (10:22):
I know, right? Seriously. It can fix a lot. You can definitely do some lower face work, but for that specific area, sometimes it's more of a fat pad loss, bone loss, that's not going to be fixed with Botox.

Eva Sheie (10:34):
And so you do filler too, right?

Brittany Nelson (10:36):
Yes, and I love filler. People are a little scared of filler though, but I love it.

Eva Sheie (10:41):
How do you make them not scared?

Brittany Nelson (10:43):
I just like to say, okay, filler can be tasteful and natural. That's my paintbrush. I love watching things shape and change, and of course, we don't want to make anyone look unnatural.

Eva Sheie (10:53):
Have you seen the trends change over the last three years since you started?

Brittany Nelson (10:57):
Yeah. I've noticed that people are really into biostimulators and they're great. Sculptra, EZGEL, PRF, stuff like that. Those are great products too, and I like doing those as well. Filler for some reason is just my favorite. I think it's it's instant gratification and people can see it right then. It's just fun to watch them be like, whoa, yay. I love it. Especially lips.

Eva Sheie (11:18):
I think that's the most fun filler procedure is lips.

Brittany Nelson (11:21):
It is it for me too, honestly. I love a good lip. Just the other day I got way too giddy with the patient. I was like, oh my gosh, I love it. And she's like, I love it. It's just fun. That's painting for me. That's what I really, really love about aesthetics. I love all the other stuff too, of course. But filler is my thing.

Eva Sheie (11:37):
When you do someone's lips for the first time, they've never had it done before. What's your approach?

Brittany Nelson (11:42):
I ask them kind of what they like. Do they like their shape or what they want? Do they want some more volume? What more shape? What do they not like about their lips? What do they like about their lips? So we cannot change it too much. I mean, you can't change too much structurally, but you can make things look different or more plump and it just depends on what they want. If they're really new, I tend to kind of say, let's start slow, baby steps. Of course you can take filler away, you can dissolve it, but we don't want to have to do that. Let's just start small and if you want more, come back.

Eva Sheie (12:09):
Have you ever seen that picture of how much filler is in a syringe? It's less than a teaspoon. It's just an itty bitty, teeny tiny amount. So I've heard a lot of people say less is more when it comes to filler. And so do you often have someone start slow and then if they want more, come back in a couple of weeks and add more?

Brittany Nelson (12:28):
Yes. I've had a couple of patients that are funny when they come back like, I'm back. You told me I would be. I'm like, I did. Many people come back, but I remember them. They're cute. They're just like,

Eva Sheie (12:40):
I would rather have them come back than be unhappy that they got too much.

Brittany Nelson (12:43):
Yeah, that's what I don't want. Especially when you're new, when you're used to it, you're like, okay, let's do this. But if you're not, I get it. Especially if you're kind of a little hesitant about filler. A lot of people seem to be, especially in my generation, 40-year-old range, I feel like all my friends are very scared to get filler. I'm like, come on guys, let's do some filler. And they're very where hesitant.

Eva Sheie (13:00):
Where do you think that comes from?

Brittany Nelson (13:02):
I don't know. They don't know about it. Because when I was growing up, I remember hearing about Botox parties and not being really talked about as much as it is now. And everybody talks about it now, and a lot of people are much more upfront about what they've had done. I'm super upfront. People like, oh, you look great. I'm like, thanks. I have Botox and filler. I'm just very upfront. I think you need to be. You need to, that's my

Eva Sheie (13:22):
It's my Daxxify.

Brittany Nelson (13:23):
Right? It needs to be more normalized so people who are interested aren't scared as much. Not that everybody needs it, but if they want it and they're just scared for unknown reasons, why not just say it?

Eva Sheie (13:36):
Do you also do the biostimulators, like Sculptra and any of the other ones? What else do you have there?

Brittany Nelson (13:43):
We have EZGEL gel, PRF, which is essentially your own components of your body. It's your own blood. We spin it down, we use it for collagen boosting and fine lines and stuff like that. It's not a filler. It's not going to give you that immediate result. You'll swell, especially under the eyes. You can notice it like, Ooh, my eyes look better. But it's going to go down and your body has to work with that product. It's going to build collagen over time and give you a little more structural support, but it might take a few treatments. Sculptra is wonderful. Sculptra gives great results. It is a time process, so people who want that instant result are not going to be as happy in the short term, but maybe really happy in the long term. I dunno if you've ever seen before and afters a Sculptra, but they're pretty amazing. Sculptra really does work. You just have to trust the process.

Eva Sheie (14:29):
There's people on your team who are great at Sculptra too, and so how do you work together to help each other learn and be great at doing that?

Brittany Nelson (14:37):
We all learn every day, oh, this patient had this or we did this and this worked really good for them. And we just talk about it and it's fun to take tips from people. You can take what you need and leave what you don't want. That's how I've learned, honestly, most of my nursing from hospital to here. And yeah, we have one person here that injects Sculptra a lot and she's a great source of knowledge. So that's Colleen. Shout out.

Eva Sheie (14:58):
Colleen. Of course, she's talked about s Sculptra. You can catch her on the Portland Plastic Surgery Group, YouTube channel talking about Sculptra too.

Brittany Nelson (15:07):
Yes. Sculptra is a wonderful product that's super popular right now, especially in this demographic. I feel like in Portland, not natural, but it's not a filler, it's a bio stimulator. It works with your body and it's not going to be something that's in there.

Eva Sheie (15:22):
It's the crunchy filler.

Brittany Nelson (15:23):
It's the crunchy filler. But it works really good. It does. It works great.

Eva Sheie (15:27):
So you do Botox filler, bio stimulators. Are there any other treatments that you do at MDBL there?

Brittany Nelson (15:33):
Oh yeah, CoolSculpting, we do Kybella. They kind of do the same thing. They're trying to get rid of fat essentially. I don't do a ton of Kybella. I prefer CoolSculpting personally. I don't know, feel like it works a little better, especially for under the chin. It just depends on what you want. So some people don't want the swelling and the bruises and all that stuff, so if you don't want that, CoolSculpting is great. If you have time for the swelling of Kybella, then Kybella's great too. But I do a lot of CoolSculpting.

Eva Sheie (15:59):
And your experience has been positive with CoolSculpting?

Brittany Nelson (16:02):
Yeah, of course you're going to have a bell curve. Some people are going to be a little underwhelmed. Some people are going to be way, some super users, they have a great result with one treatment, which is rare. Allergan typically says you need two treatments to get your full result of treatment. But people do have good treatments and they come back and we do pictures and it's kind of cool to see like, wow, look at that. That is all gone. And once it's gone, it's gone. It's all about body contouring too. So it's also kind of like a form of art. You got to make sure you're keeping the curves and not taking too much away and who's a good candidate and who's not.

Eva Sheie (16:34):
Tell us what you like to do outside the office and tell me about your littles.

Brittany Nelson (16:38):
Okay, well by now, we all know that I like to paint. When I have time, that is what I will do. I like to work out of course, too, but that's more just for my health and mental health. But painting is my love, which is also why I love doing the aesthetic stuff over here. My littles are two, one 7-year-old and 9-year-old girls. They are mainly my activity outside of work..

Eva Sheie (16:59):
Yeah. As they should be.

Brittany Nelson (16:59):
I devote a lot of time and energy to them and that's okay. That's what I want and what I signed up for when I'm not here. And they also love to draw. We actually go down to my little, I guess you could call it a studio basement, and they paint with me, much shorter time, but it's really cute and they're really good.

Eva Sheie (17:15):
Well, they have a good teacher.

Brittany Nelson (17:17):
I know. Yeah, I guess they just watch me or something.

Eva Sheie (17:18):
That's so fun. Alright, and so what activities do you take them to every week?

Brittany Nelson (17:24):
My youngest dances, she loves that. And so we go dance practice and recitals and stuff. She's actually dancing in Disney in July on the parade, so that's going to be fun and new. And the other one, she is getting into sports kind of. She's dipping her toe in soon, maybe soccer, she said. We're not really pushing her, but she's my little artsy one. She loves to draw. She spends a lot of time crafting and drawing and looking up facts about animals. And that's kind what I did when I was younger.

Eva Sheie (17:51):
That's so neat. Where can we find out more about you and potentially reach out and ask questions or schedule a consultation?

Brittany Nelson (17:58):
You can find me on Instagram. I have some pictures. I'm trying to get better with my social media input more before and afters. You can also find me on the webpage, MDBL. That page has a little bit of bio about me, kind of what we talked about today, honestly. And if you want to come see me just for a consult, that's easy to do. You just call here, schedule a consult. There is no pressure to treat. We just talk about your wants, your needs, and see if you want to go forward. And if you don't, there is no pressure.

Eva Sheie (18:23):
You're in downtown Portland. Is it easy to park there?

Brittany Nelson (18:24):
It is. We have a parking lot. There's plenty of visitor spots. It's right next to the building.

Eva Sheie (18:30):
Well, thank you so much, Brittany. It was really, really great to get to know you. I'm so glad we did this. There's no substitute for an in-person appointment, but we hope this comes close. If you're considering an appointment with this provider, be sure you let them know you heard them on the Meet the Injector podcast. Check the show notes for links including the injector's website and Instagram to learn more. Are you an aesthetic injector or do you know one? You can be a guest on Meet the Injector. Book your free recording session at meettheinjector.com. Meet the Injector is Made with Love in Austin, Texas and is a production of The Axis, theaxis.io.