Running a medical spa today means balancing artistry with accountability. In this powerful episode taken from a lunch keynote at Aesthetic Next, we unpack the high-stakes world of compliance, malpractice, and risk management with four industry leaders who’ve lived it from every angle — legal, financial, operational, and clinical. Whether you’re growing your med spa, preparing for sale, or simply trying to avoid costly mistakes, this conversation is your blueprint for protecting your practice and elevating your business value.

Featuring:

• Justin Marti, Founder & Lead Attorney, Marti Law Group

• Ben Hernandez, Managing Partner & CEO, Skytale Group

• Dr. Justin Harper, Founder of Juvly Aesthetics & CEO of Aesthetic Record

• Brian King, Healthcare Practice Lead, Trucordia / ARAssurance

• Tiphany Hall, PhD, Aesthetic Record | htttps://aestheticrecord.com

The Uncomfortable Truth About Compliance

Compliance isn’t optional—it’s the foundation of your practice’s value. As Dr. Harper explains, “If you haven’t been investigated yet, you probably will.” Investigations are no longer rare; they’re a byproduct of success. Regulators—often unfamiliar with their own evolving rules—are now watching aesthetics closely.

Key Pitfalls:

• Hiring attorneys unfamiliar with medical aesthetics.

• Allowing regulators to overreach beyond the initial complaint.

• Copying what others do on social media without knowing if it’s legal.

Takeaway: Every chart, protocol, and delegation agreement is a legal document in disguise. If it’s not documented, it didn’t happen. And, when the Board Shows Up: Protocol Over Panic

The Regulatory Landscape Is Tightening

Justin Marti sees the trend clearly: it’s not just medical and nursing boards anymore. Pharmacy boards, OSHA, and consumer protection agencies are all getting involved. Even your marketing can get you in trouble—especially if you make unsubstantiated claims about treatments or devices.

The key is proactive transparency and evidence-based protocols. If regulators are uncertain, they default to caution. That means you must be more diligent than ever.

Medical Direction: The Most Overlooked Risk

According to Marti, too many “medical directors” exist only on paper. True oversight means routine meetings, documented delegation agreements, and defined procedures for when your medical director is unavailable.

Compliance & Valuation: Two Sides of the Same Coin

Ben Hernandez takes it to the bottom line: every compliance gap is a discount on your practice valuation. Private equity buyers pay for clean books and de-risked operations, not chaos.

What buyers look for:

• Active provider licenses

• Valid MSO/MSA structures

• No outstanding lawsuits or board complaints

• Documented oversight and chart compliance

If your $5M practice has regulatory red flags, expect the buyer to hold back cash—or walk.

The Malpractice Myth: Paying for Coverage You Don’t Need

Brian King pulls back the curtain on malpractice insurance. Most med spas are stuck paying for coverage designed for surgeons or dermatologist doing more invasive procedures you don’t perform. You’re effectively subsidizing other specialties’ risk.

Enter ARassurance:

Built for medical aesthetics, it offers dedicated risk pools, relevant coverage, and responsive adaptation to new treatments. Lower cost, better protection, smarter alignment. If you are an Aesthetic Record client, you get exclusive access to this medical malpractice cost savings. Get an instant quote at https://trucordia.com/arassurance

Final Thoughts:

Compliance isn’t a bureaucratic chore—it’s the scaffolding that holds up your legal protection. Malpractice and compliance are inseparable. Neglect one, and you weaken both.

Connect with the Panel

• Justin Marti – Marti Law Group | https://www.martilawgroup.com/

• Ben Hernandez – SkyTale | https://skytalegroup.com/

• Dr. Justin Harper – Juvly Aesthetics | https://juvly.com

• Brian King – Trucordia & ARassurance | https://trucordia.com/ARassurance

In this episode of For The Record, we sit down with Dana Herbertson, SFA, MEP-C, AEST, CLT, Owner of The Derm Lounge Med Spa in Dallas and a true force in the medical aesthetics industry. With nearly 30 years of experience, starting as a surgical first assistant in plastic surgery and evolving into one of Dallas's most sought-after injectors, Dana brings a unique surgical perspective to aesthetic medicine that sets her apart.

Dana's journey from the operating room to entrepreneurship wasn't straightforward. After years of assisting in surgery and fighting for more time in the injection chair, she took the leap and opened her own 900-square-foot practice. Today, she operates a stunning 3,000-square-foot med spa alongside her children Aidan and Paige, who help run every aspect of the business.

What makes Dana's practice thrive even as the industry faces a 17-20% downturn? It's her commitment to genuine relationships over transactions, her surgical-level precision in everything from threads to peptides, and her willingness to say "no" to filler more often than "yes." She's not running a factory—she's creating transformations that honor anatomy, safety, and the natural beauty of each patient.

Throughout this conversation, Dana opens up about the realities of family business dynamics, the art and science of thread lifting (complete with sterile technique that would make any OR nurse proud), and her pioneering work with bio-regenerative medicine—from polynucleotides for skin rejuvenation to peptide protocols that are changing the menopause game for women everywhere.

What You'll Learn:

• The surgical advantage: How Dana's background as a surgical first assistant informs her approach to threads, anatomy, and sterile technique, and why cadaver courses are non-negotiable for providers doing threads

• Family business dynamics: The benefits of working with your children, and how Aidan and Paige transformed Dana from overwhelmed solo practitioner to efficient CEO

• Mastering threads: Why infection control is everything, the importance of multiple trainings (not just one).

• The filler paradox: Why Dana now says "no" to filler more than "yes," and how bio-stimulators, threads, and regenerative treatments are creating better, more natural results than the heavy filler faces of years past

• Peptides & menopause: Dana's game-changing insights on how GLP-1s and peptide protocols are revolutionizing menopause management.

• The mesoneedling revolution: How Dana uses Toskani’s polynucleotide cocktails with precision needling techniques to wake up dormant cells and reverse skin aging at the cellular level

• Hair restoration breakthroughs: The stunning results Dana's achieving with PDO smooth threads, PDRN hair cocktails, and consistent monthly treatments that rival hair transplant results.

• Surviving economic downturns: Practical wisdom from someone who's weathered multiple market crashes, including why patient loyalty and authentic relationships matter more than ever when the industry is down 20%

• Efficiency without sacrifice: How Dana uses headsets, multiple treatment rooms, and skilled assistants to scale her practice without turning it into a patient factory

• What's next in bio-regenerative medicine: A sneak peek at NTCF and other European innovations Dana's watching that could be coming to the US market soon

Whether you're a new injector looking to expand your skillset, a practice owner trying to scale efficiently, or simply curious about the cutting edge of regenerative aesthetics, Dana's insights offer a masterclass in combining surgical precision with entrepreneurial vision—all while keeping the patient experience at the heart of everything.

Connect with Dana:

Dana's IG: https://www.instagram.com/botoxbarbiedana/

The Derm Lounge IG: https://www.instagram.com/thedermloungemedspa/

The Derm Lounge Web: https://thedermlounge.com/

For Training Opportunities: Contact The Derm Lounge directly to schedule hands-on training sessions