Treating melasma starts before the laser. In this recorded provider training, Meredith, a nurse practitioner and medical director with Aestheticare, breaks down her approach to managing one of the most challenging pigmentation concerns in aesthetics.

In this episode:

• Why melasma requires ongoing management, not one-time treatment.
• How dermal versus epidermal melasma affects treatment decisions.
• Using VISIA imaging to assess pigmentation and vascular involvement.
• The suppress, stabilize, remove approach to melasma.
• Addressing hormonal and inflammatory factors in dermal melasma.
• Oral versus topical tranexamic acid: uses and precautions.
• Balancing hydroquinone effectiveness with irritation and rebound risks.
• Building maintenance routines with topicals, antioxidants, and SPF.
• Managing heat and inflammation with Moxi and Halo.
• When BBL may help—and when it may worsen melasma.
• Microneedling, growth factors, and vascular treatment options.
• Managing recurrence through patient education and long-term maintenance.

Helpful links:

MOXI Laser E-course
HALO Laser E-course
Episode #30 – Get to Know Dr. Jason Pozner (chats about melasma)
In-Person Training at MINT

Ad links:

MINT Online E-courses
Laser Mastery Track

A great skincare product doesn't guarantee a successful launch. Kat explains why med spa product introductions can stall when teams lack the confidence, training, and implementation plan to recommend something new. Using Aestheticare's recent 54MD launch, Kat shares how management evaluates brands, introduces products to staff, and builds momentum through hands-on education, sales contests, and coordinated marketing.

The takeaway: build a repeatable launch playbook before introducing your next product or treatment.

In this episode...

• Why providers default to familiar products.
• How a structured implementation plan can shorten launches.
• Evaluating new brands through clinical science, ingredients, manufacturing, and alignment with your clinic.
• Why management and key team members should test products before a full-team rollout.
• Building provider confidence through hands-on training, product comparisons, and ingredient education.
• Giving retail-focused front desk employees the same product training as clinical providers.
• Using team sales contests and regular updates to maintain launch momentum.
• Comparing new products against existing inventory before expanding your shelves.
• Coordinating e-commerce inventory, website updates, and marketing before launch.
• Using retail stop tables and interactive events to bring attention to new products.
• Documenting a repeatable launch playbook.
• How team experiences with 54MD Brightening Serum influenced confidence in its pigmentation results.

Helpful links

• Business Blueprints E-Course
• Tuesday Training: Retail Products Lesson
• Episode #69: Stop Selling, Start Connecting
• Events: Big, Small, & Virtual E-Course
• Episode #70: The Strategy Behind AesthetiCare's $3.7M Open House

Ad links

• MINT Online Medspa Training
• Tuesday Training Webinars

Want to divide a room of medspa owners? Ask about their thoughts on influencer programs! Influencer marketing doesn't have to mean paying expensive celebrities or giving away treatments with little to show for it.

In this episode, Kat Taranto shares why $20M medspa, AesthetiCare Medspa + Wellness prefers treatment trades over cash payments, how influencers support grand openings and events, and why tracking referrals and following up with potential clients are essential to understanding whether these partnerships are working.

In this episode:

• Build influence within your team using professional social media accounts.
• Set clear guidelines for patient consent and sharing clinic content.
• Prioritize local micro-influencers over large follower counts.
• Explore partnerships beyond beauty, including fitness, wellness, and local businesses.
• Use AI to discover potential influencers in your market.
• Evaluate engagement, posting consistency, and audience location.
• Use MoDash to check follower authenticity and engagement.
• Start with a consultation and treatment before committing long-term.
• Set clear posting expectations before offering complimentary treatments.
• Consider trading treatments for content instead of paying cash.
• Build longer-term partnerships rather than one-off promotions.
• Coordinate influencer, provider, and clinic accounts to expand reach.
• Use influencers to promote events and attract new attendees.
• Track referrals and follow up to measure partnership results.

Helpful links:

The Marketing E-course

Online Consultation Training

Hosting Events E-course

Our Medspa, AesthetiCare

Follow Kathy on Instagram

Follow MINT on Instagram

Ad links:

The Laser Mastery Track

Online E-courses