Young Injector: Hear How Ginille Brown Unlocked Her Expert Status

When Los Angeles-based injector Ginille Brown, NP, was 24 years old, she decided to make a career switch from family medicine and, at the urging of a fellow nurse practitioner, visited a med spa. She had no prior interest in the field, but soon after arriving realized that “Medical Aesthetics is for everybody. It was just mostly hearing women’s stories that day and why they were getting aesthetic procedures, injections, and treatments. I really saw the human side of it.” 

Ten years later, Ginille owns her own med spa and regularly administers filler injections. Her love for her work is palpable, and she attributes much of her success to her investment in education (in addition to her Medical Aesthetics training, she holds degrees from both Stanford University and Duke University School of Nursing), as well as the joy of helping people. For providers just starting out who are interested in becoming aesthetic injectors themselves, she shares a few of her tips and suggestions.

Aesthetic training can be a mix of intensive study and professional support.

Ginille’s initial trainings involved learning about anatomy and the various products and tools involved in Medical Aesthetics, such as lasers, dermal fillers, neuromodulators, and different skin and body treatments. She considers this education to be very important for newcomers. “Understanding anatomy and understanding safety have to be the foundation for trainees. I received hands-on training, and then I had a lot of training support from the major aesthetic companies,” she explains. “The companies would come and give me hands-on training one-on-one or in really small groups.”

In addition to learning the importance of safety in all procedures and patient interactions, Ginille recalls how supported she felt, and how many opportunities there were to continue learning. “There was just a ton of support in my growth. My team around me was also just wonderful in helping answer questions and making me feel welcome. I learned from what they were doing and their treatments. I feel like the more I sought out, the more opportunities I was given to continue learning.”

Young injectors can seek out numerous continuing education opportunities.

Ginille’s interest in continuing education has never wavered, although the amount of time she can dedicate to it has changed as she has expanded her family. “Before I had my baby, my education was more about learning about injecting and understanding anatomy. However, multiple times a month I was going to dinners, hands-on training, and a variety of other events.”

Now that she has two children, Ginille doesn’t attend as many in-person events. However, she recommends that all injectors plan on spending as much time as possible learning, whether that learning takes place in person or online. “Now, there are so many online training opportunities. I feel like I could log on every day because there’s so much information you can easily access. Our industry is continuing to progress—we’re always bringing in new things and new products and new techniques.”

Networking can help injectors find jobs or start a practice.

While meeting mentors can lead to an initial job offer, Ginille believes that networking and community building never cease to be important. “I think networking is huge,” she explains. “I think most of my mentors have worked around me, in my offices. I connect with somebody whenever I go to a training.”

Over the years, the professional relationships Ginille has developed have also benefited her in her work. “It’s just nice to have colleagues. We can bounce ideas off of each other, ask how to grow and how to do better. I think the focus of it is always on serving our patients well, elevating the industry, and keeping the industry safe. I think it’s important to talk to those around us.”

Mastering one skill can become a foundation for learning other procedures.

Ginille’s dedication to her craft allowed her to expand her work into other procedures. “I just kept injecting faces,” she explains. “I think there’s some benefit to having a specialty, mostly because you can focus and get really good at that and put a lot of your effort into it. Now we do body procedures, as well as lasers and microneedling. But what I liked initially, and focused on, was injections.”

Patients have often played a role in helping Ginille expand the amount and type of procedures she performs. While she takes her work seriously, she tries to go with the flow. “I think having patients be excited about their aesthetic injections and telling their friends helped me,” she says, “but it wasn’t my intention. I think for both patients and providers, it’s important to allow yourself to fall into what you’re interested in and don’t fight it.”

Seeing the same patients can be personally and professionally fulfilling.

Ultimately, Ginille is motivated by her love for the work, which often translates into relationships with her patients. “I think my driving factor has always been the connection I have with the patients,” she explains.

“I’ve been seeing the same people since 2013,” she adds. “I see their sister, and their mom, and their granddaughter. The connection that I have with the patients, such as hearing their stories and why they’re doing something has always kept me going. That’s the most exciting part of it for me.”