An interview series spotlighting global tech influencers, disruptors, visionaries, and of course, innovators.
Opportunities abound in the anti-aging and cosmetic injectables markets. Valued at around USD 62B in 2021, the global anti-aging market is expected to increase to USD 93B by 2027. The Injectable Drug Delivery market size alone was valued at USD 668.2 Billion in 2023 and is expected to reach a market size of USD 1,714.8 Billion by 2032 at a CAGR of 11.1%.
Not only are “liquid” facelifts —opting for injections versus scalpels— increasingly preferred globally, customer demographics are steadfastly widening. According to recent McKinsey & Co research, “Shifting consumer attitudes about wellness, beauty, and healthy aging have increased awareness and acceptance of aesthetics, generating demand from new patient segments, including men and millennials.” Furthermore, findings indicate that in “most large markets, the core consumer base for aesthetics injectables continues to be affluent women over 40 seeking facial treatments. But there are variations between regions; for example, the core demographic is much younger in China. Even in the longer-established geographical markets, such as North America, the pool of potential patients is steadily expanding.” In another recent article, “Here to stay: An attractive future for medical aesthetics,” McKinsey & Co indicates that “[d]espite the current uncertain macroeconomic climate, our research indicates that now could be an opportune time to capitalize on current and projected consumer demand for medical aesthetics and invest in innovations.”
My introduction to medical aesthetics began two decades ago with the article “Dr. Daedalus,” written by Lauren Slater for Harper’s Magazine about radical plastic surgery. Even basic nips and tucks were then viewed with disdain. As recently as two decades ago, people who had “work done” rarely, if ever, shared their secrets or doctors. What’s driving this newfound acceptance and medical-aesthetics channel growth? Simple. Social networking platforms, reality shows, increased service availability, innovation, decreased costs, innovation technology and the pandemic have quite literally injected the topic into daily conversation, changing the beauty aesthetic and introducting dynamic anti-aging solutions everyday.
This week we catch up with Washington, DC-based entrepreneur / founder Andrea Clark, RN BSN to learn more about this growing sector and phenomenon. Throughout her successful career as SVP, leading commercial operations at Rhythm Management Group, Clark has created new businesses, driven rapid revenue growth, launched products and services, and delivered robust market share in the MedTech space. She helped sell Rhythm to a private equity shop in May 2021. Clark has built, led and scaled multiple commercial teams in healthcare technology and services, cherishing her time in that space. However, after two decades, Clark needed a pivot, a fresh perspective; she was ready to make her dreams come to fruition.
Clark shifted gears to explore the growing medical aesthetics and healthcare sectors, with a particular interest in MedTech, healthcare, medspas, injectables and beauty. As one may expect, a major career transition involves tremendous risks, additional training, certification and perhaps even another degree or two. With her goal in mind, Clark embarked on an aesthetic nursing residency with @botoxandbourbon Founder Ashley Carmen, FNP-C to learn both the provider perspective of aesthetic medicine as well as the aesthetics business. This fall Clark will continue her graduate work at Georgetown University, pursuing a women’s health nurse practitioner certification in preparation for launching her new aesthetics business, Fulfilled.
I caught up with my dear friend Andrea over texts, VMs and calls to discuss her potential ventures and opportunities. Her interest in one sector continually returned to the forefront: Aesthetics & Skincare. Full disclosure: I knew that whatever industry Andrea explored and entered would exponentially improve. In the following interview Andrea discusses a range of topics including the advantages of taking risks, bravery, career rebooting advice, community involvement, the future of aesthetics and the importance of being fulfilled. Readers may also follow Clark on Instagram via @TheFulfilledInjector and witness her candid journey and personal transformation using injectables. Our interview follows:
EKMH: What have you been doing since leaving your last venture?
ALC: After taking some time to celebrate what I created and contributed to Rhythm, I dove right into my next dream. You know I can’t sit still for too long, friend. I was made to create new businesses and solutions in the marketplace. I’m excited to be learning everything I can about the space of aesthetic medicine. I’m currently in an aesthetic residency where I’m training as a provider but also learning all the aspects of the aesthetics’ business.
Entrepreneurship makes my heart sing. I’m building my next business in the aesthetics space, and am excited to be creating a solution where people can find safe, quality-driven aesthetic services in an approachable, yet elevated environment. Approachability is a rarity in this business. I’m creating an experience like no other and am thrilled to birth and announce this dream: her name is Fulfilled and she is so lovely. These last months I’ve been busy building all the elements of Fulfilled, including seeking investor support for a several-phased growth plan.
“Women have a very special way of looking at the world, business, entrepreneurship and launching something new. We’re creators by nature. My womanhood is usually accepted and welcomed as a fresh perspective by my male counterparts.” Photo by Maxwell Holt
EKMH: Which specific challenges are you facing starting over and rebooting your career?
ALC: The biggest challenge in pivoting my career is being a beginner again. I was expert at my craft and had wild success. Beginning again has required me to tap into vulnerabilities of “not having it all together, not knowing the answer to every question, not being the expert.” Some days I think, “Am I really at the beginning again? Have I started all over? Why don’t I have all the answers anymore?”
I have to remind myself that all my past experiences are at my back and momentum is building for me as I learn this new space and launch a new business. I’m not a beginner, actually... I’m just learning a new space. My business acumen, my business development superpowers, my ability to see problems and find solutions, my creativity, my ability to create a robust business plan and execute on that plan, are all honed skills. These skills, which don’t just get up and leave you when you make a transition, are where I remain an expert. Those, combined with my new learnings and knowledge, create a space set to be wildly successful. Yet again. The ego has to be reminded that I’m not a beginner. Just learning a new space.
EKMH: What lessons have you learned from hardships and taking risks?
ALC: Follow your gut. It never lies or misleads you. I’ve had low points both personally and professionally and my gut, my emotions, the way things “feel” guide me toward my next logical step. And it’s always the right choice. When you get that feeling in your belly, listen to it. Take the next logical step and you’ll find that life unfolds for you. Each additional step will reveal itself after you’ve taken the initial one.
Be brave. Hardship and/or taking risks has forced me to tap into the bravest part of myself. Sometimes things can’t be explained, planned, thought about or advised on enough. At some point you have to be brave and go for it. What’s the worst thing that can happen? If the solution you offer fails and then you have to rethink it and come at the problem in a different way. It doesn’t mean you’re a failure, just that the way you tried to solve a problem failed. It’s not personal. Be brave anyway.
Don’t ask for permission. I have been guilty of this in times past, sharing all my plans and ideas/visions with too many people in an effort to “socialize” the idea. Big mistake. First of all, people will steal a good idea. Second, people will also scare you out of following your dreams. In reality, what I thought was socializing an idea, was really just asking for permission from them. I was asking them to validate my feelings, my idea, my vision, or business plan. Asking others to validate your vision can lead to you never starting. This strategy, aimed at validating ourselves, doesn’t typically work because all those adoring friends and family don’t live inside your body, heart, mind or soul and often they infuse their own fears into your dreams. I’ve learned that most humans spend most of their time, and conscious state, in an energy of fear. Asking permission or simply saying, “What do you think of this idea?” can lead to people to share all their personal fears and infuse that fear into your idea or vision. The risk is that fear spreads to you and you never take steps to meeting the goal, idea or plan that you were trying to get validated. Don’t ask for permission. Trust yourself and take the next step.
“Beauty and aesthetics are moving from “looking done or made up” to looking natural and ageless. Some think aesthetic medicine is only for the vain. I wholeheartedly disagree. We’re all aging and some of us want to age gracefully.” Photo by Maxwell Holt
EKMH: What advice do you have for entrepreneurs shifting gears?
ALC: Take a vacation alone. No partner. No kids. No friends. No distractions. Just you and your thoughts and all your hopes and dreams! Use the time alone to contemplate what you’re shifting away from and what you want to shift toward. Allow yourself time to say goodbye to what you’ve built. Our work becomes a loyal friend, or for me, it was like a baby that I had raised to a certain point. Letting go of that sweet baby can be very hard. Allow yourself time to get away, write down and consume everything you’ve created. Everything you built. Everything you accomplished. All the wins and all the losses. Your heart needs that time to celebrate and also that time to contemplate closure. With closure, I was able to give myself permission to start dreaming of what I wanted next. I determined into which gear I wanted to shift and how I would tackle those goals and dreams. Being away from all distractions, while I worked through significant emotions, was a way for me to be released and to create again.
EKMH: Which three skills and/ or personality traits have proved invaluable in your career(s)?
ALC: 1. Endurance. I can’t be outworked. When everyone else gives up, I keep going and I’m steadfast in my goals. I hold onto them. I daydream about them. I obsess about them. I meditate on them and use my imagination to create emotions around what it will feel like to achieve them. My whole body, mind, heart and soul gets behind it. Momentum takes shape so when it gets hard, the seed of endurance has already been planted and groomed. Times will inevitably get hard, no doubt, but when you’ve prepared your mind and body for what you’re creating, your whole person believes in the goal and has the endurance required to stick with it. The goal eventually becomes a reality and your endurance is rewarded by achievement. This cycle makes it easier to build endurance all over again and achieve your next goal. Stick with it and don’t leave it alone until it’s yours.
2. Kindness & Warmth. Being kind, warm and respectful is underrated. Everyone and everything responds positively to a kind human. Talk to people, be authentic, use empathy, genuinely show the kindness of who you are. It will take you far and you’ll get back tenfold of what you give. If nothing else, kindness feels good to the one doling it out.
3. Problem Solving. From the time I was a very young child I’ve been able to study a problem, whether in interpersonal relationships, home dynamics, business or school and diplomatically come up with a solution for all involved. I started to take notice of this ability in high school and realized it was a superpower in my early career. It’s almost like a sixth sense. A feeling I get when the problem enters my space. My brain starts to work on it and comes up with possible solutions I use this ability in everyday life and find it most useful in business. There are problems all over the place in business and it requires the ability to first notice the problem, stay calm around the problem (fear won’t get you anywhere in this stage) and begin to build a solution that creates a win-win-win dynamic for all involved.
“The way you treat people matters most: no degree or business success can teach this.” Photo by Maxwell Holt
EKMH: You are a beginner with superpowers! How have your prior B2B and marketing experiences and “fresh eyes” influenced you in this new journey?
ALC: Business is business no matter the business: overthinking doesn’t have to take over…unless you allow it. If you’ve been wildly successful at one business, you can also be wildly successful at the next endeavor. You take all your experiences, built over time, and apply them to your next venture. Sure, you have to learn new content and you have to become expert on the pivot you’re managing, but business is business. If you can create, grow and scale one, you can do the same in the next.
Momentum counts: all the wonderful tidbits and tricks you’ve learned along the way aren’t forgotten. Your magic follows you and is infused in your next dream. Let that reality settle into you and give you courage to start again. Sure, you’ll be the beginner in some respects but you’ve got so much momentum behind you. Revel in that reality and go for it! Success is yours for the taking.
The way you treat people matters most: no degree or business success can teach this. You either have it or you don’t. But how you treat every person you encounter matters. Kindness, warmth, empathy and just being nice goes SO FAR. Being authentically kind, mixed with business acumen, knowledge of the space and a clear vision makes you unstoppable.
EKMH: How is beauty and lifestyle branding changing in 2024? How can aesthetic intervention move from the pitfalls sexism or objectification?
ALC: Beauty and aesthetics are moving from “looking done or made up” to looking natural and ageless. Some think aesthetic medicine is only for the vain. I wholeheartedly disagree. We’re all aging and some of us want to age gracefully. Most of us desire a refreshed look. Feeling vibrant and on the cutting edge, at whatever has our passion, helps propel us to the next level. It’s really not about sexism. It’s about feeling good in your body. When you look your best, you feel your best and you can perform at the highest level. My aim is to create a paradigm shift in the industry where stigmas no longer exist, that we normalize the concept that beauty is ours to embrace and feeling good is our birthright.
“My aim is to create a paradigm shift in the industry where stigmas no longer exist, that we normalize the concept that beauty is ours to embrace and feeling good is our birthright.”
EKMH: When you are the only woman at the table….
ALC: I’m usually the only woman at the table and I'm used to it. In fact, I’ve grown to really enjoy being the only woman at the table! In the aesthetics space, I’m joined by many amazingly wonderful women (as providers). I remain the only woman at the table when it comes to sitting with investors and dreaming up, creating and planning for new businesses. I love it, truly. Women have a very special way of looking at the world, business, entrepreneurship and launching something new. We’re creators by nature. My womanhood is usually accepted and welcomed as a fresh perspective by my male counterparts. Maybe it’s because I don’t try to “out man” them. I embrace my womanhood. I would advise to get smart on every possible angle of the business, come prepared (of course!), always shine bright, embrace your femininity and be a problem solver with a positive attitude. That recipe is simply magical, at least it has been for me.
EKMH: How has your leadership and expertise catalyzed change and driven success in your community? How would you encourage others to become more actively involved in their communities?
ALC: Creating new businesses creates new energy, new jobs and more opportunities. I love that part of entrepreneurship. The opportunities you create for others and the community that is naturally developed around that business. But you don’t have to create a business to give back or provide opportunity. I also deeply enjoy giving back by way of my favorite nonprofits. Getting my children involved, in this endeavor, is also important to me. I’m a member of Jack and Jill of America ; there are always ways to serve through JNJ, for me and my children. It’s a win, win, win for all involved. Community outreach feeds the spirit and fuels our desire to keep doing more and more good for others.
“From the time I was a very young child I’ve been able to study a problem, whether in interpersonal relationships, home dynamics, business or school and diplomatically come up with a solution for all involved. I started to take notice of this ability in high school and realized it was a superpower in my early career. Its almost like a sixth sense.” Photo by Maxwell Holt
EKMH: What does the future of aesthetics hold?
ALC: Aesthetics is evolving to looking natural and untouched, even when you’re actively on a treatment plan to halt your aging face and body. Injectables should be undetectable. Duck lips and a nip and tucked look are behind us. Natural is everything. Anti-aging modalities are also on the rise. Being at the appropriate weight, infusing the body with vitamins, embracing nutraceuticals to live longer and making exercise a daily occurrence is all a part of the offering. Aesthetics and wellness are coming together, in an incredibly powerful way, to have us feeling and looking good beyond the eighth, ninth and tenth decade of life. And I’m here for all of it!
EKMH: With aesthetic medicine on the rise and humans living longer, will we end up using injectables for 40+ years?
ALC: I’m not sure how long the average human will use injectables in their aging process. I’m not sure that data exists yet. It’s also a very personal decision how long you want to use injectables to slow the aging process. Inevitably, however, injectables can only take you so far. At some point aging will take place. The key, when you’re younger, is preventative care. So much can be done to focus on skin health, wrinkle prevention and adding back to the face what age has taken. The aging face can be slowed and allow us all to age in a more graceful way.
EKMH: Last but not least, which books, films and/or podcasts top your list?
ALC: I love podcasts! In fact it’s the way I found my mentor! I binged listened to Ashley Carmen’s podcast called The Aesthetics Injector Gang and wrote to her immediately after listening. Ashley met with me a few weeks later and has become my mentor in the space of aesthetics.
I’m steeped in aesthetic medicine books on anatomy and physiology, injecting techniques and best practices. I’m also loving a book called Switch On Your Brain by Dr. Caroline Leaf which focuses on achieving peak happiness and health through your thought life. Another book that I’m finding fascinating is What Happened to You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing by Dr. Bruce Perry and Oprah Winfrey which focuses on how the life paths that we choose shape how we view and move about the world. Excellent read!
*Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this series are those of the interviewees and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities they represent.
Search below or check MuckRack to access thousands of interviews, articles and predictions in the EKMH Innovators Interview Archive. Be an active part of the conversation.