The Wrinklegenie™ has come to Missoula and unlike the genie of Aladdin fame, she grants more than three wishes.
Newly transplanted from Riverfalls, WI, Melinda Barnes, RN, BSN, has decided to make Montana her new home by joining the staff of Northwest Plastic Surgery Associates full time, which is good fortune for the residents of Missoula.
A nurse and medical aesthetician with more than 30 years experience in the beauty and health industry, Melinda is passionate about using her extensive training and knowledge to help people look and feel their best. Her particular areas of expertise include neuromodulators, fillers, PRP, laser and hydration therapy. Additionally, through her Wrinklegenie™ brand, Melinda is a highly sought after nurse educator who provides a diversity of training to the kind of professionals she longed to be at the beginning of her career.
Melinda was trying to find quality training for herself, and that effort quickly transformed her own career path.
"Paying someone was astronomical," said Melinda. In her experience, it was cold and clinical, and in a meeting-type setting. "I wanted something more affordable and accessible," said Melinda. So that's what she did, referring to her training style as over-the-shoulder-coaching.
”It's hands-on. I show doctors and my peers how to use devices and products, how to monitor safety, make the patient more comfortable, and make the outcomes better. My success for the day is when I’m training someone and they say, ‘Oh, that’s great! I never thought about doing that.’ But, I don’t claim to know everything. I’m always learning and sharing little pearls [of wisdom].”
Among her many accolades and accomplishments, Melinda is recognized as a leader with Real Self, AAAMS (the American Association of Aesthetic Medicine and Surgery) and ISPAN (the International Society of Plastic and Aesthetic Nurses). In fact, the online community, RealSelf, has voted Melinda “Most Loved Injector” for the past two years.
However, Melinda’s real joy comes from helping patients and clients become their most beautiful selves.
“I see women each week who look at themselves in the mirror and get all teared up with a happy cry. They’ll say, ‘Oh my, gosh! I didn’t know I could look this way!’” said Melinda.
“It’s mental health,” Melinda said. “I’m not doing Botox because I don’t like my wrinkles. It’s because I am feeling good, and I want to be kind to my body. I want to reward my skin. I want to shine.”
Melinda feels the same commitment to educating her patients that she does her peers. She wants people to fully understand the choices they have available to them, even if they decide to go with another practitioner.
“I explain what each product does, how it works, what it can do, and what it can’t. I cover every step of the process, from products all the way up to surgery. If you don’t end up working with me, that’s okay, but I say, ‘This is what you should be looking for when you speak to other providers.’”
“We’ve all seen those women who look fake,” Melinda said. “I treat conservatively, all very natural and subtle looking. I like to call it ‘sprinkling,’ Sprinkle a little here and there. That’s the goal.”
Above all, Melinda encourages everyone to feel their best, no matter how they choose to do that.
“If you want to grow old gracefully, I say go for it,” she expressed. “But, don’t poo-poo it until you try it. Let’s have a conversation, no obligation. Let me teach you how to best care for the skin you’re in.”
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Connect with Melissa
Northwest Plastic Surgery Associates
2802 Great Northern Loop
406.728.3811
