Meet Mercedes Hester

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mercedes Hester.

Hi Mercedes, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
I have been a nurse for 12 years. I started my nursing career in the corrections system. I really enjoyed this work as I was able to learn to effectively educate those from all walks of life. I then transitioned to the ER where I found my passion. Everything about the ER ignited this passion. I loved that it challenged me to be innovative and keep my skills sharp.

I became a full-time preceptor for new nurses in the ER and moved on to a full-time Charge Nurse. I obtained board certifications in Emergency Nursing which only 2% of nurses in the US have and Pediatric Emergency Nursing which only 3% of nurses in the US have. I also did relief hospital administration and taught Trauma Nursing Core Course to nurses, physicians, and other employees working in trauma centers. Throughout my career, I have received multiple achievement recognitions, but it was in the ER that I received the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses because of the care I provided to a terminally ill patient and their family prior to the patient’s death. It was also here in the ER that I realized I had a special skill with needles.

I then transitioned to working for a triage nurse line where callers had 24/7/365 access to obtain advice on their symptoms from RNs. It was in this role that I was awarded HCA’s “Change the World” award and was featured in the HCA Touch magazine while offering remote Telehealth nursing clinicals for 22 nursing students per day for 6+ months. Nursing students during COVID were having difficulty obtaining clinical hours and because of this, they would not have been able to graduate. Nursing students were able to take real-life triage calls with me. We would then discuss the calls and I could test the students knowledge of what they heard. Telephone Triage is very challenging as you really only have your sense of hearing to rely on as you can no longer see or even smell your patient.

After 3 years in telephone triage, I transitioned to a case manager position for a special population of patients that are on both Medicare and Medicaid. This work has been very fulfilling as a lot of these patients do not know where to turn to get the help they need. While I am still in this role currently, I started to miss the hands-on patient experience.

Aesthetics has always interested me as my mother is an Aesthetician. I wanted a role that allowed me to bring smiles to people’s faces. I know the confidence I received after getting Botox and Lip Filler for the first time. It seems like such a minor thing but it really changed the way I felt about myself through COVID. I knew I already possessed skill with needles so it felt like a natural transition. I can now use needles to help others feel good about themselves. How exciting!

I trained with Smiley Aesthetics and became a mobile injector for them as well. I love the mobile aspect as so many people struggle to get time off from work or find childcare for these types of services. I also love getting to meet everyone’s pets!

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I absolutely love education and I try to learn as much as possible every day. However, even as a nurse already I really had to hone my knowledge of the anatomy of the face. Serious complications can occur if injections are not performed properly or with a lack of regard to muscle and blood vessel locations. So I became obsessed with studying and increasing my knowledge. The struggle here was finding the time while juggling everything else. I never want to be in a position where I am putting my patients at risk so I put a lot of pressure on myself to learn as much as possible to be as safe as possible.

I am a nurse- not a marketer. Also as a nurse, I have never needed to find my own patients. Nor have I ever discussed prices or charged my patients for service. Becoming comfortable with that process has been a struggle. Along those lines learning to run a business effectively has also been a struggle. Thankfully I have family members that own their own business and have been able to assist me along the way.

There was also a time where I knocked over a bottle of Botox and literally saw the money just pour out of the bottle. That was a sad day.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I offer mobile Botox, Dermal Fillers, Microneedling, Chemical Peels, B12 injections, weight loss injections, and Botox parties. I currently only offer Allergan products. Botox is the trade name for Allergan neurotoxin and to date, it is the most widely researched neurotoxin.

I am known for natural looking results especially in lip filler. My goal would be for no one to know you have fillers.

Of course, I want the change to be as noticeable as you want but you will not see me offering overfilled lips that many celebrities these days have. I only want to enhance your natural beauty. I am definitely most proud of the correction I have been able to give to lips with large asymmetries. The confidence this has brought to my patients gave me such joy.

I absolutely love doing mid face filler as well. This is filler in the area under your undereye area or cheek area. It makes everyone look so refreshed, brighter and younger. At the end of the day what sets me apart is my customer service, my attention to detail and the education I provide to my patients. I will always strive to do the right thing for my patients. I ensure they are fully informed on what to expect. I check back in with them and I repeatedly encourage them to contact me with any questions or concerns, as no need is too small.

I start my “discharge process” by stating “I do not ghost people that I stab in the face. If you need me- call me, text me, we can FaceTime, or I can come to see you. Having worked in healthcare for so long I know the stress that having an unanswered concern can bring. Especially when it involves your face.

Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
I think that starting a mobile Aesthetics business was a risk. I think that in aesthetic nursing the risks are already inherent as you are placing a foreign substance in your body. So when it comes to risk-taking in actual injecting, I try to limit that risk as much as possible in every way.

Risks can be good but in the actual work I am doing – risk-taking is a no-no for me. I only use FDA-approved products. I ensure safety and cleanliness measures are met at each step. I take additional measures to prevent poor outcomes while injecting as well.

Pricing:

• Botox- $11/Unit; Dermal Filler starts at $750
• Microneedling – $325; Microneedling with Exosomes -$650
• Chemical Peels- vary based on the level of Peel
• MegaBurn Injections – $39, B12 Injections $20
• A $25 service fee is applied to clients outside of a 25-mile radius of my location in Mount Juliet.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://themercedesofbotox.com/
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/themercedesofbotox?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100088109140225