Q+A with Aesthetic Medicine Registered Nurse Kristina Kitsos

Kristina Kitsos on the multi-faceted pathway to beautiful skin, tips for taking care of your skin pre- and post-treatment, and more.

Kristina Kitsos is a registered nurse and aesthetic injector based out of Los Angeles. Coming from a family of medical professionals, Kristina grew up with a fascination for the human body and how it works; she later in life spent years traveling the world to learn techniques from various countries that would sharpen her skill as a registered nurse and injector, and give her the ability to provide her patients with a uniquely robust level of expertise. From her own practice to her own product line, Kristina takes on several avenues to make her mark in the skincare world, and in the following conversation we get to learn all about it. Read on for more!

Q First and foremost, we would love to hear about your journey in the skincare space. How did you get started, and how did you get to where you are today?

I got started in the world of aesthetic medicine at a very young age. I come from a family of medical professionals. My father is a plastic surgeon, my stepfather is a surgeon, my grandfather was a surgeon, and my mother is a nurse. Because my father is a plastic surgeon, I would go to his office every day after school and watch him perform various surgeries. I was very interested in the form, function, and biology of the human body. I can remember back in the fourth grade having my father teach me what he termed, “the architecture of the face”, and how important proportion and balance are to overall aesthetics. This in-depth training was instrumental in my ability to properly assess my patients today in my practice, where I create individual treatment plans for each individual client based on their specific needs. My formal education was at UCLA in Los Angeles, and after my undergraduate degree, I went on to get an MBA. After that, I knew that I wanted to open my own aesthetic medical clinic, so I went further to get my degree as a registered nurse.

Once my formal education was complete, I spent years traveling the world learning techniques and becoming a knowledgeable and proficient skincare provider and expert injector. I spent time with mentors who are at the top of their fields in Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore, and all over Europe. I also worked and trained with master Injectors from Brazil, Canada, and Russia. This life-long learning endeavor has made me the skin expert and skillful injector I am today. I have gained knowledge and experience that is vast and deep, and I provide my clients with the benefits that come with that extensive knowledge and experience.

Q: You’re passionate about skin health extending way past products, and the need to look to mindset, diet, fitness, and more to paint the whole picture. We’d love to hear you expand on this and share how our entire lifestyles can affect our skin.

I have always been very adamant that the path to healthy, glowing, beautiful skin is multifaceted. Although products and treatments are very important, in order to really have the most vibrant skin, there are six important pillars of health that must be taken into account.

1. Quality skincare products (and not over exfoliating): Most people overuse retinal and their skin ends up being red, dry, flaky, and unable to heal itself. When given the right products with the right ingredients, your skin will flourish and any blemishes will heal themselves.

2. Healthy diet: It’s true when they say that beautiful skin starts from within. There are so many different components to what qualifies as a healthy diet. In my opinion, it’s very important to eat as many fresh, unrefined foods as possible. Limiting refined sugar is very beneficial, and the subsequent decrease in inflammation helps to promote beautiful skin. I try to eat 90% plant-based and drink lots of water. That being said, I’m a big believer that you should not completely deprive yourself of all treats. Just keep those sweet treats to a minimum!

3. Healthy lifestyle (exercise, not smoking, limit alcohol, quality sleep).

4. Meditation, stress relief, play, endorphins.

5. Supplements.

6. Injectables, lasers, peels, skin treatments.

Q: What do you love the most about what you do?

What I love the most about what I do is that I get to make people feel happy and confident about themselves. We all have our skin problems that bother us. When I can provide safe, effective treatments that make people look and feel better, it makes all those years of studying and practicing worthwhile — especially when I can help my clients who have had no success with their acne treatments. It always makes me feel great when they send me selfies and tell me how much they love their skin.

Q: You’ve been open about your own experience with acne and how you’ve adjusted your skincare regimen over time to treat breakouts. Can you share a bit about this experience and provide some tips on how one should be evolving their skincare routines over time? How has this experience inspired the product line you’ve developed?

When I was in my 20s, I suffered from pretty severe acne. I was a nanny at the time and getting my MBA, so I was definitely stressed out. One evening, a commercial for an acne product came on the TV, and the five-year-old looked at me and said,“That’s what you should get!“ I knew at that time that I had to get serious about dealing with my acne.

Because I come from a family of physicians and medical professionals, I had all of the prescription antibiotics and creams at my disposal, but none of them worked. I was even on Accutane three times! That definitely helped, but it did not completely clear up my skin. I got serious about researching and reading dermatological journals, and it was at that time that I got to understand the importance of the barrier function of the skin. This was more than 20 years ago. At that time, no one was talking about ingredients that fortify and boost the barrier function of the skin. I learned all about MMPi’s (ingredients that protect the skin from enzymes that break down protective proteins in the skin) and began formulating my own products for myself. It wasn’t until a few years ago that I decided to share that formulation with my clients. That was when my product The Elixir was born. Before that, I just called it my secret sauce.

I also got very clear on how my skin reacted to different foods, makeup, and lifestyle choices like stress and sleep. All the pieces to the puzzle came together. It was no longer a mystery why I was breaking out, and I’ve had mostly clear skin since. I say “mostly” because every now and then I still break out but I can, for the most part, pinpoint exactly what caused the breakout. Sometimes it’s worth it (Sprinkles cupcake) and sometimes it’s not (red-eye flight). But at least it’s not a mystery anymore, and I know what to do if I do break out.

Q: Something some may not realize is that taking care of your skin pre-treatment is just as important as post-treatment care! What are some ways you recommend getting your skin ready for getting a treatment in-clinic? Some ways to take care of your skin post-treatment?

One of the most important things to take into account is to monitor your supplements and medications before having any sort of injectable or laser procedure. There are many things that are in your blood to make you more likely to bruise. It’s really important to stay away from those things pre-treatment. That being said, there are some supplements that are beneficial to take pre-treatment, including Arnica and Bromelain with Quercetin, both of which help decrease bruising and swelling post-procedure. Also, when you prepare the skin with antioxidants and peptides before treatment, it will be more resilient and heal faster.

Post-treatment, it’s really important to create a nourishing and soothing environment for skin that has been compromised. There’s a lovely mask called LACE that is coming to the US soon, and it’s amazing at providing a healing, cooling, and reparative environment for post-procedure skin. It’s also very important to keep post-procedure skin out of the sun. This means not only a zinc oxide-based sunscreen, but a broad brimmed hat and sunglasses are a must! It is so important to protect skin that’s in the healing process.

Q: In terms of skincare products, prices can range from inexpensive to luxury, and you’re a fan of products all across that spectrum! What are some products you swear by that are both splurges and saves?

Q: Finally, we’d love to hear what you wish people were talking more about in skincare!

The importance of mineral-based sunscreen and how chemical sunscreens are not good for people or the environment. It’s a conversation I have multiple times a day with my clients.

Mesotherapy and how supplements are so important to overall skin health is another! I call my technique MesoGlow, which is a unique cocktail of treatments designed to regenerate, rejuvenate and stimulate fibroblasts to create more skin boosting extra-cellular proteins like collagen and elastin. There are numerous benefits to microneedling the MesoGlow into the skin. Microneedling is known to be effective in and of itself for collagen stimulation. With the addition of Neuromodulators to the mix, superficial lines, sweaty, oily pores and skin texture are dramatically improved! At the same time, the hyaluronic acid component hydrates and subtly plumps the skin’s surface. The overall result is skin that is smoother, more resilient and has a vibrant healthy looking glow.

Rapid Fire Round

Q: Worth the splurge:

Retrouvé Intensive Replenishing Facial Moisturizer.

RETROUVÉ | Intensive Replenishing Moisturizer
RETROUVÉ | Intensive Replenishing Moisturizer
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Q: Favorite drugstore or budget find:

Rael Miracle Patch and CeraVe Moisturizing Lotion.

RAEL | Miracle Patch
RAEL | Miracle Patch
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CERAVE | Daily Moisturizing Lotion
CERAVE | Daily Moisturizing Lotion
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Q: Latest beauty empty:

Garnier micellar water — I use it every day!

GARNIER | SkinActive Micellar Cleansing Water & Makeup Remover
GARNIER | SkinActive Micellar Cleansing Water & Makeup Remover
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Q: Recent discovery:

Alastin TransFORM Body Treatment.

ALASTIN | TransFORM Body Treatment
ALASTIN | TransFORM Body Treatment
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Q: Product you can't leave home without.

My Vitadrops & REN sunscreen, applied in that order.

REN | Clean Screen Mineral Mattifying Face Sunscreen SPF 30
REN | Clean Screen Mineral Mattifying Face Sunscreen SPF 30
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Q: Brand you wish more people knew about:

Davines for hair and REN for sunscreen.

For more of Kristina's favorite products, check out her shop below:

Kristina Kitsos
Kristina Kitsos
Kristina Kitsos is a multi-specialty trained Registered Nurse with over 18 years of experience working in some of the most renowned Plastic Surgery practices in the world. Kristina is an expert in the field of minimally invasive aesthetic medicine. Kristina has built her reputation by smoothing, balancing & refining the facial features and skin of her clients. She utilizes innovative procedures, advanced devices and non-surgical techniques. Her eye for detail and extensive knowledge of skincare products and medical techniques allow her to use an artistic approach to medical aesthetics.
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