Today we’d like to introduce you to Christian Filgueiras.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My wife, Stephanie, and I both became nurses in 2020, right at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. We entered the profession with the world facing unprecedented challenges and immediately went into critical care, working in the ICU. Those early experiences, though intense, allowed us to gain invaluable skills and resilience.
After several years of travel nursing, we realized that while hospital work was rewarding, it also came with a glass ceiling for growth and creativity. That realization sparked a shift in our careers. Stephanie was halfway through her Nurse Practitioner program at the time, and together, we began exploring opportunities in aesthetic medicine, a field that combined our passion for patient care with a new, empowering direction.
We saved diligently and have now officially opened our first business, a medical aesthetics practice based in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina. It’s incredibly fulfilling to take the knowledge and experience we gained over the years and apply it to something that is truly ours, something that grows as we grow.
While leaving the hospital setting was a significant transition, our core mission remains the same: helping people. Today, instead of navigating life-and-death situations, we have the joy of helping people reconnect with their confidence and vitality. Through aesthetic treatments, we bring life back to the skin, helping clients feel youthful and radiant even as time moves forward.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
In 2022, we welcomed our second child, which, as any parent knows, is a life-changing event. At the time, we already had a five-year-old at home—now they are three and eight—which meant balancing the demands of young children while pursuing a new professional path.
Financially, it was a pivotal period as well. When we first decided to dive into aesthetics, we had originally been saving to buy a house. However, given the economic climate at the time, finding a home proved to be incredibly difficult, and the reality of soaring mortgage rates made homeownership less practical than we had hoped. After many conversations and careful consideration, we made the decision to invest those savings into our education instead—choosing to build a foundation for our future in aesthetics rather than tie ourselves to a mortgage.
We committed fully to the process, traveling to different states every few months to attend in-person courses led by experienced doctors and nurse practitioners who had spent over a decade mastering this field. It wasn’t easy, balancing work, family, travel, and intense training, but every sacrifice was made with the bigger vision in mind: building something of our own that would allow us to grow both professionally and personally.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
At Dermalaire, I work as the RN injector while my wife serves as our in-house APRN. Together, we specialize in medical aesthetics, with a particular focus on mesotherapy—a treatment that’s still relatively new to the U.S. market but incredibly popular and well-established in Europe, Asia and south America
Mesotherapy is one of our signature offerings because it addresses skin health at a foundational level. Unlike dermal fillers, which add volume with synthetic gels, mesotherapy nourishes the skin with a blend of vitamins, minerals, and nutrients it naturally craves. Instead of simply filling lines, we work to revive the skin, promoting natural hydration, glow, and resilience from within. It’s a healthier, more sustainable way to support youthful skin—and we believe it’s the future of aesthetic medicine.
We are especially proud to be a nurse-owned and operated business. Transitioning from hospital-based nursing to entrepreneurship comes with its own unique set of challenges and barriers, but we’ve worked tirelessly to build something meaningful and lasting. Opening Dermalaire has been one of our greatest accomplishments.
What truly sets us apart is how deeply we care. This business is more than just a career—it feels like another child to us. We are passionate about helping it grow strong, educated, and full of joy. That same mindset extends to the way we treat our clients. Every person who walks through our doors is treated as an individual, and we take the time to educate, listen, and tailor our care to create an experience that brings genuine happiness and confidence to their lives.
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
When it comes to mentorship, we’ve been fortunate to have access to incredible resources through Empire Medical Training. Their programs not only provided foundational education, but also ongoing mentorship opportunities whenever we needed additional guidance. We also rely heavily on our product representatives, who are extremely knowledgeable and offer hands-on training and support for the products and treatments we carry. Having access to these experienced professionals has been invaluable as we continue to grow and refine our skills.
As for networking, we’re learning as we go. Building strong professional connections hasn’t always been easy—it’s one of the more challenging aspects of starting a new business—but with time, persistence, and an open mind, we’re seeing progress. Each event, conversation, and client interaction helps us expand our network little by little. Our focus remains on building authentic relationships, and we know that as our reputation grows, so will our community.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.Dermalaire.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dermalaire/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61569520626635
