There is little doubt that the high school years are incredibly important in shaping adolescent minds and personalities, but in many instances, those grade 9 through 12 experiences can emphatically direct the trajectory of the rest of our lives. Such was the case for Pennington parent and board member Dr. Lisa Espinoza P’23 ’26, who spoke to students in the Applied Science Certificate program last month. 

Espinoza is a highly respected physician and the founder of La Chelé Medical Aesthetics, one of the leading boutique medical aesthetics and laser centers in the country, currently with four locations. The doctor is renowned for her expertise in non-surgical cosmetic treatments, as well as laser and regenerative medicine, and she frequently participates in clinical studies and pre-launch initiatives for cutting-edge cosmetic procedures and products across pharmaceutical and tech sectors. Just a few decades ago, however, Espinoza was a teenager whom she describes as being, “plagued with pimples, bad skin, and low self esteem.” At that time, she was good at math and chemistry, but believed that for a true STEM career, she had to “be good at all of it.” 

Espinoza’s acne and poor confidence persisted into college, and as she recalls, treatment was expensive. While at UCLA, she took a clerical job filing papers in the university’s dermatology department, “so that I could get free medical care.” There, she fell in love with lasers and laser medicine. Today, lasers play an integral role in Espinoza’s daily practice. “I always feel like I am in Star Wars with all these lasers,” she joked, but the medical benefits the lasers provide go far beyond their cool look.

In her lecture, entitled "Pimples and Laser Beams: The Science Behind Cosmetic Dermatology and Innovation,” Espinoza discussed lasers in depth–including Aviclear and Accure lasers, both newly-approved by the FDA to treat acne–as well as other dermatologic uses for lasers, including wrinkles, hair removal and restoration, hyperpigmentation, and rosacea. Aesthetics aside, these lasers can offer tangible life-saving capabilities, especially with regard to AI skin diagnostics in detecting skin cancers in patients. “Each laser has a specific target which determines how it works,” she explained. One example is a special laser called AirGent, which Espinoza helped develop. AirGent uses kinetic energy and massive air power to deliver a shot without a needle. As Espinoza shared, technology which offers needleless injections is great news for the 70% of people who report really hating needles, but there are other applications for this technology which involve stem cell research. 

Some of the STEM concepts students might already be familiar with, such as energy absorption  and wavelength, play a strong role in the field of aesthetic medicine. “The aesthetic industry is booming right now for chemists and physicists,” said Espinoza. “STEM truly drives the future of beauty and wellness.” After an audience Q&A, the doctor offered this parting advice for the students: “Find your passion. In school, I definitely wasn’t the smartest person, but I worked harder than everyone else. It comes down to grit. Don’t give up when you fail and don’t get discouraged. If you maintain your discipline and love what you do, you will be successful.”