Med Spa Confidential - Exposing the Risks, Rewards, and Business of Beauty

Dr. Kate Dee | Medical Spa Founder & Safety Advocate

Exposing the Good, the Bad and the Ugly secrets of the Medical Aesthetics Industry.Dr. Kate Dee takes you inside the medical spa industry, an unregulated mix of medicine and marketing where the results can be stunning… or dangerous. As a board-certified Physician who left hospital medicine to found GLOW Med Spa, she’s seen both sides: the art, the science, and the shady practices that put patients at risk.You’ll hear insider stories, expert conversations, and practical advice that help you spot who’s qualified, who’s not, and how to stay safe while still looking your best.Subscribe to become a smarter patient and find out what questions to ask and how to figure out who is cutting corners in the wild west of the medspa world

  1. 5d ago

    Exosomes, Stem Cells & IVs: The Industry's Biggest Hype ft. Dr. Kristin Jacobs | EP 118

    Find or Get Your Medspa Certified: https://medspaboard.com/ He flew to Seattle for a stem cell treatment that promised hope where medicine had few answers. He died after the procedure, and his family later won $24 million in a wrongful death lawsuit. Host Dr. Kate Dee, founder of Glo MediSpa, sits down with Dr. Kristin Jacobs, founder of OohLaLa Spa and the newest certified member of the MedSpa Board, to take on some of the most overhyped treatments in aesthetics. Exosomes come up first. Everyone is selling them, but many people selling them cannot explain what they actually are. Dr. Dee walks through why processing and instability may leave some products without the intact exosomes patients think they are paying for. Then there is IV therapy, which sounds harmless until Dr. Dee discusses a recent New York case involving a practitioner she says had no medical license in the state and a patient who died after receiving NAD. It raises a bigger question the episode keeps returning to: who is actually qualified to provide these treatments? Handheld LED devices get the same treatment. So do facials, and Dr. Dee admits she has a soft spot for those even while questioning how necessary they really are. If you have ever paid for a treatment because it sounded impressive rather than because someone showed you the evidence, this episode is for you.  It gives you a better way to judge whether a treatment has real science behind it, whether you actually need it, and whether the person selling it should be providing it in the first place. Chapters: 00:03:16 - The Aesthetic Treatments That Sound Better Than They Work 00:08:52 - What Your Exosome Treatment May Actually Contain 00:12:40 - The $2,000 Add-On That May Not Be Worth It 00:14:41 - When Cutting-Edge Medicine Crosses the Line 00:17:30 - The Med Spa Claims That Should Make You Pause 00:20:50 - Is Your Treatment Plan Built Around You or Revenue? 00:22:26 - The Wellness Trend Doctors Are Questioning 00:23:54 - What Happened After an NAD IV Went Wrong 00:28:22 - The At-Home Skin Device Most People Use Wrong 00:33:10 - What You’re Really Paying for With a Facial 00:36:17 - The Hormone Treatment Costing Patients Extra for Nothing Stay for the end. Dr. Jacobs calls her compounded hormone treatment life changing. Dr. Dee agrees about the power of hormone therapy, but questions whether the expensive compounded version is actually necessary. Press play and learn which treatments may be worth the money, which ones deserve more scrutiny, and which ones could leave you with nothing more than really expensive urine. Connect with Dr. Kristin Jacobs: https://kristenjacobs.com/ Find or Get Your Medspa Certified: https://medspaboard.com/ Grab Your Copy of Medspa Mayhem the Book Today: HERE Learn about The MedSpa Board — the national registry that verifies legally compliant, doctor-led med spas. Find a certified provider near you → MedspaBoard.com Want the anti-aging essentials I actually use: Download my FREE  Gift Guide Follower Instagram: instagram.com/drkatedee Please leave us a review on Apple Podcast: HERE  Catch full podcast episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DrKateDee GLOW Medspa - Seattle, WA: https://glowspaseattle.com/ Disclaimer:  This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before any aesthetic procedure. Med Spa Confidential with Dr. Kate Dee exposes illegal practices, compliance failures, and patient safety risks inside the medical aesthetics industry. Consumers learn how to find licensed injectors, avoid counterfeit products, and make safer treatment decisions. Med spa owners and providers get real accountability, industry standards, and a pa...

  2. Sep 16

    Inside a DEADLY NAD + Infusion (Doctor Explains) | EP 117

    Find or Get Your Medspa Certified: https://medspaboard.com/ A 27-year-old woman walked into a wellness clinic for a routine infusion. She never walked out.  Dr. Kate Dee is sharing details of the most disturbing cases she's covered: a fatal NAD infusion administered by a man with no license to practice medicine anywhere in the state. He claimed credentials from two other countries. None of them counted where it mattered. He's now facing charges, but the damage is already done, and this isn't an isolated incident. Dr. Dee breaks down what NAD actually is, what it's supposed to do inside your cells, and why pumping it straight into your bloodstream is a waste of money. Once you hear the science, you'll understand why an entire wellness trend built around this treatment might be sitting on a foundation of nothing. She also gets into the FDA's most serious level of warning about NAD's supply chain, why even AI gets the science wrong when you ask it, and where IV therapy actually belongs in medicine versus where it's just an expensive risk dressed up as self-care. If you've ever booked an IV drip, or you're a provider offering one right now, this episode could change your mind before something goes wrong.  Press play and learn why one of wellness's most popular trends could be the most dangerous thing in the room. Grab Your Copy of Medspa Mayhem the Book Today: HERE Learn about The MedSpa Board — the national registry that verifies legally compliant, doctor-led med spas. Find a certified provider near you → MedspaBoard.com Want the anti-aging essentials I actually use: Download my FREE  Gift Guide Follower Instagram: instagram.com/drkatedee Please leave us a review on Apple Podcast: HERE  Catch full podcast episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DrKateDee GLOW Medspa - Seattle, WA: https://glowspaseattle.com/ Disclaimer:  This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before any aesthetic procedure. Med Spa Confidential with Dr. Kate Dee exposes illegal practices, compliance failures, and patient safety risks inside the medical aesthetics industry. Consumers learn how to find licensed injectors, avoid counterfeit products, and make safer treatment decisions. Med spa owners and providers get real accountability, industry standards, and a pa...

  3. Sep 9

    Med Spa Crackdown: Why States Are Finally Enforcing the Rules ft. Attorney Brett Elliott | EP 116

    Find or Get Your Medspa Certified: https://medspaboard.com/ A woman walked into a med spa for a routine Botox appointment and never walked out, and the person who was supposed to be supervising her care wasn't even in the building. That's not a rare horror story. It's happening across the country right now, and Dr. Kate Dee wants you to understand exactly why before you book your next appointment.  In this episode, she sits down with Seattle healthcare attorney Brett Elliott to unpack the wave of new med spa laws sweeping through states like Indiana, Georgia, Oklahoma, and Illinois.  They dig into a disturbing loophole called the "ghost medical director," where a licensed physician signs a contract, collects a fee, and never actually sees a single patient.  You'll also hear how an FDA raid on a Texas med spa uncovered an unmarked vial of Botox in a dumpster, tied to a chain of suspiciously cheap Groupon deals. And in New York, a recent sweep of over 300 med spas found multiple violations including one where investigators found fentanyl on site. Brett brings the legal expertise to explain what these law changes actually mean for you. Together, they hand you the exact questions to ask before you sit down in that chair, so you're never the patient who finds out the hard way. Chapters: 02:23 - States Are Closing Med Spa Loopholes 03:29 - Indiana’s New Med Spa Rules 05:43 - Why Botox Parties Can Be Risky 07:38 - Surprise Inspections Are Changing Everything 09:25 - The Problem With Ghost Medical Directors 14:37 - How Standing Orders Get Abused 18:09 - Why Routine IVs Deserve More Scrutiny 19:44 - What Actually Counts as Medicine 22:38 - The FDA Raid That Shut Down a Med Spa 27:22 - The Fight Over Compounded GLP-1s 35:36 - What New York Found Inside 300+ Med Spas Stay until the end, because the story about what happened in New York will change how you look at that med spa on the corner. Press play and learn how to spot a fake medical director before it costs you your safety. Brett Elliott: https://www.hklaw.com/en/professionals/e/elliott-brett? Find or Get Your Medspa Certified: https://medspaboard.com/ Grab Your Copy of Medspa Mayhem the Book Today: HERE Learn about The MedSpa Board — the national registry that verifies legally compliant, doctor-led med spas. Find a certified provider near you → MedspaBoard.com Want the anti-aging essentials I actually use: Download my FREE  Gift Guide Follower Instagram: instagram.com/drkatedee Please leave us a review on Apple Podcast: HERE  Catch full podcast episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DrKateDee GLOW Medspa - Seattle, WA: https://glowspaseattle.com/ Disclaimer:  This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before any aesthetic procedure. Med Spa Confidential with Dr. Kate Dee exposes illegal practices, compliance failures, and patient safety risks inside the medical aesthetics industry. Consumers learn how to find licensed injectors, avoid counterfeit products, and make safer treatment decisions. Med spa owners and providers get real accountability, industry standards, and a pa...

  4. Sep 3

    I Secretly Shopped a Med Spa: They REFUSED to Answer This Question | EP 115

    Find or Get Your Medspa Certified: https://medspaboard.com/ She asked one question. "Are you a nurse?" The woman holding the microneedling pen didn't answer. A consumer took a Groupon deal, got the treatment, and got pitched on Botox while she was still in the chair. The whole thing sat wrong with her. So she went looking for someone who could tell her whether the place was even legal, found the Med Spa Board, and sent an email. Dr. Kate Dee opened it and started digging. You get the investigation in the order she ran it. The website with two names and no credentials next to either one. The reviews, and the pattern in them that should have been the first warning. The state license lookup, which takes about four minutes and anyone can do it from a phone. Then the call to the woman named as medical director on that website. She picked up. Wait until you hear what she said about her name being on there. And then Dr. Dee called the spa herself, as a customer, asking the same things you'd ask. What came back wasn't a phone call. It was one line, and it confirmed everything she suspected. This place has been open for more than four years. If you've ever booked a treatment because the price felt like a steal, you'll find out what that price was actually buying you. And if you're an injector or an owner who knows you're not fully compliant, stay to the end. Dr. Dee tells you exactly where to start. Press play and learn how to check any med spa yourself before you ever sit in that chair. Grab Your Copy of Medspa Mayhem the Book Today: HERE Learn about The MedSpa Board — the national registry that verifies legally compliant, doctor-led med spas. Find a certified provider near you → MedspaBoard.com Want the anti-aging essentials I actually use: Download my FREE  Gift Guide Follower Instagram: instagram.com/drkatedee Please leave us a review on Apple Podcast: HERE  Catch full podcast episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DrKateDee GLOW Medspa - Seattle, WA: https://glowspaseattle.com/ Disclaimer:  This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before any aesthetic procedure. Med Spa Confidential with Dr. Kate Dee exposes illegal practices, compliance failures, and patient safety risks inside the medical aesthetics industry. Consumers learn how to find licensed injectors, avoid counterfeit products, and make safer treatment decisions. Med spa owners and providers get real accountability, industry standards, and a pa...

  5. Aug 26

    The Wellness Trends Doctors Say Are a Waste of Money ft. Dr. Stephanie Rogers, Geriatrician 114

    Find or Get Your Medspa Certified: https://medspaboard.com/ What if up to half of all dementia cases could be prevented, and the two things that matter most in midlife are things almost nobody checks? Host Dr. Kate Dee sits down with Dr. Stephanie Rogers, a board-certified internist and geriatrician who teaches medicine at UCSF, to talk about what the research actually says about protecting your brain. If you've assumed dementia is all genetics, or that prevention starts at 70, this changes the timeline. The window is open right now, in your 30s, 40s, and 50s.  Dr. Rogers walks through the big international review that identified 14 factors with real evidence behind them, and she names the two midlife factors with the strongest link of all. Most people are in denial about both.  She also takes on the social media myth about statins, explains where GLP-1 research really stands right now, and shares why the brain game apps you've been faithfully doing every morning may not be doing what you hoped. Chapters: 00:02:30 - How Much Dementia Is Preventable 00:03:35 - Why Midlife Matters Most 00:04:35 - The Hearing Loss Connection 00:05:57 - Cholesterol and Brain Health 00:08:00 - GLP-1s and Dementia Risk 00:13:53 - The Habits That Matter Most 00:17:59 - Alcohol, Aging, and the Brain 00:21:47 - Aging Well Beyond Aesthetics 00:23:00 - The Power of Social Connection 00:26:49 - Protecting Hearing and Vision 00:28:30 - Brain Games, Creatine, and Sleep 00:36:39 - The Dementia Prevention Checklist Together they get into sleep trackers, supplements, your nightly glass of wine, and the one habit that turns out to be about as protective as exercise, and that hardly anyone talks about. Stay to the end. Dr. Rogers turns all 14 factors into a short list of things to ask your doctor for at your next physical. Press play and learn what you can still control while it's early enough to matter. Dr. Stephanie Rogers IG: https://www.instagram.com/agewellwithdrsteph/?hl=en Dr. Stephanie Rogers Substack: https://substack.com/@agewellwithdrsteph Find or Get Your Medspa Certified: https://medspaboard.com/ Grab Your Copy of Medspa Mayhem the Book Today: HERE Learn about The MedSpa Board — the national registry that verifies legally compliant, doctor-led med spas. Find a certified provider near you → MedspaBoard.com Want the anti-aging essentials I actually use: Download my FREE  Gift Guide Follower Instagram: instagram.com/drkatedee Please leave us a review on Apple Podcast: HERE  Catch full podcast episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DrKateDee GLOW Medspa - Seattle, WA: https://glowspaseattle.com/ Disclaimer:  This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before any aesthetic procedure. Med Spa Confidential with Dr. Kate Dee exposes illegal practices, compliance failures, and patient safety risks inside the medical aesthetics industry. Consumers learn how to find licensed injectors, avoid counterfeit products, and make safer treatment decisions. Med spa owners and providers get real accountability, industry standards, and a pa...

  6. Aug 19

    When I Say NO to Teen Laser Hair Removal (Doctor Explains) | EP 113

    Find or Get Your Medspa Certified: https://medspaboard.com/ Who is really asking for that laser treatment, the teenager sitting in the chair or the parent standing behind her? Dr. Kate Dee says the answer changes everything. And it is often not the answer the family walks in expecting. Dr. Dee opens up her own consult room and walks you through one of the most uncomfortable conversations in aesthetics: when a minor is brought in for permanent hair removal.  She has treated teens. She has also turned families away at the door. Skin type and hair color decide whether the treatment can work. Something else entirely decides whether it should happen at all. You'll hear the red flag that makes her stop a consult, why she personally takes the blame for saying no instead of letting her nurse practitioner or PA carry it, and why she believes this call can never sit with an esthetician. If you're a parent weighing this for your kid, you'll understand what a careful clinic actually digs into before anyone books. If you own or work in a med spa, you'll get a clear line for where consent gets complicated with a minor and how to handle it without losing the family. Stay to the end, because Dr. Dee settles whether "permanent" really means permanent, and why that word carries more weight at 17 than it does at 30. Press play and learn the one red flag that should stop a teen consult before the laser ever turns on. Grab Your Copy of Medspa Mayhem the Book Today: HERE Learn about The MedSpa Board — the national registry that verifies legally compliant, doctor-led med spas. Find a certified provider near you → MedspaBoard.com Want the anti-aging essentials I actually use: Download my FREE  Gift Guide Follower Instagram: instagram.com/drkatedee Please leave us a review on Apple Podcast: HERE  Catch full podcast episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DrKateDee GLOW Medspa - Seattle, WA: https://glowspaseattle.com/ Disclaimer:  This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before any aesthetic procedure. Med Spa Confidential with Dr. Kate Dee exposes illegal practices, compliance failures, and patient safety risks inside the medical aesthetics industry. Consumers learn how to find licensed injectors, avoid counterfeit products, and make safer treatment decisions. Med spa owners and providers get real accountability, industry standards, and a pa...

  7. Aug 12

    Is Your "Natural" Look Actually Aesthetic DRIFTING? (Surgeon Explains) ft. Dr. Scott Miller | EP 112

    Find or Get Your Medspa Certified: https://medspaboard.com/ Why does overdone always look normal to the person it happened to? Host Dr. Kate Dee sits down with Dr. Scott Miller, a board-certified plastic surgeon in San Diego who has spent his career fighting for one thing: results that look natural instead of overdone.  The two of them get honest about how your sense of normal quietly drifts until you cannot see it anymore, why one of the newest filler trends is leaving people with strange bulges they never asked for, and how a brand new cadaver fat product just landed in the middle of a regulatory fight in New York. You will hear how to read a provider's website and staff before you ever book, why two careful doctors refuse to chase every shiny new procedure, and what really separates a skilled injector from what Dr. Miller flatly calls the jerk at the end of the needle. Chapters: 00:02:30 - When Your Idea of Natural Starts to Drift 00:06:00 - When Non-Invasive Treatments Make Sense 00:10:41 - Can Treatments Affect a Future Facelift? 00:13:42 - The Sculptra Debate 00:20:06 - When Filler Goes Too Far 00:24:14 - Is Fat Grafting Really Better? 00:28:00 - The Problem With the Latest New Treatment 00:31:42 - Why Cutting-Edge Can Become Fool’s Gold 00:33:12 - How Social Media Distorts Aesthetic Results 00:38:23 - The Deep Plane Facelift Myth 00:42:17 - What Should You Do Starting at 45? 00:46:06 - Finding the Goldilocks Result If you have ever felt pushed toward the latest thing, or worried you are sliding toward a face you never wanted, this conversation gives you a way to stop and choose smart. It is straight talk for anyone getting work done, and a wake up call for anyone doing the work. Press play and learn how to spot the latest thing from the greatest thing before you pay for it. Dr. Scott Miller’s Website: https://www.millercosmeticsurgery.com/ Dr. Miller’s Book: Authentic Beauty: Defining a New Standard for Care and Results in Plastic Surgery Dr. Miller’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottrmillermdfacs/ Dr. Miller’s  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/millercosmeticsurgery/ Find or Get Your Medspa Certified: https://medspaboard.com/ Grab Your Copy of Medspa Mayhem the Book Today: HERE Learn about The MedSpa Board — the national registry that verifies legally compliant, doctor-led med spas. Find a certified provider near you → MedspaBoard.com Want the anti-aging essentials I actually use: Download my FREE  Gift Guide Follower Instagram: instagram.com/drkatedee Please leave us a review on Apple Podcast: HERE  Catch full podcast episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DrKateDee GLOW Medspa - Seattle, WA: https://glowspaseattle.com/ Disclaimer:  This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before any aesthetic procedure. Med Spa Confidential with Dr. Kate Dee exposes illegal practices, compliance failures, and patient safety risks inside the medical aesthetics industry. Consumers learn how to find licensed injectors, avoid counterfeit products, and make safer treatment decisions. Med spa owners and providers get real accountability, industry standards, and a pa...

  8. Aug 5

    Why I Say NO to Body Skin Tightening (Doctor Explains) | EP 111

    Find or Get Your Medspa Certified: https://medspaboard.com/ What if the body-tightening treatment being sold to you produces results so subtle that you barely notice them? In part four of her Why I Say No series, Dr. Dee takes on one of her biggest industry pet peeves: body skin tightening. Body skin tightening is often marketed as a nonsurgical way to create a tighter stomach, firmer arms, or smoother thighs. But before you spend money on a treatment package, Dr. Kate Dee wants you to understand what these devices can and cannot realistically accomplish. You will learn why the smoother skin you see immediately after some treatments may be temporary swelling rather than genuine tightening. Dr. Dee explains how heat-based devices stimulate collagen, why she considers one heavily marketed device overhyped, and which treatment method she prefers for the right areas. But there is an important catch. A treatment that creates a noticeable improvement on the face or neck may produce a disappointing result on the abdomen, arms, or thighs. Dr. Dee explains why body skin behaves differently, who might see a modest improvement, and why even a technically successful treatment may still leave most patients wondering whether it was worth the money. If you have loose skin after pregnancy, weight loss, GLP-1 use, or aging, listen before purchasing a body-tightening package Press play to learn where skin tightening can deliver, where it usually falls short, and why an ethical provider should sometimes talk you out of treatment. Grab Your Copy of Medspa Mayhem the Book Today: HERE Learn about The MedSpa Board — the national registry that verifies legally compliant, doctor-led med spas. Find a certified provider near you → MedspaBoard.com Want the anti-aging essentials I actually use: Download my FREE  Gift Guide Follower Instagram: instagram.com/drkatedee Please leave us a review on Apple Podcast: HERE  Catch full podcast episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DrKateDee GLOW Medspa - Seattle, WA: https://glowspaseattle.com/ Disclaimer:  This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before any aesthetic procedure. Med Spa Confidential with Dr. Kate Dee exposes illegal practices, compliance failures, and patient safety risks inside the medical aesthetics industry. Consumers learn how to find licensed injectors, avoid counterfeit products, and make safer treatment decisions. Med spa owners and providers get real accountability, industry standards, and a pa...

4.4
out of 5
29 Ratings

About

Exposing the Good, the Bad and the Ugly secrets of the Medical Aesthetics Industry.Dr. Kate Dee takes you inside the medical spa industry, an unregulated mix of medicine and marketing where the results can be stunning… or dangerous. As a board-certified Physician who left hospital medicine to found GLOW Med Spa, she’s seen both sides: the art, the science, and the shady practices that put patients at risk.You’ll hear insider stories, expert conversations, and practical advice that help you spot who’s qualified, who’s not, and how to stay safe while still looking your best.Subscribe to become a smarter patient and find out what questions to ask and how to figure out who is cutting corners in the wild west of the medspa world

You Might Also Like