Not every breakthrough belongs in your practice

Botox was new once.

So were fillers and RF microneedling.

Every breakthrough in aesthetics forces practices to answer the same question: Is this worth bringing into our business?

Now, that conversation is happening around regenerative medicine.

Synergy Aesthetics Co-Founder Brendan Sheil recently came across survey data indicating that 37% of med spas plan to add exosomes or other regenerative offerings within the next year. That's hard to ignore.

Understanding the technology is necessary, but it isn’t sufficient on its own. Brendan asks two more questions before moving forward: 

Does it improve patient outcomes? Does it strengthen the business? 

If both answers are yes, it's time to build a plan.

Too often, practices bring in a new treatment category before they've agreed on what success looks like.

Regenerative aesthetics offers a useful example. Brendan uses exosomes to walk through the process, but the framework applies to any new category.

Before comparing manufacturers, Brendan believes practices should understand what they’re actually evaluating.

“I don't start by saying, ‘Use our exosome.’ I want to start further back and ask, ‘What is an exosome?’”

Brendan describes an exosome as a tiny biological “suitcase.” Its intact lipid membrane protects proteins and signaling molecules that support the body's natural regenerative processes.

He evaluates products against a handful of benchmarks, including particle size (30 to 150 nanometers), surface markers, membrane integrity, and sourcing. He believes exosomes derived from Wharton's jelly represent today's “gold standard for purity.”

Understanding the technology is only “Step 0.” Before adding any new treatment category, work through these four steps to determine whether it can support better outcomes and make sense for the business.

Is the goal to increase revenue? Improve patient outcomes? Strengthen patient loyalty? Ideally, a new treatment supports all three.

"Is this going to add an accretive amount of revenue and profit? Is it going to add an accretive amount of patient outcome happiness, which builds more and more accretive value to our brand?"

If a treatment can help you achieve those goals, then it's time to evaluate which product, and which manufacturer, is the right fit.

Not every product in a promising category is created equal.

Before partnering with Resiliélle on its AgeZero™ Exosome line, Brendan and Co-Founder Josh Schoenbart toured the company's manufacturing facility, met with its R&D team, and evaluated how the product was made. 

One critical factor: every vial includes transmission electron microscopy (TEM) imaging, proving the exosomes are intact when you receive them.

The partnership also had to work both ways. Resiliélle wanted its products represented by employed sales professionals who could educate providers, not rely solely on independent contractors. Synergy already met that standard.

“I really, really like it when a manufacturer asks us for certain things as well. Because if both the manufacturer and Synergy are not winning, it's not sustainable.”

Most practices won't tour a manufacturing facility, but they can ask the same questions:

Once you've chosen a product, resist the urge to introduce it across every service line at once. Start with one procedure and define in advance how you’ll evaluate its impact.

Brendan points to practices adding AgeZero™ Exosomes to an existing CO₂ laser protocol and tracking recovery time and patient-reported discomfort. Starting with a narrow application gives a practice an opportunity to gather its own data before expanding into other uses.

“We're not going to dive in head first. We're going to start by finding an opportunity that we can measure,” Brendan says. “Are we delivering better outcomes for this treatment?”

Even a promising treatment can fall flat if providers can't explain what it is, why the practice selected it, and what patients should realistically expect.

Whether exosomes are bundled into an existing treatment or offered as an add-on, Brendan believes every provider should understand its role and be prepared to explain the available evidence, intended use, limitations, and risks. 

“Does every provider understand what it is we're doing from the start?” he says. 

When providers understand the “why,” patient conversations can focus on education rather than sales.

“How do you think about pricing when evaluating a new treatment?”

When practices evaluate a new technology, it's easy to focus on the upfront cost. Brendan encourages them to take a broader view of the value it may create for both the practice and its patients.

“When the outcomes exceed the expectation of the client, pricing doesn't matter.”

The larger point: When patients see meaningful value in an outcome, price becomes only one part of the decision.

- Brendan Sheil, Co-Founder Synergy Aesthetics

Certified AgeZero™ Exosomes

Synergy Aesthetics is the exclusive Midwest representative for Certified AgeZero™ Exosomes by Resiliélle®.

“Resiliélle’s Age Zero™ Exosome platform represents a highly validated regenerative technology that aligns with where the industry is going,” says Brendan. “We’re excited to bring this advanced technology to our provider network and help practices implement it with structure and measurable impact.”

Visit our website to learn more about the platform, how it complements today's leading aesthetic procedures, and the education and implementation support available to practices across our network.

New treatment categories will continue to emerge. Someday regenerative medicine won’t be new. 

But the process for evaluating what’s next shouldn’t change. 

Start with the outcome you’re trying to create.

Until next time, thanks for being here.

— The Synergy Aesthetics Team