About Retrograde
Hi hi! I’m Laken, Nurse Injector and Founder of Retrograde Aesthetics. I think it’s important for you guys to be able to get to know a little bit about who I am and how Retrograde Aesthetics was born, so let’s get into the back story…
I grew up in the small town of Crivitz, Wisconsin. Struggling to fit in throughout grade school, I always knew I wanted something more for myself but wasn’t quite sure what that was. I decided to go to college with no plan for what I was going to do or what my degree should be. Initially, I decided to go for a business major and well— that didn’t last very long. Shortly after that, I bounced around a few different colleges trying to find something that really worked for me.
Eventually, I decided to go to school for nursing. I didn’t believe I truly wanted to be a nurse but I knew it would be very beneficial to have that degree. I’m going to keep it real— I went to school for future job security. But during college, I started realizing that I really didn’t have the same passion or drive for nursing that the other students had— they all had stories. They all had their “why”— they even knew which departments they wanted to work for. Their dreams were seemingly solidified, but what were mine?
Looking back in time, when I was 18/19 years old, I had gotten my lips done. Back then, I didn’t know the injector was a nurse. I found her through a friend and I trusted my friends opinion. So I said “screw it! I’m getting my lips done.” From then on, I never stopped. My lips became a part of my identity.
During an appointment for my lips, my injector asked me what I wanted to do once I graduated nursing school. I responded, “well… I don’t know….” to which she replied “have you thought about doing something like this?”
*shocked* me: “Nurses can do this?” … her: “I’m a nurse!”
From then on, my eyes were set— I knew what I wanted to do. I wanted to be an aesthetic nurse. It made going through the rest of my schooling so much easier having a goal to look forward to. A reason to be putting myself through the challenges of nursing school. P.S. Nursing school is hard!
Toward the end of my nursing program, I started shadowing and learning from that same nurse. She told me what books to read and how to educate myself. I became obsessed with the idea of being a Nurse Injector; it became my whole personality and I told everyone I would get there. Sure enough, due to my dedication and drive to become an injector, I was offered a job right out of college! “HURRAY!”
Fast forward, I wanted to be the best in the industry. I stayed with my former employer for around three years, perfecting my craft and learning more about myself. Through my learning, I started dreaming. Dreaming of RETROGRADE.
My dreams never left my mind. Every time I walked into work, I would have thoughts like “If I owned my own space, I would do— THIS”. Over time, enough of those thoughts created the drive for me to let go and bring my dreams to life.
And Retrograde Aesthetics was born.
