When that tip screen pops up after your Botox appointment, should you feel obligated to pay?

This practice walks a fine line between unethical and outright illegal.

Dr. Kate Dee breaks down the troubling spread of tip culture into medical settings, where it doesn't just create awkward checkout moments, it can actually compromise your safety.

When businesses underpay nurses and rely on tips and commissions to fill the gap, it creates a flawed system. That system gives your provider a financial incentive to push treatments you don’t actually need.

Key Takeaways:

• Why low hourly wages plus tips create dangerous incentives for providers to oversell treatments
• The legal and ethical lines that tip screens cross in medical settings
• What this practice reveals about the overall safety and oversight at your med spa

You'll learn how to spot the difference between appropriate tipping (facials and spa services) and situations where you're being asked to tip for medical procedures like lasers and injectables.

Dr. Dee explains why the American Medical Association calls it unethical, and what it means when money starts influencing medical decisions. She'll also help you understand when a tip screen might be an honest mistake versus a deliberate money grab.

Listen and learn exactly what to do the next time you're faced with that awkward screen and you'll understand why speaking up about it matters for everyone's safety.

Pick up your copy of Medspa Mayhem: https://www.drkatedee.com/

MORE FROM DR. KATE DEE

Have a question, story, or insight to share?

Leave Dr. Dee a Note → drkatedee.com/contact

Follow Her on Instagram: instagram.com/drkatedee

Learn about The MedSpa Board — the national registry that verifies legally compliant, doctor-led med spas.

Find a certified provider near you → MedspaBoard.com

Please leave us a review on Apple Podcast: HERE

Catch full podcast episodes on YouTube: youtube.com/@MedspaMayhem/podcasts

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.

Some episodes include anonymous or secondhand accounts; while accuracy is a priority, these stories represent individual experiences. Verify credentials, do your research, and always prioritize your safety.

What if the person injecting your Botox learned how to do it over a single weekend and there's no one checking if they're even qualified?

In Texas, a woman died after receiving IV treatments from someone who had no medical license at all. No training. No oversight. No one stopped it until it was too late. Stories like this aren't rare, they're just rarely talked about.

Dr. Kate Dee sits down with Dr. Dr. Kristen Jacobs, a board-certified physician who's been practicing medical aesthetics since 2008, to walk through the new MedSpa Board certification standards and why they matter for everyone.

Chapters:
00:05:20 - Medical Director full responsibilities
00:16:15 - Outsourcing the Good-Faith Exam
00:26:05 - Delegation & supervision rules
00:31:50 - Legal versus illegal product sourcing
00:36:40 - Emergency protocols & complications

Dr. Jacobs shares what real medical oversight looks like in her practice, from ensuring every staff member has an active license to knowing exactly which high-risk areas of the face she refuses to touch.

You'll learn the questions to ask before your next appointment, what a legitimate medical director actually does, and how to spot the red flags that most people miss.

Whether you're getting treatments or running a med spa, you will walk away with the tools to navigate the medspa world safely. Dr. Dee and Dr. Jacobs are more than exposing the problems, they're building the solution.

By the end, you'll understand why choosing a certified medspa could protect your health, your face, and your future.

Listen and learn how to protect yourself. Help us raise the standard for an entire industry.

Be the first to know about upcoming Dr. Kate Dee's appearances, live Q&As, and new investigations → https://www.drkatedee.com/

Connect with Dr. Jacobs: https://kristenjacobs.com/

Texas woman: https://arnoltcenter.org/work/the-drip-lack-of-regulation-in-growing-iv-therapy-hydration-industry-potentially-puts-patients-at-risk/

Grab Your Copy of Medspa Mayhem the Book Today: HERE

MORE FROM DR. KATE DEE

Have a question, story, or insight to share?

Leave Dr. Dee a Note → drkatedee.com/contact

Follow Her on Instagram: instagram.com/drkatedee

Learn about The MedSpa Board — the national registry that verifies legally compliant, doctor-led med spas.

Find a certified provider near you → MedspaBoard.com

Please leave us a review on Apple Podcast: HERE

Catch full podcast episodes on YouTube: youtube.com/@MedspaMayhem/podcasts

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.

Some episodes include anonymous or secondhand accounts; while accuracy is a priority, these stories represent individual experiences. Verify credentials, do your research, and always prioritize your safety.

What happens when trust in a "celebrity facialist" costs you your face?

Dr. Kate Dee breaks down how an esthetician with a celebrity client list got away with performing medical procedures without a medical license or oversight for years. Victoria Nelson’s account on TikTok went viral recently. She had walked into a Hollywood spa with acne and walked out with permanent scars.

The woman she trusted, Sonya Dakar, self-proclaimed "Skin Ninja" to the stars, promised flawless skin but delivered chemical burns, unauthorized medical procedures, and charged $30,000 for treatments to fix the injury she allegedly caused Victoria.

Key Takeaways:

• How to verify if someone is legally allowed to perform the treatment they're offering you
• The warning signs of high-pressure sales tactics disguised as skincare advice
• What to do immediately if a treatment goes wrong

Dr. Kate walks you through the difference between legal esthetic treatments and the medical procedures this esthetician performed without proper licensing or oversight.

Walk away with exact questions to ask before letting anyone touch your skin with a chemical peel, microneedling device, or any treatment that sounds "no big deal." You'll learn how to spot practitioners who prioritize their wallet over your safety, and why free treatments from Instagram influencer outreach often come with hidden costs.

Stay until the end to hear Dr. Kate's simple checklist for vetting any esthetician or med spa before your first appointment. Your skin is permanent, so make sure the person treating it is actually qualified to do so.

Listen and learn how to protect yourself from predatory practitioners who hide behind celebrity endorsements.

Victoria’s Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@victoria.nelson?lang=en

Articles: https://people.com/woman-accuses-celebrity-facialist-permanently-scarring-her-face-11802854

https://nypost.com/2025/09/11/health/celeb-aesthetician-sonya-dakar-left-me-burned-and-scarred-says-client/

Grab Your Copy of Medspa Mayhem the Book Today: HERE

MORE FROM DR. KATE DEE

Have a question, story, or insight to share?

Leave Dr. Dee a Note → drkatedee.com/contact

Follow Her on Instagram: instagram.com/drkatedee

Learn about The MedSpa Board — the national registry that verifies legally compliant, doctor-led med spas.

Find a certified provider near you → MedspaBoard.com

Please leave us a review on Apple Podcast: HERE

Catch full podcast episodes on YouTube: youtube.com/@MedspaMayhem/podcasts

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.

Some episodes include anonymous or secondhand accounts; while accuracy is a priority, these stories represent individual experiences. Verify credentials, do your research, and always prioritize your safety.