Beauty & The Brain®

This week on Beauty & The Brain , Dr. Chris Croley and Jerry Drinkard, NP are joined by Allie Ballew at Skin and Tonic in Pace, Florida to unpack the world of regenerative aesthetics. If you’ve heard terms like PRP, PRF, exosomes, PDRN, PDGF, or stem cells and wondered what they actually mean, this episode breaks it down in a way that makes sense. The team talks through the difference between...

This week, Dr. Chris Croley and Jerry Drinkard, NP, are joined by Skin & Tonic nurse practitioner Allie Ballew, NP, to tackle one of the questions they hear most often in clinic: "Why doesn't my Botox last as long as everyone else's?" The answer is more complicated than you might think. From dosing and muscle strength to aging, treatment goals, and patient expectations, the team explains what...

This week on Beauty & The Brain , Dr. Chris Croley and Jerry Drinkard, NP are back together for a conversation that may feel taboo at first—but is incredibly real for many women. They’re talking about the external changes that can happen to the labia after weight loss, GLP-1 medications, childbirth, hormonal shifts, perimenopause, and aging. From volume loss and laxity to discoloration, discom...

Dr. Chris Croley and Jerry Drinkard, NP are joined by Skin and Tonic’s Allie Ballew, NP for a summer-focused conversation about what esthetic treatments you can safely do when the sun is out and the beach is calling. The biggest takeaway? It is not always about the season. It is about your lifestyle, your sun exposure, your downtime, and whether you are willing to follow the right pre- and post-tr...

Dr. Chris Croley and Jerry Drinkard, NP are joined by Allie, NP, for an honest and hilarious conversation about a topic a lot of people wonder about but rarely say out loud: can your vagina sweat? The answer is yes—but as the team explains, it is really sweat in the vulva and groin area, not inside the vagina itself. They talk through how to tell the difference between sweat, discharge, and urinar...

Dr. Chris Croley and Jerry Drinkard, NP are joined by Allie Ballew for a very honest conversation about something almost everyone loves but our skin does not always love back: the sun. In this episode of Beauty & The Brain , the team talks through tanning culture, tanning beds, spray tans, sunscreen habits, and the common belief that a little sun damage can always be “lasered off later.” They...

This week on Beauty & The Brain , Dr. Chris Croley is joined by Allie Ballew, NP , filling in for Jerry Drinkard, NP , for a smart, approachable conversation with endocrinologist and geneticist Dr. Fady Hannah-Shmouni . Together, they explore why hormone health has become such a major topic in aesthetics, functional medicine, wellness, and longevity—and why it can still feel confusing for both...

This week on Beauty & The Brain , Dr. Chris Croley and Jerry Drinkard, NP are joined by Allie Ballew, NP from Skin and Tonic Med Spa for a real conversation about “menopause face” — that moment when your skin suddenly feels drier, thinner, looser, duller, or just not like you anymore. The team talks through why these changes happen, including collagen and elastin loss, declining estrogen, skin...

Why do some people heal faster than others after aesthetic treatments? This week on Beauty & The Brain , Dr. Chris Croley and Jerry Drinkard, NP, discuss the many factors that can impact healing, including medications, supplements, retinols, smoking, nutrition, hormones, GLP-1s, sun exposure, and post-care compliance. They also explain why two patients can have the same procedure but experienc...

This week on Beauty & The Brain , Dr. Chris Croley and Jerry Drinkard, NP, are talking about vulnerability—not in the emotional buzzword kind of way, but in the very real moments where trust, money, expectations, and decision-making all collide. Chris and Jerry share a candid behind-the-scenes story about a business decision involving new aesthetic technology, what went wrong, and how it becam...

In this episode of Beauty & the Brain , Dr. Chris Croley, Jerry Drinkard, NP, and Allie Ballew, NP, talk about why aesthetic treatments are not one-size-fits-all. Many patients come in wanting the same Botox, filler, or treatment their friend had, but every face ages differently. The team discusses how they evaluate concerns like pigment, texture, laxity, fat loss, facial structure, and skin q...

This week on Beauty & The Brain , we’re talking all about photobiomodulation, also known as red light therapy. Dr. Chris Croley, Jerry Drinkard, and Allie break down what red light therapy actually does, why it has become so popular, and how it may support collagen production, healing, inflammation, and even hair growth. They also discuss the difference between medical-grade devices and the re...

In this episode of Beauty & The Brain , Dr. Chris Croley, Jerry Drinkard, NP, and Allie Ballew, NP, discuss the aesthetic impact of weight loss, especially in patients using GLP-1 medications like Ozempic. They talk about the disconnect between reaching a goal number on the scale and actually feeling happy with how the face and body look afterward. From facial volume loss and sagging skin to m...

Dr. Chris Croley and Jerry Drinkard, NP dig into a topic that doesn’t get talked about enough in aesthetics: lidocaine toxicity. Numbing cream and injectable lidocaine are used every day in aesthetic medicine, but this episode explains why “routine” doesn’t always mean risk-free. Chris and Jerry walk through how toxicity can happen, what makes certain situations more dangerous, and the early signs...

Dr. Chris Croley and Jerry Drinkard, NP take on one of the biggest aesthetic trends making the rounds online: the Nefertiti neck lift . This week, they explain what this treatment really is, how it works, and why the results are often much more subtle than social media makes them seem. They walk through the role of the platysma muscle, how toxin can reduce downward pull along the jawline and neck,...

On this episode of Beauty & The Brain , Dr. Chris Croley and Jerry Drinkard, NP, talk candidly about something a lot of people experience but few talk about openly: getting fired, losing a role unexpectedly, and the financial and emotional fallout that follows. After Chris shares the shock of recently losing an anesthesia contract, the conversation turns into a bigger discussion about what rea...

Dr. Chris Croley and Jerry Drinkard, NP, dig into a side of aesthetics that does not get talked about enough: the temptation to buy new devices before your practice is truly ready for them. This episode is especially valuable for med spa owners, injectors, and providers who are trying to grow the right way. Chris and Jerry talk through the difference between chasing shiny new technology and making...

Dr. Chris Croley and Jerry Drinkard, NP sit down with Allie Ballew, NP for a hilarious and unexpectedly informative episode of Beauty & The Brain . What starts as a conversation about a viral rumor involving Olympic ski jumpers and alleged penile enhancement quickly turns into a bigger discussion about male confidence, penis filler, temporary versus longer-lasting enhancement options, and the...

This week on Beauty & The Brain , Dr. Chris Croley is away — so Jerry Drinkard, NP and Allie Ballew, NP jump in for a casual, behind-the-scenes chat about what Skin & Tonic actually offers and how to think through your options if you’re trying to improve skin quality, texture, aging changes, or confidence. They cover a ton in one episode: why chemical peels are still a go-to, how microneed...

Dr. Chris Croley and Jerry Drinkard, NP are going “behind the scenes” at Skin & Tonic—sharing what a typical day actually looks like and why the best patient experience is built from dozens of small, invisible choices. They talk about the real reason people don’t complain (they just don’t come back), how retention becomes the ultimate report card, and why going through your own “patient journe...

Dr. Chris Croley and Jerry Drinkard, NP take on a topic that keeps showing up in the headlines for a reason: illegal silicone injections . In this episode of Beauty & The Brain , they explain what’s actually happening when someone gets “silicone injections,” why liquid silicone is a totally different situation than silicone implants , and how complications can show up immediately —or years lat...

Dr. Chris Croley and Jerry Drinkard, NP kick off 2026 with a deep-dive into the treatments they’re most excited about right now — and how to supercharge results by stacking treatments safely . This week is a practical breakdown of what they’re using at Skin & Tonic (Pace, FL) to help with skin laxity, texture, pigment, jawline/jowls, and acne scars — without chasing an “overfilled” look. Chris...

Dr. Chris Croley and Jerry Drinkard, NP are back with Allie Ballew, NP for a real-talk episode on something everyone wonders but few people know how to explain: how do you spot high-quality aesthetic work—and how do you spot the work that’s… not so great? They cover the subtle signs of beautiful treatment (hint: you often shouldn’t be able to tell), the most common giveaways like overfilled lips a...

Dr. Chris Croley and Jerry Drinkard, NP are talking winter skin — why it gets dry, flaky, and irritated, and what actually helps when your barrier feels “wrecked” this time of year. They cover the sneaky culprits (hello, indoor heat + hot showers), how to adjust your home routine without overdoing it, and why winter is often the ideal season for more transformative treatments like CO₂ resurfacing,...

Dr. Chris Croley and Jerry Drinkard, NP are back for the first episode of 2026 , and they’re starting the year with a refreshingly honest conversation about goals — the kind that actually reflect real life. Joined by Nurse Practitioner Allie from Skin & Tonic MedSpa, this episode explores what they’re focusing on this year: business growth, personal priorities, skincare simplification, peptide...