Metropolitan Skin Clinic Can Help Transgender People With Their Skin Journey

Dealing with changes in our facial appearances can be frustrating. Whether it be acne, aging, unwanted hair, or not being able to find skincare products that work for you, having unwanted features in such a visible and noticeable area can cause insecurities. These issues become increasingly more upsetting for transgender people who are transitioning.

Metropolitan Skin Clinic, located in Edina, is a Black, LGBTQ+, and women-owned skin clinic that has a multitude of options for all skincare needs, including helping trans clients with their skin at several stages of their transition.

The clinic starts with an in-depth consultation for their clients where they take a series of photos and use them to create a comprehensive and holistic treatment plan with their client, said Carrie Lucio, nurse practitioner and lead of injections at Metropolitan Skin Clinic. She said it’s important for clinicians to ask clients what works best for them, especially trans clients.

“Sometimes we come in with our own agenda for somebody and what looks feminine or masculine to us versus making them an intricate part of this journey that we’re going to go on with them and saying ‘What do you feel like? Show me some pictures, show me things that you find feminine to you, that’s going to make you feel like you look like on the outside how you feel on the inside,” Lucio said.

She said the person usually can bring ideas as they’ve put a lot of thought into this whole journey and it’s the injector’s job to give them all of the options with the risks and benefits.

When mapping out the treatment plan, they try to line up treatments at Metropolitan with other treatments that trans clients may be getting outside their office, according to Lucio. She added they start with what will be most impactful for the patient.

“Finding out what is most meaningful for them is what is going to lead where we go and then the goal drives the treatment plan,” Lucio said.

She said some skin issues they can help trans clients with are unwanted hair growth, softening or strengthening facial features, unwanted acne, and skin texture. The clinic offers options for home care, injectables, and other services.

Unwanted hair growth is something they can treat first, which can help trans clients feel like they see instant results and change on their journey, Lucio said.

Wayne Zink, one of three owners of Metropolitan Skin, said the BAREit laser light pulse focuses on the hair follicle, which helps treat thicker, sometimes curly, hair and a larger hair follicle. He added this makes it more accurate and much faster.

“If you’re the patient and you’re transitioning it’s a much less tedious, arduous, and painful process,” Zink said. “You can get a lot more done without incurring pain and oftentimes in the transition journey anything we can do to lighten the load of that journey is helpful.”

Lucio added they have multiple handpieces to ensure they can treat all body types and areas of the body. She said Metropolitan brought this laser in because it’s safe for all skin colors and types.

“There’s a lot of people who are transitioning and people of color that come in and they think ‘This treatment might not be made for me’ and we’ve got something to offer them too,” she said.

People receiving hormone therapy can face side effects such as unwanted acne or textured skin. Lucio said they can treat unwanted acne through medical grade skincare, hydrafacials, or ForeverClear laser treatment.

She added most patients who are receiving hormone therapy will experience changes in the texture of their skin, which may include larger pores, a reddish or dull texture, and sometimes hyperpigmentation. Some treatments for that can be a chemical peel or a moxi laser treatment.

Zink added skincare routines for someone transitioning differ based on the type of hormone therapy.

He said testosterone causes larger pores, increased oil production, and the ability to grow hair on the jaw, chin, and neck, which can create bumps, whiteheads, clogging, and blemishes. Skincare to help with these issues would include ingredients such as alpha hydroxy acids, beta hydroxy acids, glycolic acid, and lactic acid, according to Zink. Skin affected by estrogen would need more calming ingredients and cleansers.

Through injectables, they can soften and strengthen areas of someone’s face to help them feel more feminine or masculine.

“I feel like it’s such a personal area to all people and especially to someone who’s transitioning as to how their face and their facial features are presenting,” Lucio said. “We can use filler and botox injectable medications to help create those contours and lines within the face and help that person really pull out what they feel makes them look most in their feminine or in their masculine.”

Lucio added they understand most clients are not going to want or be able to do everything they suggest.

“We’re here whenever they’re ready and we’re ready to support them with all of these tools that we have,” she said.

Metropolitan creates an open and safe environment for people to come in for all their skincare needs. Zink said it’s important for him to see people comment and say they felt safe, were greeted warmly, and everything was explained to them. 

“We’re queer, Black, and female owned and so that leadership trickles down into our culture. It’s a top-down experience and it’s important for us for everyone who comes here to feel accepted and warm,” he said.

Metropolitan Skin Clinic
7300 France Ave. S., Ste. 300
Edina, MN 55435
(952) 288-2230
www.metropolitanskinclinic.com