Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Allison Niccum. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Allison, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
Like many advances in all fields of endeavor, our purpose was found in the crucible of necessity. My husband sought to help me, after the most difficult health journey of my life that seriously affected the health of my skin. This led us down a path of seeking to create a solution to restore skin health and vibrance.
Ten years ago I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease. While difficult to explain all the ways this disease affected many systems in my body, it began to impact my energy levels, metabolic health, skin health, and pain in my muscles. The disease progressed until, four years later, I experienced a seizure. The next year was plagued with unpredictable seizures. Neurologist tests were inconclusive, so I sought the help of a functional medicine doctor. Among other things, he suggested a heavy metals test. The test showed toxic levels of arsenic and cobalt in my body. The autoimmune disease caused my liver to not filter optimally. The high levels of these two metals were seriously affecting my neurological system. I endured six months of painful 3-hour chelation treatment every two weeks to help remove the heavy metals, which left me completely exhausted.
When I had recovered enough, I returned to my trusted esthetician. I laid down for the skin assessment, she took one look at my face and exclaimed, “What has happened to your skin? It’s like a plastic bag! There is no elasticity!” My skin was dull and dry, and the lipid barrier was gone. I tearfully realized that, not only was I physically and mentally beaten down, but the years of illness had taken a serious toll on my skin. Not only did I feel sick, but my skin looked sick and aged.
Disheartened, I shared my experience with the esthetician at home with my husband. Serendipitously, David works in the field of regenerative medicine, using PRP (platelet rich plasma) and other orthobiologics (growth factors, proteins, autologous stem cells, etc) in Orthopedics. He mused, “They are using PRP in facial procedures,” he thought for a moment, and then posed the question, “I wonder if there is a way to put PRP in a skincare base product so that you can have the benefits of your own growth factors, not for just one application, but daily?” We got to work, and it turns out, the answer is YES, you can, and it WORKS!
My skin has fully recovered, and looks better than ever! We have created a way for everyone to enjoy the results of our search for healthy, youthful looking skin. Our skincare system truly personalizes home skin care routines with the powerful effects of your own growth factors. I’m passionate about helping others in their skin rejuvenation journey. That’s why we created Skindemé.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
First and foremost, I am a wife and mother of four amazing boys. As a working mom, I spent over 15 years running a successful photography business. Photography has presented amazing opportunities to photograph for corporations, executives, sporting events, high-end real estate, etc. Running my own business allowed me to be flexible to the needs of my family and clients. Starting Skindemé was something that emerged from the need to find a solution for my skin woes. As shared earlier, my health journey with an autoimmune condition impacted various systems in my body, including my skin health. In my late 30’s, I began to seek professional skincare help. I learned about the different facial treatments that could help my skin and also began using various homecare skin products. At a point of exasperation with my skin woes, my husband asked me about the different treatments I had received and products I was using. Being familiar with the benefits and applications of using PRP therapies to supplement and treat connective tissue defects in joints and spine, he noted the emergence of PRP for facial skincare treatments. Together we discussed the potential of leveraging PRP in a personalized skincare topical product.
We dove into trying to create a product base that could effectively be customized with an individual’s PRP to boost home skincare routines. We explored different combinations of base ingredients until finding some that would effectively support and suspend the growth factors and be healthy for the skin. Working with my husband to find a way to leverage the growth factors from PRP in my own blood has been a rewarding adventure that ultimately produced incredibly positive results for my skin. With that product success, we decided to turn the product into a business and have added other products to the Skindemé line.
As one who has tried almost everything in professional and home skincare, here’s what really excites about Skindemé, we are leveling up the natural regenerative capacity of your skin by leveraging powerful growth factors from PRP that are not only unique to you, but uniquely recognized by your body. This targeted daily application of attractive growth factors supplements your skin with signaling proteins that stimulate the production of collagen, elastin, and cell turnover. These facial rejuvenation effects can help improve skin texture, reduce the appearance of wrinkles, plump hollow areas, and give your skin that radiant glow. The results I had in just 90 days are visible and have been life changing! Healthy skin comes from within.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
When seeking to create or solve something, you have to be inquisitive, relentless, and resilient. For me, asking questions with a relentless pursuit helped me find answers to my health struggles, and ultimately led to breakthroughs with Skindemé products. I was never satisfied with, “well, this is something you’re just going to have to deal with.”
I grew up with a strong work ethic. My father was an Air Force pilot who instilled disciplined effort in all we do. And, my mom built a successful, award-winning goat farm that we would help with as part of our daily chores. It was hard work and some of the work is not always pleasant. I learned the value of hard work.
Along the path, you will encounter obstacles that may seem insurmountable. Resilience is key when starting a business. The difficulties of life and business are vast and can vary in intensity for all of us. You have to find a purpose within yourself that becomes your motivation to keep moving forward. For me, my purpose was better health and my motivation was and is my family.
We first launched Skindemé in January of 2020. Enough said right? Less than two months later, everything in the world shut down due to COVID. In most states, if you were not considered an essential business, you could not be open. While many healthcare providers were considered essential during the pandemic, providers who offered elective procedures were not considered essential. Our initial and foundational Skindemé products leveraging PRP were staged to only be available by providers who were set up to draw blood and process the client’s PRP for inclusion in our Skindemé base. Most of these provider locations were considered not essential. So while all businesses experienced a shock to the system with the way COVID altered things, Skindemé (as a startup) was faced with the daunting prospect of no clients who could operate their businesses.
Not going to lie, this was a major challenge and was not easy. Our funding into Skindemé was focused on launching these core PRP personalized products. We had to significantly alter our approach to selling the Skindemé Anti-Aging System with PRP. Additionally, we added natural-based products that do not have PRP as a core component. This challenge became an opportunity for us to look at Skindemé broadly as a business and not just a product. We had to be resilient in the face of this seeming road block. By adjusting our perspective on the business, this has helped us to look at innovative ways to expand our product line while still being true to our core mission and brand.
How would you describe your ideal client?
Our ideal client is someone who is looking for natural ways to restore and rejuvenate their skin. Today, people are very interested in longevity and healthspan. Our natural approach to skincare is one that seeks to simplify the way we help people achieve improved skin health that will extend the natural beauty of their skin.
We seek to help simplify skincare homecare routines, while also empowering our skincare professional customers and friends with powerful skin-rejuvenation products that can augment their professional facial and skincare treatments, helping their clients achieve desired skincare results.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://skindeme.com/
- Instagram: @skindeme
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Skindeme
Image Credits
Headshot Images: Kristal Shoemake Product Images: Allison Niccum
