Meet Melissa Robles

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Melissa Robles a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Melissa , thank you so much for opening up with us about some important, but sometimes personal topics. One that really matters to us is overcoming Imposter Syndrome because we’ve seen how so many people are held back in life because of this and so we’d really appreciate hearing about how you overcame Imposter Syndrome.

I started working for Julie Pruitt at Acne Specialists as a new esthetician in 2014. At that time, Julie already had over a decade of experience working with acne prone skin, and I was brand new. When I joined the team I started seeing a lot of clients who owed their clear skin to Julie. It was a lot of pressure to keep them happy and ensure their results continued.
Having someone like Julie Pruitt as my mentor has been an invaluable asset and has gotten me to where I am in my career today. At the same time, in the beginning it was really scary. Every time I saw a client who was used to seeing Julie, there were so many doubts in my head. “Will they trust me as their acne specialist?” “I hope they don’t ask how long I’ve been working in esthetics.” “Will I get flustered if they ask a lot of questions?” The only way out of that situation and those feelings is to keep going. Yes, I had big shoes to fill, but the only choice was to do my best, commit to learning, ask for help when needed, and work with compassion. Each difficult situation you put yourself in will eventually become easy if you keep going. Now, 11 years later, acne prone clients seek me out because of my ability to problem solve the most complicated acne cases. I’m so glad I didn’t let imposter syndrome get the better of me, because now I’m able to help so many more people struggling with breakouts.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

I was born and raised in California but took a 7 year detour in Nashville.
I’ve been a licensed esthetician since 2013 and have specialized in acne management my entire career.
I started out as a client of Acne Specialists owner/founder, Julie Pruitt, and she had my acne clear in a matter of months. I struggled with painful lower face breakouts for over 10 years and couldn’t believe I could clear up long term from such simple adjustments.
Prior to becoming a client at A|S, I had tried everything l knew to try for my skin with no success (but a lot of rashes and a few chemical burns). Julie’s help with my acne inspired me to become an esthetician and treat acne.
I worked at Acne Specialists’ original Oakland location from 2014-2018. In 2018 I had to relocate to Nashville for my husband’s job and was devastated to leave my dream career.
In early 2019, Julie & I opened Acne Specialists of Nashville. We grew the team there and brought on the best estheticians who have helped that location grow to what it is today.
During my time in Nashville I honed in on my problem solving skills and take the greatest joy in troubleshooting tough cases. If you feel like you’ve tried everything and nothing worked, I would love to work with you! I take particular joy in finding long term acne management to individuals who have tried prescriptions without success – Accutane, Retin-A, Spironolactone, etc are not effective solutions for many of our clients and it can be disheartening when they don’t work.
I’m relocating to Long Beach this summer with my husband, son and two dogs in order to be closer to friends and family. We’re excited to get back to our home state and to start a new chapter of our lives.
Acne Specialists of Long Beach will be opening summer 2025 at Salon Row in Los Alamitos. You can find more info at longbeachacne.com

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Compassion – Understanding the mental and emotional toll acne can take on you is a non-negotiable if you want to be successful in this field. People don’t only come to you for help with their skin, but as someone they can confide in and be comfortable around. Having chronic breakouts and seeking treatment is an extremely vulnerable experience and your clients want to know you have compassion for what they’re going through.

Attentiveness – Being a good and active listener key for understanding your clients’ journey. Each person’s experience with acne prone skin is different, and you can’t rely on putting everyone in a box and using a single approach. Acne treatment has many correct answers, and there’s more than one way to get clear skin. Really getting to know your client will help you understand how to give them the best treatment plan possible.

Resilience – Not every case is going to go the way you want it to. Anytime you are working with the human body, there’s a level of unpredictability. If your first treatment plan doesn’t work to clear a clients’ acne, don’t let it get you down. Keep going and try something different. The more this happens, the better you can serve future clients.

Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?

My boss and mentor, Julie Pruitt (Acne Specialists owner and founder) has been the most impactful to me professionally. I learned almost everything I know about effective acne treatment from her. She is a calming force in my life and helps me trust my own judgement. She’s my biggest cheerleader and empowers not only me, but all of her other employees, to have autonomy at work and believe in ourselves. She’s always there for support when we need it, but believes in hiring well and letting her employees’ individual strengths shine through.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://acnespecialists.com
• Instagram: melissa.acnespecialist

Image Credits

Ana Tinch