Her cousin's death inspired her to be a nurse. Now she's helping people by opening a med spa.

When Tristah Romero-Kelly of Caledonia was 12 years old, her 3-year-old cousin Zachary died of complications with leukemia.

"That changed my life," she said. "I knew right then and there that I wanted to help people."

During his battle, Zachary spent a year and a half in and out of the hospital. 

"The nurses that had a lot of caring, compassion, a gentle touch and great bedside manner made all the difference," she said. "Their gentle nature changed my outlook on what I wanted to be when I grew up."

After being in the healthcare field as a CNA, nurse, then nurse practitioner, Romero-Kelly will be opening a medical spa, Renew Medical Aesthetics, in Oak Creek. 

"As a nurse, we always want to make people feel good and help people," she said. "I think this is just another way to do it."

'I've been in healthcare all of my life'

At 16, Romero-Kelly became a certified nursing assistant, while attending Hamilton High School in Milwaukee. 

She attended Alverno College, where she graduated with her bachelor's in nursing in 2009 and master's in nursing in 2014. She became a board-certified family nurse practitioner in 2015. 

She has worked for Aurora for 14 years in facilities including, Aurora St. Luke's Medical Center, Aurora Behavioral Health Center in West Allis and Aurora QuickCare in Milwaukee. 

"I've been in healthcare all of my life," she said. 

Three years ago, while she was at Aurora QuickCare, she precepted a nurse practitioner student who was an aesthetic injector. 

The idea of aesthetic injecting peaked her interest, so she started researching it and taking classes. 

"I literally fell in love after I started getting involved," she said.

In 2018, she started working at a med spa in Gurnee, Illinois, which is where she said she came into her own.

To learn how to start her own medical aesthetics clinic, she attended programs, conferences and classes through organizations like, Wisconsin Women's Business Initiative Corporation, and Veteran Women Igniting the Spirit of Entrepreneurship. Her husband, Malcom Kelly, a Mount Pleasant police officer, is a veteran. 

What a medical aesthetics clinic does

After working on a business plan for a year, Romero-Kelly will be opening Renew Medical Aesthetics, 8648 S. Market Place, Oak Creek, in the Market Place Village Sept. 5. 

The clinic will offer everything from skin products to Botox. 

"My theme throughout my nursing career has been to help people and make them feel good," she said. "I've seen how this can build people's confidence and I think if you feel good on the outside, you naturally feel good on the inside."

The clinic will do Botox and Dysport, which help reduce facial wrinkles, like crow's feet, she said. 

Fillers are to help with volume that has been lost, usually in places like the cheeks or lips. 

For microneedling, she said she uses a needling device, similar to a tattoo gun, to go in and out of the skin with needles, which creates controlled trauma of the skin.

When the procedure is done with platelet-rich plasma, it is often referred to as "the vampire facial."

For this, she draws someone's blood, spins it down in a centrifuge, which separates the red blood cells from the platelet-rich plasma. Then, she applies the PRP topically or injects it, after the microneedling. 

"It helps with collagen production and overall better-looking skin tone and texture," she said. 

Chemical peels are superficial resurfacing of the skin to help with the skin's texture and pigmentation, she said. 

Dermaplaning is the scraping of the top layer of the skin off with a surgical scalpel, she said. 

Kybella injections are used to create a more defined profile under the chin. 

B-12 injections boost energy. 

"Some people are trying to age a little bit more gracefully, and some people are trying to restore what they've lost," she said. "And, some people just don't want to lose it at all."

She requires clients to do a free consultation prior to booking an appointment. "I can talk specifically about what bothers them," she said. 

An open house will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Aug. 29 with refreshments, raffles and discounts. 

For more information or to book a consultation, visit renewwi.com. 

Appointments can be scheduled for 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. 

"This is something I fell in love with and I can do until I'm ready to retire," she said. "If you love what you do, it's never work, and that's why I'm here."

Romero-Kelly will continue working at Aurora Urgent Care in Kenosha on a casual basis, and part time for an ear, nose and throat specialist in Kenosha and Oak Creek. 

When Romero-Kelly isn't working, she's spending time with her husband, two sons, Austin and Brandon, and two German Shepherds. 

Renew Medical Aesthetics

ADDRESS: 8648 S. Market Place, Oak Creek

PHONE: 414-310-6541

WEBSITE: renewwi.com 

HOURS: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday by appointment only

Contact Hannah Kirby at hannah.kirby@jrn.com. Follow her on Twitter at @HannahHopeKirby.