So recently she opened InSPArational Treatments by Christy, located at 1728 Central Ave., Suite 3.

“This year, I decided, I’m 55 and if I don’t do it now, I don’t know when I would do it,” Nielsen said. “So I took the leap of faith and I did it and I love it.”

Prior to opening her business, Nielsen took a course in Minneapolis to train and become certified in injectable cosmetic procedures.

Nielsen specializes in Botox, Juvederm fillers, VI chemical peels, SkinMedica chemical peels, SkinPen microneedling, and offers an array of luxury skin care products to help clients protect their “investment” after a service.

“I’m really excited for the SkinPen that does microneedling,” she said. “It’s the first FDA-approved microneedling system.”

The tool itself is made in the United States and has been tested and found to be safe, she said.

“It will help with the texture of the skin,” Nielsen explained. “What it does is it goes down to the collagen layer and it breaks down your collagen and then when the collagen rebuilds, it plumps up the skin and helps with some acne scarring, discoloration and wrinkles.”

As a breast cancer survivor, Nielsen likes to help other women look and feel their best, and wants to offer affordable options. She is also supervised by a medical supervisor, Andrea Oswald, a nurse practitioner.

One of the biggest misconceptions about medical cosmetics, Nielsen said, is that it will make the client’s face really stiff.

“Hollywood stars have not helped the aesthetic industry because they do way too much,” she said. “My philosophy has always been conservative because we can always add more. I don’t want anybody walking out and going home and saying, ‘I wish I wouldn’t have done this.'”

Nielsen intended to open on April 1, but word got around and she received so many appointment requests, she decided to start earlier and saw her first client on March 14. An open house is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on April 23, where she will do a live demonstration of the SkinPen and have testers for guests to try the products.

Hours are by appointment only and can be made by calling Nielsen at 515-408-0409.