Tonya Grismer is a medical esthetician who has been part of Dr. Rudderman’s practice for more than twenty years. A Georgia native from Winder, just outside Athens, she first fell for skincare behind a Clinique counter in college, then spent seven years at Institut’ DERMed in Buckhead before joining Dr. Rudderman’s team, where she has been ever since. Over those two decades she has watched the field evolve from microdermabrasion to today’s microneedling with PRP/PRFM, and advanced laser resurfacing, and she brings that long view to every treatment.
Tonya specializes in results-driven skin care—microneedling with PRP/PRFM, laser facials, CO2 resurfacing, chemical peels, and medical-grade products—guided by a philosophy of consistency over quick fixes. What she loves most are the relationships: clients who have trusted her for fifteen and twenty years, and the quiet reward of watching their skin, as she puts it, “almost age backwards.”
An Interview With Tonya
Tonya sat down to talk about how she landed in esthetics, how the industry has transformed over twenty years, and why, when it comes to great skin, consistency beats instant gratification every time.
Let's start at the beginning. How did you find your way into this field?
Honestly, it was kind of a fluke. I was working through college at a Clinique counter and I always loved skincare, but that job took it to the next level. I thought, “I want to get into esthetics,” and it just snowballed from there. I’ve always loved making people feel really great about their skin. And you never stop learning in this field. The technology has come so far … it keeps your mind working.
And how did you come to Dr. Rudderman's practice?
I’ve known Dr. Rudderman since the late ’90s, when I sold a product line he purchased. I was doing a lot of trade shows and trainings, but then I got married, had my first child, and I didn’t want to travel anymore. I called him up and said, “Do you need a part-time esthetician?” I knew I wanted to go back to work, but in a different way. That was twenty-one years ago this August. It was so easy: working in a doctor’s office while raising three kids, no nights, no weekends. And he’s always been wonderful; if I wanted a new product line or a new laser, he made it happen. And if my kid got sick at school, he’d say, “Go home, go get your kid.” He made it easy to build a life here.
You've had a twenty-year window on this industry. How much has it changed?
Enormously. We were doing microdermabrasion in Buckhead and thought that was the latest and greatest thing. Now I’m microneedling with PRP/PRFM and topical neurotoxins mixed in for that flawless finish, or doing CO2. The whole direction of the industry has shifted toward more results with less downtime.
What's the biggest misconception you run into?
That it’s going to be instant. Women come in wanting immediate gratification, and that’s just not how skin works. It’s about consistency, just like with diet and exercise. You can’t do it one time and expect it to hold. With our brides, for example, you want to start a year out from the weeding day. Where we can take your skin depends on the shape it’s in when you walk through the door, and getting there takes a plan, not a single appointment.
What treatments are you loving right now—the ones with the best balance of real results and reasonable downtime?
My favorite is microneedling with PRP/PRFM and then adding topical Daxxify. It shrinks your pores like nobody’s business, so you have this glass finish for months. It’s a collagen boost, a texture enhancement, it tightens the skin, and the downtime is less than twenty-four hours. Two weeks later your skin looks amazing. I also love the PRX peel—it’s basically a lunchtime peel that stimulates collagen with no real downtime. A HydraFacial with a hydro boost is beautiful if you don’t want anything too intense. And I love our no-downtime laser facial—it’s our YAG at the 1064 wavelength, so it goes deep. It calms rosacea down immediately and stimulates new collagen at the same time. No pain, no downtime, and clients leave glowing.
And when someone wants the biggest possible result?
That’s the CO2 Helix Cool Peellaser—the gold standard. Biggest bang for your buck. It works at any age on texture, scarring, acne scars, sun damage, even crepey skin on the neck. It helps with everything. The trade-off is real downtime: you swell, and then you have that sandpaper skin that has to slough off. So, it’s not for everyone every time, but the results are unmatched.
The field moves fast. How do you and the team stay current?
We go to a big laser symposium at least once a year—that’s where you learn what’s new. Trade shows are huge too; Dr. Rudderman goes to a lot of them. And it’s a small world, so we talk constantly with each other, with estheticians at other offices, on Instagram, at industry events. Reps also come in to educate us on the latest products and ingredients. Between all of that, you stay on top of what’s working.
What about products—what are you reaching for?
The older you get, the more you want things that plump and support the skin. I love our Hydrinity line. It’s full of high-quality hyaluronic acid and our growth factor serum. We use ZO, which is plant-based, and Biopelle, which is actually derived from snails; we’ve used it for post-procedure recovery for over a decade. As for ingredients, you can’t go wrong with retinol, vitamin C, hyaluronic acid, and peptides—peptides are in everything now, and you’re going to see a lot more copper peptides for collagen.
One thing we won’t do is exosomes. Reps come in wanting to sell them and it all sounds grand, but Dr. Rudderman says there aren’t enough studies yet. He understands the science better than any of us, and I respect that there are certain things he won’t let us do until the research catches up.
A lot of your clients are moving through perimenopause and menopause. How is that changing their skin—and your work?
It changes everything, and I’m living it myself. The big thing is sensitivity. Your histamine levels rise, so you react to things you never reacted to before. Because our hormones regulate everything. I’m seeing more rosacea, more hormonal breakouts, sometimes unwanted hair, and at the same time you’re losing elasticity and seeing jowls and neck laxity. So, I’m treating a lot of ultra-sensitive, “out of whack” skin. The answers are gentle and consistent: estradiol cream on the face (our compounding pharmacy makes it), peptides, retinol, and treatments that keep stimulating collagen without overwhelming the skin.
You focus on skin treatments rather than injectables. How do the two fit together?
They work hand in hand, and I tell clients this all the time. When your skin is in really good condition, your fillers and Botox look better, and vice versa. A lot of women come in just wanting to be injected, and our injectors are great about saying, “I can inject you all day long, but this won’t make your skin look pretty on its own.” You can stop a wrinkle for a few months, but if you’re not boosting collagen and turning the skin over, it’s not going to last or look its best. As we age, we aren’t making collagen like we used to, so even just retinol, for the rest of your life, leaves you better off.
How do you approach social media?
I run hot and cold on it, but it’s a useful tool. When people see my face, it reminds them, “Oh, I need to go see Tonya.” And people genuinely love hearing what treatments are good for the season or what product I’m using and the results I’m getting. The algorithm makes it frustrating—you find your groove and then it changes—but showing up still matters.
Any advice you find yourself giving over and over?
For clients: if you find something that works, stick with it and do it consistently. And wear your hat! I’m always preaching sun protection, a good physical block, a cute big hat with UPF. And for young estheticians starting out, I tell them to stay in one place, build a business, and build relationships with people. That’s what clients want: someone they trust who’s going to do the right thing for them. I have clients who’ve been with me for 15, 20 years. I get to watch them almost age backwards. That’s the whole reward.