When Mary Sullivan-Bryan created Advanced Aesthetics 17 years ago out of a small office on Alta and Jones, there were few med spas in town providing the kind of non-invasive procedures in which she and her team specialize. “I used to answer my own phone between seeing patients,” the Certified Aesthetic Nurse Specialist and former trauma and critical care specialist says. “Now it is pretty prevalent in Las Vegas, and it’s becoming much more the norm no matter where you live. Remember those commercials about hair color that said, ‘Does she or doesn’t she? Only her hairdresser knows.’ Now you see a woman and wonder why she has gray hair, and it’s the same with Botox. Younger women use it as prevention.”

Sullivan-Bryan and her team have grown quite a bit since those early days, eventually moving from 1,500 square feet to 13,000 on South Rainbow Boulevard, plus a location in Henderson and a satellite office in New York City. She has managed to consistently expand her business despite advanced competition. “There’s a fallacy that you have to go to Beverly Hills to get great work done, but it’s not true anymore. It’s definitely one of the things Vegas can be proud, and I know that from being licensed in other states,” she says. “We’ve gotten a bad rap with healthcare, so one might think cosmetic surgery is poor, too, but it’s not. We have very good surgeons in this city who are very talented.”

Sullivan-Bryan has other talents, too: She’s a competitive ballroom dancer who’s been traveling and performing for more than three years. Call it a little Vegas-style flair instilled in someone who’s been helping the city grow and look its best for more than 20 years.