NOTE: Throughout the month of July, BrownwoodNews.com is publishing stories daily on 40 standout citizens under the age of 40 making a positive impact and contribution within the Brown County community.
A member of the Bangs High School Class of 2009, Molly Gonzales has taken her two greatest professional passions and turned them into a successful career.
Gonzales, 31, is an Aesthetician at Epiphany Dermatology in Brownwood, offering fillers, Botox, facials, chemical peels, and serving as a licensed laser technician.
“The most rewarding part is helping others feel better about themselves,” Gonzales said. “It’s a great feeling helping someone find their confidence and boosting their self-esteem. There is something beautiful in helping patients with traumatic experiences such as chemotherapy or a severe car wreck find confidence in their new selves.”
Gonzales further elaborated on the difference some of the services she provides has made for her patients.
“Some of my best patients include an 18-year-girl who I helped remove scars she got from cutting when she was 12 years old,” Gonzales said. “I helped a mom who got melasma during her pregnancy and now cries because of that. It has so many different directions. I’m really trying to grow this side because it has such a bad misconception. People come in all day and see our physicians and they say, ‘why don’t you go meet Molly and talk to her and see what she can help you with.’ And so many people end up saying I had no idea you offered this service and end up being long-term patients of mine.”
Gonzales attended Hardin-Simmons for two years, then finished her collegiate education at Howard Payne, where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Biology.
“After school and college, I was trying to figure out what path was best for me,” Gonzales said. “I love science, I’ve done well in science my whole life, but what do I really want to do? My research project my senior year in college, with my thesis and everything, everyone was doing bugs, molds, flies and things like that and that wasn’t me. I don’t want to do the rate of how flies reproduce. I do love cosmetics, so I based my whole research project around cosmetics. So when I graduated, I tried to figure out what is the best route to combine both – my love for science and my love for cosmetics – and that’s what brought me to Aesthetics.”
Gonzales began her career in Tyler in 2017 and then transferred to Brownwood in 2020.
“Every day I get to live out the best of both worlds,” Gonzales said. “I get to do my hobby and what I went to school for. I got my Aesthetics license in Dallas. Right out of school I started at a Derm’s office in Tyler, Texas and I’ve been in Derm since doing medical Aesthetics.”
Gonzales’ career goals include her pursuit of attending physician’s assistant school.
“I just really want to grow the practice,” Gonzales said. “If I get into P.A. School I hope to turn around and work back in Derm and really grow that side of someone’s practice for them. I want to do Aesthetics. I love being in Derm,”
Gonzales added the services that she provides to Brown County and the surrounding area are rare.
“They didn’t have (medical Aesthetics) in Brownwood at all at this office,” Gonzales said. “They had it other locations and other offices. People just think it’s over-sized lips and badly done Botox and that’s not really what it is. Yes, it’s Botox and yes, it’s filler, but the way I like to address it and the way I like to look at it is I like to make people look like themselves. If someone comes in who is 70, I just like to make them look well rested.”
Molly and her husband Daniel Gonzales are nearing their two-year wedding anniversary and the couple has a nine-month-old son, Luka. The Gonzales family intends to remain in Brownwood.
“I came back here because my family lives here, it’s the best option for me,” Gonzales said. “The company I work with is supportive of me going to school and coming back and working here.”