From left: Kenneth Rothaus, M.D., and Ilan Szekely, co-founders of Telo Labs.
Telo Labs
Courtesy of Telo LabsAs modern consumers live longer, they’re turning to aesthetic procedures as a form of self-care, prioritizing natural-looking results, where less is more and age is just a number. However, many medspas and clinics fail to deliver in key areas like transparency, access to top clinicians, proven treatments and a focus on prejuvenation rather than artful preservation. Telo Labs co-founders Kenneth Rothaus, M.D., and Ilan Szekely recognized a need to address these gaps with a highly personal, patient-centric approach, bucking the passing trends and setting a new industry standard. As the aesthetics industry’s focus on longevity and aging gracefully rises, Telo Labs rises to the fore by tapping into the growing demand for long-term, preventive and personalized care. They offer a holistic approach to each patient’s lifelong beauty journey rather than short-term fixes or passing fads.
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Courtesy of Telo LabsAs modern consumers live longer, they’re turning to aesthetic procedures as a form of self-care, prioritizing natural-looking results, where less is more and age is just a number. However, many medspas and clinics fail to deliver in key areas like transparency, access to top clinicians, proven treatments and a focus on prejuvenation rather than artful preservation. Telo Labs co-founders Kenneth Rothaus, M.D., and Ilan Szekely recognized a need to address these gaps with a highly personal, patient-centric approach, bucking the passing trends and setting a new industry standard. As the aesthetics industry’s focus on longevity and aging gracefully rises, Telo Labs rises to the fore by tapping into the growing demand for long-term, preventive and personalized care. They offer a holistic approach to each patient’s lifelong beauty journey rather than short-term fixes or passing fads.
The Dynamic Duo Behind Telo Labs
A world-renowned board-certified plastic surgeon with over three decades of experience, Kenneth Rothaus, M.D., has earned a reputation for producing exceptional results for his patients. Having conducted cutting edge clinical research in the field of plastic surgery, he has several scientific patents under his name and unmatched experience in numerous surgical, minimally invasive and non-invasive cosmetic treatments and techniques.
After graduating with honors from both Yale College and Harvard Medical School, Dr. Rothaus went on to train for his surgical internship and residency at the New York Presbyterian Columbia Medical Center. He then did his residency in plastic surgery at the New York Hospital-Cornell University Medical Center, and completed a microsurgical fellowship before returning as an attending staff and faculty member.
Dr. Rothaus’ deep care for the wants and needs of his patients has pushed him to provide the best possible patient experience and seek to develop strong doctor-patient relationships based on communication and trust.
Before he joined forces with Dr. Rothaus, Ilan Szekely earned his undergraduate degree from Yale University in 2011 and his MBA from Harvard Business School in 2018.
“I feel like I am pursuing my own immigrant American Dream story. Growing up in Venezuela, I always aspired to build a future in the U.S., especially as the political landscape back home became increasingly unstable. Being accepted into Yale for college was my golden ticket to building a life here, and I’m incredibly grateful for that opportunity,” shares Szekeley.
Szekely initially began his career in the world of investment, serving on several boards of directors, one of which was a skin care manufacturing company that ignited his passion for skin care and longevity. His previous position was at a large private equity firm where he was part of the senior investment team covering healthcare, consumer and other industries.
Szekely explains, “A major influence in my life was my grandfather, a doctor and Holocaust survivor who fled to Latin America. He was so dedicated to medicine that he studied it twice—once in Germany and again in Latin America (in Spanish!) after the Nazis invalidated his degree. His resilience and passion left a strong mark on me, and I grew up in a family that prioritized preventive healthcare and held deep respect for clinical professionals.”
Building a Forward-Thinking Practice: A New Approach to Aesthetic Care
In 2023, Dr. Rothaus and Szekely founded Telo Labs, their New York-based aesthetic clinic. The pair were inspired by the need to address a pervasive issue they noticed in aesthetics, and one that was present in many medspas and aesthetic practices. These businesses favored the needs of their owners and practitioners over their patients, rarely offering holistic, long-term treatment plans in favor of one and done services that prioritized treatments that could be completed in a single, one day visit.
“In my career as a healthcare investor, I had an eye-opening moment when my older brother (by nine years!) visited me in NYC, and people kept assuming he was the younger one. That made me pause and think hard about my own lifestyle choices. I realized skincare needed to be as important to me as sleep, diet, and exercise. But when I looked around, I couldn’t find a clinic that felt science-driven, accessible, and welcoming of all genders. Around this time, I reconnected with a family friend, Dr. Ken Rothaus, a highly respected plastic surgeon and pioneer in his field.” states Szekely.
Dr. Rothaus and Szekely built Telo Labs to provide a patient-centric solution to this issue, prioritizing patients first through elevated service and precisely architected, expert aesthetics. Their goal was to create an aesthetic clinic that offered patients long-term treatment plans that scientifically and artfully identified the best way to combine high-tech devices, advanced injectables and at-home skin care regimens for each patient’s individual needs.
By combining Dr. Rothaus’ top-tier medical expertise with Szekely’s strategic business insight, they developed a science-first, patient-centric clinic. Rather than prioritizing technologies and treatments that simply follow a trend, they focus on researching what services are safest, most effective and comfortable for their patients. Dr. Rothaus and Szekely have reimagined patients’ long-term aesthetic journey to provide an highly personalized approach that guides patients through life’s different stages, helping them preserve their skin’s longevity and age gracefully. Rigorously proven aesthetic devices and injectable treatments, combined with holistic skin care plans and concierge-level hospitality are what sets this practice apart from the “dime a dozen” trend-followers and single day, short-term treatment providers.
Taking their mission one step further, the team chose to utilize a chic, gender-neutral design that created an inclusive and welcoming space for every patient that walks in the door.
Szekely shares, “Together, we envisioned Telo Labs as a place that prioritizes skin longevity and healthy aging in an environment that’s sophisticated, welcoming, and designed for everyone. The clinic’s design mirrors this vision: it blends modern, clinical precision with a warm, gender-neutral ambiance that feels approachable and elevates the experience.”
Reimagining Patients’ Long-Term Beauty JourneyCourtesy of Telo Labs
“We noticed that many practices incentivize staff to give as much treatment as possible in a single visit. This often leads to patients looking overdone,” observes Szekely. “At Telo, we think this is backwards. Our philosophy is that small interventions over time produce the best results over the long-term by slowing down the signs of aging.”
As Telo Labs’ Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Rothaus is in charge of making sure the clinical staff is up to snuff, training them in advanced injection techniques and handpicking each high-tech device, as well as integrating them into the appropriate protocol for how to best use them.
Szekely states, “I love working with my team. We are extremely selective in our recruiting and only hire A-players. And when you’re part of a high-caliber team, you level up yourself. Together, we derive a lot of satisfaction from seeing people boost their confidence with our results.”
With his 35 plus years of experience in aesthetics, both surgical and non-surgical, Dr. Rothaus is uniquely suited to identifying the treatments and devices that work, the ones that are merely part of a passing trend and how to best combine them to provide each patient the specific treatment plan and protocol for optimal long-term results.
“Our devices are powerful tools but they’re only as good as how you use them. We adjust the settings to each person to get the best results with little to no downtime, based on our extensive understanding of energy physics and medicine” explains Dr. Rothaus.
Telo Labs’ carefully curated collection of treatments must first passed a rigorous screening process, with each potential treatment evaluated across three critical rubrics:
Safety First: Patient well-being is prioritized above all else. Dr. Rothaus has only incorporated treatments with proven safety records.
Powerful Results: Telo Labs is staunchly committed to delivering noticeable, lasting improvements, selecting treatments for their ability to create significant positive changes.
Patient Comfort: They are dedicated to making their patients as comfortable as possible, believing that beauty shouldn't come at the cost of excessive discomfort. Dr. Rothaus favors treatments that minimize patient discomfort while not compromising patient results.
This meticulous screening process bucks the trend and focuses on a treatments underlying features rather than its marketing budget, rejecting treatments lacking rigorously proven efficacy and safety. Rather than offer patients what is most popular, Telo Labs aims to provide patients with only the very best treatments.
“What makes Telo Labs different is our commitment to lasting, natural-looking results, embodied in our Telo-12 Protocol,” states Szekely. “The concept came from realizing that small, non-invasive treatments over time yield the most natural, sustained outcomes. So rather than focusing on sporadic, one-time services, we provide patients with a year-long plan for continuous, noticeable improvement.”
The Telo-12 Protocol: Personalized Approach to Aging Gracefully
In the realm of aesthetic medicine, personalized care is paramount. The Telo-12 Protocol stands as a prime example of this approach, offering patients a comprehensive, tailored plan for skin longevity. Courtesy of Telo Labs
Szekely states, “The Telo-12 Protocol is a 12-month roadmap that’s uniquely tailored to each patient. It fosters a partnership that emphasizes longevity and overall skin health, easing the pressure to do too much in one visit. It’s good for the patient, who can take a balanced approach to treatments, and it’s good for us as we build trusted, long-term relationships with each client.”
Understanding the Telo-12 Protocol
Let's delve deeper into this innovative protocol and explore how it combines in-clinic treatments with at-home care to achieve optimal results.
1. Diagnosis & Initial Consultation
“The Telo-12 Protocol kicks off with a complimentary consultation with a nurse practitioner, where we take a deep dive into each patient’s unique needs and goals,” explains Szekely.
The journey begins with a thorough assessment each patient’s unique aesthetic needs and goals:
Concerns: During the consultation, patients are asked about their specific skin and aesthetic concerns.
Lifestyle: Patients’ daily routines and habits are considered to ensure the plan fits seamlessly into their life.
Budget: Telo Labs works within patients’ financial comfort zone to create a realistic and sustainable plan.
Goals: Patients’ aesthetic aspirations are at the heart of this initial consultation and vital to creating their Telo-12 Protocol treatment plan.
During this consultation, the various treatment options are explained, diving into which treatments will naturally complement patients’ features, ensuring they are fully informed and comfortable with the proposed plan.
2. Develop Telo-12 Protocol
Szekely states, “From there, we design a 12-month plan that strategically combines treatments like injectables, biostimulators, lasers, and advanced devices to maximize results and ensure they complement one another.”
The 12-month plan is formulated based on three key goal types:
Preventative: These treatments are designed to delay the onset of aging signs, helping patients maintain a youthful appearance for longer.
Neurotoxin Injections: Targeted applications in the upper face to prevent fine lines and wrinkles.
Laser Facials: standard laser facial, laser facial combined with an antioxidant mask and CO2 facial in combination with a peel
Restore: This category focuses on reversing existing signs of aging and damage.
Advanced Devices: CO2 Resurfacing Laser, RF Microneedling and EMS Muscle Toning
Biostimulators: Injectable Biostimulators, PRP (Platelet-Rich Plasma) and Exosomes
Dermal Fillers: Targeted treatments for marionette lines, nasolabial folds and perioral areas, Wrinkle and line smoothing, Mid-face and cheek volume restoration, as well as Filler dissolver for adjustments or corrections
Enhance: These treatments are designed to harmonize facial features, improving symmetry and contouring.
Dermal Fillers: Jawline contouring for a more defined profile, Chin augmentation and Neck line smoothing
Botox Applications: Lip flip for a subtle pout enhancement, Underarm sweating reduction and specialized treatments for areas like the masseter (jaw slimming), platysmal neck bands, trapezius, nose lift, gummy smile correction and more
Patients are provided with a detailed treatment plan, as well as at-home skin care regimens and complementary supplements. However, their journey doesn't stop there. Telo Labs continues to help patients maintain their results by tracking their journey and conducting regular follow-ups to ensure patients continue to care for and love their appearance and feel beautiful as they age gracefully.
“Patients leave with a detailed, written plan they can review and adjust with us as needed. This way, we’re not just here for a single appointment but to make their beauty journey more seamless and thoughtful,” shares Szekely.
Looking Towards the Future
Despite their immense success so far, Dr. Rothaus and Szekely still see exciting opportunities for Telo Labs to take advantage of the numerous innovations continuing to emerge in the growing field of medical aesthetics. We will definitely be seeing more of this power team and their impact on this industry in the future.
“The future of aesthetics is incredibly exciting. We’re seeing major advancements, like AI-driven skin analysis and the use of exosomes for cell rejuvenation. Lasers continue to evolve, becoming ever more precise, and their applications continue to grow, giving us new ways to slow down visible signs of aging. And while we’re still in the early innings of widespread use of GLP-1 agonists like Ozempic, their impact on aesthetics is likely to be significant, both by expanding the number of people open to aesthetic treatments and changing the needs of those treatments like addressing laxity. Ultimately, my goal for Telo Labs is to lead in skin longevity by embracing technology, education and innovative treatments that make high-quality care accessible,” says Szekely.
Szekely gives one final piece of advise for those interested in building their own aesthetic practice or medspa. He shares, “My advice is twofold: do your own research and prioritize patient comfort. When adding a new service or device, dive into the clinical studies yourself—evaluate the evidence, the study’s design, and if you have doubts, move on. Patients assess treatments not just on price and downtime but also on comfort. Make sure the experience is tolerable; it’s a big factor in determining if they find the treatment to be 'worth it'.”
Courtesy of Telo Labs
Courtesy of Telo Labs
Courtesy of Telo Labs
Courtesy of Telo Labs
