Cristyn Watkins, MD
Founder / Owner / Medical Director
Aesthetic Master Injector
Regenerative Medicine Trainer
Functional & Personalized Wellness Physician
Aesthetic Master Injector Regenerative Medicine Trainer Functional & Personalized Wellness Physician
Meet Dr. Cristyn Watkins
Dr. Cristyn Watkins is a board-certified Family Medicine physician with additional certifications in Integrative, Functional, Metabolic, and Nutrition Medicine. She’s the founder and medical director of aNu Aesthetics™ and Optimal Wellness, where she leads a team committed to helping patients achieve vibrant health and natural beauty—inside and out.
With over 15 years of experience and multiple locations in Kansas City, Dr. Watkins is known for her innovative, personalized approach to advanced aesthetics, regenerative therapies, and whole-body wellness. As both a physician and a patient, she’s deeply passionate about helping others feel their best—because she’s lived through the journey herself.
From Traditional Medicine to Transformational Care
Dr. Watkins began her career practicing Family Medicine in underserved communities across Brooklyn, New Jersey, and Missouri. During that time, she became a trusted resource for dermatologic concerns, performing procedures like skin biopsies, cyst removal, acne treatments, and more. Her passion for skin health quickly evolved into a desire to bring advanced aesthetics to a broader audience.
In 2011, just two years after completing her Chief Resident year, she opened the first aNu location in Kansas City’s Northland—while continuing to provide care in underserved areas.
By 2014, she became the youngest Chief Medical Officer at Northwest Health Services, where she led a team of nearly 20 medical providers across seven clinics. But as she battled her own chronic health issues, she began to question the limits of traditional medicine.
The aNu Origin Story: Wellness Meets Aesthetics
After the birth of her twin daughters in 2016, Dr. Watkins faced persistent health challenges that conventional medicine couldn’t resolve. Her search for answers led her to Functional Medicine—and a new path forward. She pursued advanced certifications in Anti-Aging and Functional Medicine and rebranded her growing practice as aNu Aesthetics™ and Optimal Wellness. Her goal? To create a synergy between internal wellness and external beauty using both traditional and alternative medicine.
Today, she focuses on treating complex conditions like IBS, autoimmune disease, chronic infections, hormonal imbalances, infertility, insulin resistance, and more—using a root-cause approach personalized to each patient.
Innovation That Doesn’t Stop
Dr. Watkins is relentlessly curious and always on the lookout for what’s next in medicine. In 2017, she expanded into Regenerative Medicine with therapies like PRP, peptides, ozone, IV nutrition, and advanced biologics. She became a national trainer in these therapies and co-founded a regenerative clinic before integrating it fully into aNu.
She also holds Master Injector certification through the American Academy of Aesthetic Medicine and Surgery and continues to train providers across the country in both aesthetics and regenerative treatments.
A Teacher, Leader, and Lifelong Student
Through her advanced training with George Washington University’s School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Dr. Watkins has become a trusted authority in medical weight loss, hormone therapy, and metabolic health.
She’s treated thousands of patients with conditions ranging from thyroid disorders and PCOS to anxiety, fatigue, inflammation, and weight gain—and believes in empowering patients to understand their health, advocate for themselves, and live with vitality at every age.
The Vision Behind aNu
What started as a single location has grown into a thriving network of clinics serving the Kansas City community—and training providers nationwide. But Dr. Watkins’ mission remains personal: to help people look and feel their best with science-backed solutions that respect the whole person.
She invites you to join her on the journey to total wellness—where clinical expertise meets compassionate care.