Medical Spas Deciphered
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popularity, Medical Spas are gaining. They are combining the best of
Western medicine -non-ablative lasers and light pulse devices that
rejuvenate without wounding the skin-with the best of Eastern medicine
and its emphasis on relaxation, tranquility, and touch.
Dr. Aaron Barson, medical director of Surface Medical Spas in Utah,
cites three factors behind the rise of the MedSpa.
"One is the new medical technologies that show real results,"
says Dr. Barson. "The second is aging baby boomers, who make up more
than 51 percent of the population. Boomers want to look younger but are
bypassing the older technologies of plastic surgery in favor of newer,
non-invasive techniques that give more natural results. The third
factor is that we have the technology to perform these anti-aging
procedures without surgery or recovery time."
They all come together at the MedSpa.
MEDICAL SPAS "Any facility that presents a merger of medical practice
and spa therapeutics could be called a medical spa," says Dr. Barson.
"That's a pretty open definition and covers everything from traditional
medical facilities like plastic surgeons who have added Botox
injections to their list of procedures, to medical spas headed by a
physician and staffed by nurses and aestheticians, to destination
health spas that have a visiting physician that gives Botox injections.
The number of advanced new non-invasive technologies becoming available
has led to the creation of a new specialist in cosmetic medicine; the
Aesthetic Physician. Lasers, IPL, Liposolve, Thermage, FeatherLift. All
of these new technologies require extensive training outside the fields
of plastic surgery, dermatology or women's health. The aesthetic
physician fills the need for a specialist in these areas.
The line between day spas and medical spas is also blurry.
"There are many different levels," says Dee DeLuca-Mattos, vice
president of Avance, a skin care company based in New Jersey, and
president of the newly formed Medical Spa Society. "For example, Juva
MedSpa in New York City is first and foremost a medical facility, run
not by spa practitioners but by doctors who treat skin and body
conditions with prescribed medical solutions. So a facial at Juva uses
medicinal products."
She compares it with De Pasquale Spa in Morris Plain, New Jersey,
"which is more of a wellness center that treats the skin and body with
seaweed and other natural plant-based products. But there is also a
cosmetic surgeon on the premises, and the staff works closely with
doctors and hospitals off-premises. So De Pasquale is first and
foremost a spa, but one with medical partnerships."
One way to find out if a MedSpa jibes with your personality is to
visit it beforehand, pick up some brochures, check out the clients, and
ask questions of the staff.
ESTHETIC SPAS Anyone who has ever wedged a dermatology appointment into
her work week will appreciate the concept behind New York-based
Skinklinic and Southern California-based Complexions Rx. Storefronts
that are open eight days a week and offer treatments you'd expect to
find in a doctor's office. But they're delivered by nurse practitioners
(registered nurses with advanced training) at slightly lower prices
than doctors charge.
These franchised face places also offer microdermabrasion, laser
hair removal, facials, and glycolic peels but stop short of performing
physician based treatments like Botox, skin-cancer checks or
prescribing drugs like Accutane (an oral drug for severe acne),
referring those cases to local doctors.
By bringing dermatology to the masses, these mall chains help the many
acne sufferers who lack a regular skin doctor and aren't aware of
anything stronger than Clearasil to fight blemishes. And the
convenience factor is a strong lure; besides being open on weekends,
some of these clinics see clients until 8:00 P.M. several days a week.
PLASTIC SURGERY SPAS Located within or adjacent to a plastic surgeon's
offices, these offer pre- and post-surgery treatments like lymphatic
massage (said to drain fluid from tissues before and after a face-lift,
tummy tuck, or liposuction), deep chemical peels, microdermabrasion,
laser hair removal, and soft tissue injections.
Most common are the plastic surgeons that add one or two pieces
of technology and hire a technician working on commission to manage the
non-surgical patients.
Since the potential for improvement or harm is greater with
invasive procedures, it's important to check credentials and make sure
that a physician actually is in charge.
There have been a number of cases where treatments have been
performed by technicians that were supposedly under physician oversight
but were in effect performing procedures on their own. Some of these
cases resulted in terrible consequences for the patient and ended up,
as you'd expect, in court.
DERMATOLOGY SPAS As dermatologists look for ways to supplement the
reduced fees paid by HMOs, they are reaching out to the very spa
personnel they scorned 20 years ago: facialists whose expensive creams
did little more than moisturize.
But with the invention of cosmeceuticals like glycolic acid and
Renova that really penetrate the skin and improve its appearance,
doctors are expanding their offices and hiring paramedical
aestheticians (facialists with advanced training) to give treatments
and sell product lines formulated, not surprisingly, by the derms
themselves.
It seems to be a win-win for everyone, since patients gain access
to higher-strength products distributed only through physicians and can
also have blocked pores cleared with medical tools, like lancets, that
only doctors or their staff can legally use.
CHECK-UP SPAS With consumers' growing interest in good health through
fitness and other preventive medical strategies, diagnostic centers
like Accuscan in Salt Lake City appeal to those who want a soup-to-nuts
physical without having to run all over town to different specialists.
People looking for a "manager" who can perform tests, view the
results, and put it all together for them in a customized health
program check into these Spas for one to three days or more,
sandwiching the fun stuff (yoga classes and deep-tissue massages) in
between blood tests and ultrasound scans.
"Many of us are basically idealistic doctors who were frustrated
with diagnosing diseases that could have been prevented in people who
were not short on money or brains but who just didn't get screened,"
says Dr. Daniel Cosgrove, medical director of the Wellmax Center for
Preventive Medicine in La Quinta, California.
He's meeting the challenge of drawing people into his center on
the grounds of the La Quinta Resort & Club with cosmetic dermatology
treatments, "which make them look and feel more beautiful. Once we have
their attention, we start talking about the less glamorous procedures
like colon-cancer screenings" or bone-density testing in conjunction
with a whole-body CT scan.
As for the doctors at the facility, find out if they specialize in the
newest non-invasive cosmetic technologies. If they are offering only
one or two advanced technologies it's a sure sign that they don't
specialize.
BUYER BEWARE "Whether you're buying a house, a purse, or a service at a
medical spa, the first rule is buyer beware," says Dr. Barson. "Make
sure the spa facility is reputable and that its aestheticians,
manicurists, and massage therapists are licensed by their state
boards".
As for the doctors at the facility, find out if they specialize
in the newest non-invasive cosmetic technologies. If they are offering
only one or two advanced technologies it's a sure sign that they don't
specialize.
"The new technologies require extensive training outside of
surgery or dermatology," says Barson. "There is no board certification
in Aesthetic Medicine. The best way to make sure you're in the best
hands is to find out if your provider specializes in non-invasive
cosmetic procedures or just offers it as a sideline."
BOTOX KNOW-HOW "It's important to find out if the medical spa you
choose is physician-supervised," says Dr. Joshua M. Wieder, assistant
clinical professor of dermatology at UCLA School of Medicine. "That
way, if a question or complication arises, the physician can lend an
opinion."
As for nurses using wrinkle- fillers, he says, "For years nurse
practitioners and medical assistants have injected collagen without
problems." But, he adds, "Botox is much trickier to inject. It's very
operator-dependent in terms of how much you put in and where you put
it. I don't inject Botox in the same place on every patient, because it
depends on where the muscles are pulling, and since some people's lines
are asymmetrical, I may put more Botox on one side of the forehead than
the other. So I wouldn't recommend having Botox injected by a non
physician."
More information and before and after pictures are available online at
wwww.surface-med.com