By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant
If you want to seek a esthetic services above what a spa offers, turn to a medical spa. While some of your selection should be based upon the type of service you need, you may have several options.
Here’s what the experts say you need to look for in a medical spa.
• “Look for the right credentialing. Make sure there’s a board-certified plastic surgeon or a dermatologist that’s part of the medical spa. We have a board-certified plastic surgeon who monitors laser hair removal, resurfacing and those kinds of invasive things.
• Make sure that those doing skin care are licensed aestheticians, not a cosmetology student. Those in cosmetology have fewer hours of skin care education, only 32 hours. Licensed aestheticians have 600 hours of education on skin care.
• “We use lasers to do micro-needling. A lot of physicians and spas use a roller with needles. It draws blood. They say they’re opening the skin to let stuff get penetrated into it. That’s the wrong thing to do. You’re opening up to infections. It creates hyper-pigmentation. We use lasers to do micro-needling and fractional resurfacing. The skin is kept intact. You can otherwise cause more damage.
• “Really look at the latest procedures available. We feel the tried-and-true is the better way over fads. CoolSculpting has become big, but as our plastic surgeon has told me, it has downsides to it. The area you’re treating gets beautiful results, but you get swelling of the areas that haven’t been treated. Look at the lasers and long-term result. With our equipment, VelaShape laser, over time the results are a lot better. It flushes out the fat and has proven record that something out there that’s new doesn’t have.”
Abha Sharma, aesthetics consultant, BeautyQuest, Williamsville.
• “Things like liposuction have to be offered by medical personnel, not by someone who’s not a medical doctor.
• “They should be competent. A lot of these things have been out there long enough that it’s not voodoo.
• “We offer a free consultation. Not every procedure is for everybody. It may not be the right procedure to address the particular issue they have. Certain people may think I’m not for them and not every procedure is for each person. You have to look at people individually because you don’t want bad results.”
Physician Jack Bertolino, Smooth Solutions Medical Aesthetics, Williamsville.
• “Experience, first and foremost. You need to ensure that you’re receiving med spa services from experienced and educated professionals. Personnel should undergo proper training and have plenty of experience. When you decide on a med spa, you should be confident that you’ll be receiving your treatments from someone with the right knowledge and experience.
• “Quality — it is to your advantage to seek a medical spa that is run under the supervision of a board-certified plastic surgeon. Plastic surgeons are trained not only in surgical procedures but non-surgical procedures as well. You will be guided in the best direction to achieve your goals.
• “Results — make sure the medical spa offers clinically proven, results-based, comprehensive treatment options that can renew, revitalize your skin, hone your contours, smooth wrinkles and much more with minimal downtime and maximum benefits. You should also be able to see before and after photos of results from procedures performed at that facility with those providers.”
Vito Quatela, board-certified facial plastic surgeon, The Quatela Center for Plastic Surgery, Rochester.