For some time now, doctors have been adding new, high-profit cosmetic services like Botox injections to their practice in an effort to keep afloat. Now, it's looking like hospitals want to come to the party too. The move to retail cosmetic practices is also part of a larger trend in which hospitals are taking a hard look at retail services of various kinds, including retail clinics. In so doing, they're joining an industry that is exploding.
To most people, the word "obstetrician" signifies babies, not Botox. Yet a number of obstetrician-gynecologists, as well as primary care doctors and dentists, are peddling cosmetic treatments that relax wrinkles, plump lips and banish cellulite. Why? The short answer is cash.
A more nuanced answer gynecologists and internists give is that people are getting these procedures anyway at spas or other nonmedical locations, so they might as well get better treatment in a safer environment from a doctor they trust.
San Francisco’s Epi Center MedSpa, the nation’s original medical spa, will be achieving another first with the opening of its eco-medspa, bringing nature and science together for a more naturally beautiful you – and more beautiful planet. The Epi Center MedSpa will open the doors to its LEED-certified space in April to commemorate both its 10th anniversary and Earth Day. A trendsetter in the skin rejuvination industry since its opening a decade ago, the board certified plastic surgeon led eco-medspa now combines its safe beauty enhancing medical procedures with the most effective organic treatments and healthy environment to create a naturally vibrant and youthful appearance with minimal downtime.
The Epi Center MedSpa worked with leaders in eco-architecture and designed a luxurious medical spa with the highest level LEED certification attainable. Eric Corey Freed, founder of oraganicArchitect and author of Green Building and Remolding for Dummies, ensured the Epi Center MedSpa conforms to the strict standards established by the U.S. Green Building Council.
In California, as in many states, a licensed physician or surgeon must be the majority owner of a medical spa. The law even requires minority stake holders to work in a health-related field. But under current rules, the doctor in charge need not be present when a medical spa is performing certain services. They merely must be “reachable” during the procedure, said Candis Cohen, a spokeswoman for the Medical Board of California.
As a result, some medical spas have physician oversight on paper, but the doctors in charge spend little or no time in the offices. Lawmakers in several states are addressing this safety concern. A bill pending in the California legislature would strengthen penalties against such absentee oversight. Introduced by Alan Nakanishi, R-Lodi, Assembly Bill 2398 would expand penalties — which are now usually fines — to include license revocation.
Medical spas have cropped up everywhere, a billion-dollar industry that offers non-surgical alternatives to cosmetic surgery. But in response to complaints, the 2 Investigators found one chain that's misleading and harming clients, and as CBS 2 Investigator Pam Zekman reports, leaving some of them in the middle of a cosmetic con.
The seven NuU Medspas in the Chicago area aggressively promote Lipodissolve, a series of injections that supposedly will melt your fat away. The ads talk about reduced inches with no knives, no tubes, and no pain -- a deceptive ad, patients say.
"You know you don't want things done to your face that you don't know anything about, so I tried to do my homework." Linda Hampton made that decision before undergoing laser hair removal. She knew there were risks involved and wanted to be safe. "I was a little apprehensive because I was afraid to tell you the truth but after I had it the first time I had no problem."
Dr. Jim McNatt with Georgia's Medical Board says among things like Botox injections, and chemical peels, laser hair removal is the number one cosmetic procedure being offered at day spas and salons, but there's concern.
Pacific Healthcare Holdings is expanding its presence in India via a joint venture that will invest 10 million Singapore dollars (7.2 million US dollars) in the healthcare sector over the next three years, executives said on Wednesday. The Birla-Pacific MedSpa will be 50 per cent owned by India's Yash Birla's Group, 42.5 per cent held by Pacific Healthcare and 7.5 per cent by a dermatologist based in India.
Epi Center MedSpa celebrates its 10th anniversary with the opening of the country’s first Eco-MedSpa in San Francisco in a completely renovated facility in the historic Union Square medical building. The new facility is LEED certified and built entirely with sustainable materials, from recycled and FSC-certified wood, marble flooring and countertops, to the eco-paints and recycled fabrics.
He snickered when he first saw a medical spa offering Botox and laser hair-removal services on a visit to a Las Vegas mall in 2002. He laughed at the thought of someone — anyone — shopping for the latest fashions, grabbing a bite to eat and then, oh yeah, strolling in for a quick shot of Botox to zap out a nasty wrinkle.
Until recently Western Medicine has failed to recognize the healing benefits of the Spa and Fitness Industry- With the arrival of the latest trend, the Medical Spa, the two fields have converged and caused a veritable explosion, making this new trend the wave of the future.
Healthy competition continues to heat up the medical spa market as more players are offering services ranging from cosmetic fillers like Botox to weight reduction procedures such as Lipodissolve.
It was an unfamiliar sensation to Jill Wright - like a hot cigarette being put to her face. “It was a level of eight on a scale from one to 10,” she said of her pain. “When I researched it, I found out it was a laser burn.”
The Bowling Green native, who owns Jill Write Spa for Nails, said she went to a local medi-spa in March to get some broken capillaries around her nose and chin zapped with a laser treatment - something she had done twice before at a different facility.
This time she didn’t get what she expected.
Colin Hurren is doing his part to sharpen the appearance and raise the spirits of local at-risk youth - and he's going straight to the source. The local skin expert and CEO of Pasadena's Skin Deep Laser MedSpa, Hurren has been lending his epidermal knowledge and skin-care secrets to children and teenagers at youth homes and centers around the area. His aim is to teach them to look and feel their best, which he hopes will raise their self-esteem and get them on the road to success.
Kim Harty thought a few laser treatments would be a fast fix for a brown sunspot on her face. So did the nurse who suggested it. But after four sessions at a medical day spa and no improvement, she was told to see a specialist. “I thought, ‘This is really expensive for not doing anything,’” Harty said. Colorado Springs dermatologist Dr. Nathan Trookman quickly realized why. The spot was melanoma — the most serious form of skin cancer — and it should never have been zapped with a laser.
Many Americans who want a more youthful look are choosing laser treatments or injections along with their facials or manicure. There's a booming industry of medical spas and a growing concern about safety.
"When I saw smoke come off my chest that really to me said something is wrong," said Stephen Perez.
Want to smooth out some fine lines? Maybe a nice massage would do you good. The choice for most when it comes to these minute makeovers is a medical spa. You don't have to be a doctor or even have a medical background to open a medical spa. According to the American Society for Dermatology, improperly trained staff has led to led to a sharp rise in the number of serious complications from medi-spa treatments gone badly.
Some state medical boards are scrambling to regulate services at medical spas across the country to ensure that patients are safe and that physicians perform or supervise certain procedures properly.
In need of a facial? Want to smooth out some fine lines? Maybe a nice massage would do you good. The choice for most when it comes to these minute makeovers is a medical spa.
You don't have to be a doctor or even have a medical background to open a medical spa. According to the American Society for Dermatology, improperly trained staff has led to led to a sharp rise in the number of serious complications from medi-spa treatments gone badly.
Thirteen local day spas have joined forces with Destinations Medical Spa (DMS), Southern California’s first and only doctor-managed mobile cosmetic care service that provides the latest in laser, Botox®, injectables and other spa treatments, to offer a la carte treatments to their clientele.
More than two years after an N.C. State University student died from using a numbing gel before undergoing laser hair removal, the N.C. Medical Board has resolved the last case against a doctor associated with the incident.
Two Miami-Dade County women are facing felony charges, accused of practicing health care without a license. Undercover agents busted the operation based at a spa called Image Plus Aesthetic Skin Care. According to authorities, the owner of the facility and an accomplice were providing intricate medical procedures -- lip augmentations and mesotherapy -- to hundreds of patients, without medical supervision.
When Chicago-area massage therapist Marilyn Kier opened her own business about 11 years ago, it mostly consisted of on-site corporate chair massages. In recent few years, however, she's shifted to using massage to treat repetitive strain injuries and various types of chronic pain. Today, Kier sees many people via referrals from orthopedists, cardiologists and other physicians, who view massage as a way to help their patients heal.
A medical spa that specializes in skin care and anti-aging programs is now collecting and storing adult stem cells through a new procedure used in only two other clinics nationwide. Azani Medical Spa announced an agreement with New York-based NeoStem that will make the spa the first in the region to collect adult stem cells. Once collected, they will be stored at a laboratory in Los Angeles.
Patients at Azani Medical Spa can undergo a three-hour procedure in which a stimulating agent activates the body's stem cell production and then the cells are removed by drawing blood and cryogenically freezing the cells, said Dr. Monica Gavin, who founded the spa in September 2005.
A billboard for a salon and medical spa, promoting cosmetic procedures and featuring a woman wearing little more than an off-the-shoulder top, has outraged some residents who say it sends the wrong message.
An arrest warrant was issued for Richard Annabella last month after he was charged with practicing medicine without a license at his Bella Derm Medi-Spa in Westlake, Ohio. As a result of an investigation, 36 women told police about painful weight loss treatments they received -- treatments they said did not work.
People used to go to salons for beauty treatments. Now more Americans are heading to medi-spas. Since 1999, the number of these spas has grown from just one to more than 2000. But the procedures performed can be dangerous.
It seems they are popping up all over Houston and their ads are everywhere. Medi-spas offer the latest trends in cosmetic procedures, including one that uses a laser. It gets so hot, it can permanently zap unwanted hair or dark spots on your skin. Sounds simple, but it can come with a cost. "The dermatologist told me I had second degree burns," said one customer.
Once there were day spas, places for women (and a few brave men) to spend time being pampered and rejuvenated with lotions, potions, and massages. Today there are medical spas, or MedSpas, which take all the comfort and care of day spas and add the latest in medical technology. MedSpas provide services in comfortable retail settings, services once confined to medical settings and performed by dermatologists and plastic surgeons.
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At a free evening reception at the Vita Spa in Roslyn, Helen Proimus nibbled finger sandwiches and chatted with other guests about the pleasure of pampering themselves. The sound system lulled them with the soothing music of a typical spa: "Reflections of Nature," Kenny G. and "Zen: The Art of Relaxation."
When Proimus settled in a private room in the back, though, she wasn't receiving a typical spa service - no facial or pedicure or massage. Instead, Dr. Karina Bibicheff, an internist who runs the business, projected a digital scan of Proimus's face onto a screen, throwing into high relief every imperfection that might go unnoticed in softer light.
This year’s Wellness and Spas Trade Fair (May 20-22, 2007) will tackle the growing problem of obesity across the Middle East, with a dedicated floor section aimed at fitness and exercise. “Pulse,” a collection of exhibitors demonstrating aerobic, resistance machines and exercise equipment, will showcase the benefits of a good workout as a fun part of a trip to a spa and an ideal way to help maintain the optimum body weight.
Highly competitive hoteliers looking for the next new innovative service might consider acupuncture. While the 5,000-year-old practice has been around a long time, it’s certainly far from commonplace, but some hotels are seeing green by sticking it to their guests. The reaction when it was offered recently at the Spencer Hotel in Chautauqua, New York, was all positive, says owner Helen Edginton. She decided to introduce it after her personal experience.
Spas Offering Traditional Chinese Medicine
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A trip to the mall used to mean shopping and maybe a bite to eat. Now, a mall customer can stop to have some minor surgery or a laser treatment at a medical spa. . . .
Medical spas - especially those in shopping malls - have bridged the gap between the doctor's office and the cosmetics counter. There are more than 2,000 medical spas in the country, and though they accounted for 3 percent of all spas in 2004, that grew to 7 percent in 2006, according to the International Spa Association.
Related website: Medi Spas on SpaIndex.com
