Updated January 01, 2014.
Written or reviewed by a board-certified physician. See About.com's Medical Review Board.
There’s a lot of money to be made in the world of cosmetic dermatology. Procedures like laser treatments, Botox, and other anti-aging and skin-smoothing treatments are immensely popular. And as the popularity of these treatments rise, so do the number of medical spas.
Medical spas, also called medi-spas, are a kind of hybrid between traditional day spas and medical treatment centers. For those looking to enjoy cosmetic treatments in a less clinical setting, medical spas can be the perfect fit.
But for every legitimate medical spas, there are also disreputable establishments. Differentiating between the two is causing trouble for those looking for a safe place to have treatments done.
At this point there are no national standards for medical spas, so each state is left to set their own regulations.
Medical spas operate under the supervision of a doctor, although they don’t have to be owned or even managed by the physician. There is also no set criteria as to how involved the doctor must be. The doctor may be there every day, seeing patients, but he isn’t required to be.
In some instances, the doctor may not even be in the spa when the treatment is being done. And in certain cases, the doctor may have practically no involvement with the medical spa save for lending his or her name to the establishment.
Besides doctors, medical spas often employ nurses and nurse practitioners, physician assistants, as well as estheticians and other non-medical technicians. Regulations are unclear on which cosmetic procedures can be safely performed by non-medical technicians, and those that must be done by a physician.
Some states have no rules regarding laser and light treatments, so technicians with no medical training can perform them. And in many medical spas across the country, you’ll find non-medical technicians doing everything from laser hair removal to Botox.
Fuzzy regulations and little to no oversight make it hard to police unlicensed technicians who, either knowingly or unwittingly, step into the medical realm. On top of this, many medical spa clients aren’t clear on which treatments can safely be done by a non-medical technician and which treatments should only be performed by a medical doctor.
Don’t think that just because a doctor is performing your procedure that you’re home free. Many physicians not trained in cosmetic dermatology are performing these procedures. As regulations stand, any doctor, whether trained in cosmetic dermatology to urology, can lend his/her name to a medical spa and perform cosmetic procedures.
Don’t be afraid to ask about the training and credentials of the doctor performing your procedure. Specifically, if you’re looking to improve acne or acne scars, being treated at a medical spa by a dermatologist is a good choice; a psychiatrist or podiatrist not so much.
The outcome of cosmetic treatments depend largely on the skill of the technician. Without proper training, you may not get the desired result.
Medical spas can be a great place to have treatments done, but it has to be the right spa, supervised by the right doctor. Potential clients must do their homework when choosing a medical spa. The time spent researching a medical spa pays off in a safe, effective, and enjoyable procedure.
Sources:
Handley RT. "The Medi-Spa: A Current Cosmetic Dermatology Public Safety Concern." The Internet Journal of Academic Physician Assistants, 2009; 7(1).
Written or reviewed by a board-certified physician. See About.com's Medical Review Board.
There’s a lot of money to be made in the world of cosmetic dermatology. Procedures like laser treatments, Botox, and other anti-aging and skin-smoothing treatments are immensely popular. And as the popularity of these treatments rise, so do the number of medical spas.
Medical spas, also called medi-spas, are a kind of hybrid between traditional day spas and medical treatment centers. For those looking to enjoy cosmetic treatments in a less clinical setting, medical spas can be the perfect fit.
But for every legitimate medical spas, there are also disreputable establishments. Differentiating between the two is causing trouble for those looking for a safe place to have treatments done.
At this point there are no national standards for medical spas, so each state is left to set their own regulations.
Medical spas operate under the supervision of a doctor, although they don’t have to be owned or even managed by the physician. There is also no set criteria as to how involved the doctor must be. The doctor may be there every day, seeing patients, but he isn’t required to be.
In some instances, the doctor may not even be in the spa when the treatment is being done. And in certain cases, the doctor may have practically no involvement with the medical spa save for lending his or her name to the establishment.
Besides doctors, medical spas often employ nurses and nurse practitioners, physician assistants, as well as estheticians and other non-medical technicians. Regulations are unclear on which cosmetic procedures can be safely performed by non-medical technicians, and those that must be done by a physician.
Some states have no rules regarding laser and light treatments, so technicians with no medical training can perform them. And in many medical spas across the country, you’ll find non-medical technicians doing everything from laser hair removal to Botox.
Fuzzy regulations and little to no oversight make it hard to police unlicensed technicians who, either knowingly or unwittingly, step into the medical realm. On top of this, many medical spa clients aren’t clear on which treatments can safely be done by a non-medical technician and which treatments should only be performed by a medical doctor.
Don’t think that just because a doctor is performing your procedure that you’re home free. Many physicians not trained in cosmetic dermatology are performing these procedures. As regulations stand, any doctor, whether trained in cosmetic dermatology to urology, can lend his/her name to a medical spa and perform cosmetic procedures.
Don’t be afraid to ask about the training and credentials of the doctor performing your procedure. Specifically, if you’re looking to improve acne or acne scars, being treated at a medical spa by a dermatologist is a good choice; a psychiatrist or podiatrist not so much.
The outcome of cosmetic treatments depend largely on the skill of the technician. Without proper training, you may not get the desired result.
Medical spas can be a great place to have treatments done, but it has to be the right spa, supervised by the right doctor. Potential clients must do their homework when choosing a medical spa. The time spent researching a medical spa pays off in a safe, effective, and enjoyable procedure.
Sources:
Handley RT. "The Medi-Spa: A Current Cosmetic Dermatology Public Safety Concern." The Internet Journal of Academic Physician Assistants, 2009; 7(1).
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