What is a Medical Spa, and how is it different than a traditional spa?

There seem to be more and more Medical Spas popping up offering “medical grade treatments” or “cosmetic medical procedures.” For many people, it can be difficult to determine what constitutes a medical grade treatment, and what makes a Medical Spa different than a traditional spa. Keep reading to learn more about Medical Spas and if the services they offer might be right for you.

We could all use a good spa day from time to time. Whether it’s to gain some much-needed alone time or to spend time relaxing with friends, traditional spas offer a great way to de-stress and unwind. Traditional spas offer treatments focused on improving beauty and relaxation with such services as facials, massages, mud-wraps, and manicure/pedicures. Treatments are typically performed by licensed massage therapists or licensed aestheticians.

Medical Spas, or Medispas, are a hybrid of a traditional spa and a medical clinic.

A Medical Spa offers medical grade treatments and procedures aimed at correcting a variety of skin and body conditions in an environment that is more luxurious than a traditional doctor’s office. A true Medical Spa must be supervised by a licensed physician, and the services are performed by trained and licensed healthcare professionals, such as a physician, nurse practitioner (NP) or registered nurse (RN). When choosing a Medical Spa, it is important to consider the training and experience of the medical providers.

At Jspa Medical Spa, all services are overseen by Dr. Andrew Jacono, who is a world-renowned, double board-certified facial plastic surgeon with nearly 20 years of experience in facial plastic and reconstructive surgery. The medical professionals at JSpa Medical Spa include Dr. Shain Cuber, a board-certified plastic surgeon who specializes in body contouring and rejuvenation, and Dr. Sean Alemi, a Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Fellow who specializes in facial plastic surgery and injectables.

So, what is a medical grade procedure? A medical grade treatment or a cosmetic medical procedure is anything that impacts or affects the living tissue of the body. Treatments or procedures that affect anything deeper than the most superficial layer of dead skin cells (the epidermis) is considered a medical treatment and should be performed by a trained and licensed medical professional. For instance, certain chemical peels are aimed at exfoliating only the epidermis and can be performed by an aesthetician at a traditional spa, but if a chemical peel penetrates into the layers of skin below the epidermis, it should be performed by a trained medical professional.

Some popular Medical Spa treatments include:

Chemical Peels: A chemical peel involves applying a topical chemical to your face to cause exfoliation and peeling to reveal softer, smoother skin. It works by exfoliating the superficial damaged layer of your skin and stimulates collagen production in the deeper layers. By helping to remove sun-damaged layers of skin, chemical peels are a great way to recapture younger looking and more radiant skin. At J Spa Medical Spa, we use the Jessner chemical peel, which is a popular and highly effective medium depth peel. When combined with an anti-aging skincare regimen from J Spa Medical Spa, chemical peels are an excellent option to consider.
Microdermabrasion: Microdermabrasion is a non-invasive physical exfoliation treatment that is designed to refresh and restore a healthy glow to your skin. What makes this skin rejuvenation procedure so popular are its dramatic results with little downtime. The procedure itself takes anywhere from 30 minutes to 60 minutes and many patients schedule their treatment during their lunch hour. Dr. Jacono uses the latest in cutting edge microdermabrasion technology to deliver amazing results to his patients at J Spa Medical Spa.
Micro-Needling: Microneedling, or collagen induction therapy (CIT), is a technique that uses 12 sterile micro-needles to create several controlled micro-injuries to your skin. By doing so, the small microchannels that are created initiate the repair process of the skin into naturally generating elastin and collagen, which are both ideal elements for smoothing your wrinkles, fine lines, acne scars, and traumatic scars. The treatment can be enhanced by adding topical treatments or the patient’s own platelet-rich plasma (PRP), which are better able to penetrate deeper into the skin with the channels created by the Micro-Needling. PRP is a concentration of platelets found in the blood that are fundamental in wound healing. When PRP is used for skin rejuvenation, it releases into the skin crucial growth factors that speed up the repair process of your body and stimulate new elastin and collagen.
Lasers: There are several different laser treatments available and each addresses a variety of concerns, including wrinkles, loss of collagen, texture issues, and discoloration. The laser treatments offered at JSpa Medical Spa include Fractional CO2 Laser Resurfacing, Fraxel® Fractionated Laser, IPL Photorejuvenation, Laser Genesis, Laser Hair Removal, Laser Vein Treatment, and Micro Laser Peels (click to read a little more about these lasers and what they’re used for at Jspa).
Radio Frequency (RF): Radio Frequency devices use ultrasound energy to tighten the skin of the face or body. At Jpsa Medical Spa, we use Ultherapy® and ThermiTight. Ultherapy® was the first and only FDA approved non-invasive ultrasound device used for lifting of the face, chin, neck, and eyebrows. This non-surgical ultrasound treatment helps to remove 5 to 10 years from your appearance as it rejuvenates the skin and strengthens its natural collagen, opening the eyes, lifting the brow, defining the jaw, and tightening the neck for an overall appearance of youthfulness and health. ThermiTight is a revolutionary procedure that naturally causes the production of collagen by utilizing radio-frequency energy to heat the subdermal layers of your skin, causing a tightened effect. TheriTight can be used on any number of areas of the body where loose skin is present, including the neck, breasts, arms, abdominal area, inner and outer thighs, and knees.
CoolSculpting: CoolSculpting is an innovative technology that was developed to help reduce stubborn areas of fat from your body. This nonsurgical form of fat reduction uses a cooling technique to “freeze the fat” (cryolipolysis) on troublesome areas of the body that are resistant to regular diet and exercise. What makes this so revolutionary is the fact that it can safely and permanently reduce fat without needles, liposuction, surgery, or downtime. Even though liposuction is typically used to make more specific changes in body contour, it is an invasive procedure with a moderate recovery period. At JSpa Medical Spa, Dr. Jacono and his staff offer both services and can help patients identify which treatment is best suited for their aesthetic goals.
Botox, Dysport, or Xeomin®: These are non-surgical treatments that are injected to reduce and prevent fine lines and wrinkles caused by underlying muscle movement. These treatments block nerve signals to the injected muscle group, which temporarily paralyze the muscles and cause the wrinkles to disappear. It is most often used for forehead wrinkles, crow’s feet around the eyes, and frown lines. At JSpa Medical Spa, all of our medical staff are extensively trained at administering these injections, giving you a smoother and more refreshed face that will last for up to 6 months.
Facial Fillers: Facial fillers are non-surgical treatments that are injected to volumize areas of the face that have hollowed due to aging or formed deep wrinkles due to a loss of collagen. Non-surgical rhinoplasties (also known as “liquid rhinoplasties”) also use fillers to help restore symmetry to your nose and overall facial harmony by using precise and controlled injections to achieve proper nasal proportions so the nose fits within the facial frame. Dr. Jacono is considered one of the best rhinoplasty surgeons in the world, but he realizes that not every nose needs to be fixed through surgical means. Therefore, he offers both surgical and non-surgical rhinoplasty procedures for patients who are looking to improve their nasal appearance. At JSpa Medical Spa, we utilize several different fillers to achieve certain results, including Belotero, Juvederm® Ultra XC, Radiesse, Restylane®, Sculptra®, and VOLUMA™. Click to read more about each of the facial fillers and what they’re used for here.
Vaginal Rejuvenation: Vaginal Rejuvenation is a non-surgical procedure that was created to help women who are experiencing issues that are caused by natural aging and childbirth, such as excessive vaginal dryness, vaginal laxity, urinary stress incontinence, painful intercourse, or reduced sexual pleasure. It uses a CO2 laser via a specially designed handheld wand to heat the vaginal tissue and increase collagen remodeling. At JSpa Medical Spa, our board-certified body plastic surgeon, Dr. Shain Cuber, performs this non-surgical treatment and is accompanied by a female nurse at all times to alleviate any discomfort.

Give us a call at JSpa Medical Spa (516-773-2424) to speak to one of our patient care specialists about the services we offer and if they may be right for you! You can also complete a complimentary online form to schedule a consultation today.

Carolyn Mitchell, NP, RN, BSN, is a Certified Nurse Practitioner who earned her master’s degree from the University of California, San Francisco and her Nursing Degree from Duke University. She is Nationally Board Certified and licensed to practice by the State of New York Education Department.