Medical Spa Quality of Care

There is no regulation with a medical spa, so it is a bit of "buyer beware." In the state of California, there are owners of medispas that do not have even a medical license. Other medical spas can be owned by emergency room doctors, family physicians, or general surgeons who have never had any training whatsoever in aesthetic procedures in their life. The first thing to do is find out who owns and works and oversees the work in the spa. If it is a "core physician"... more

It depends on the medical spa and the doctor's office. When you are considering a procedure, be sure that you are evaluated by a trained and experienced physician before undergoing any type of medical procedure. Remember - even though laser treatments and facial injections have become common place, they are still medical treatments with complications. Each state has different regulations but generally any physician can administer facial injections and oversee laser treatments, regardless of... more

Don't judge a book by its cover! Medical spas provide a great - and often beautiful - environment to receive aesthetic procedures. When receiving ANY aesthetic procedure, the most important thing to do is find out WHO will be providing the treatment and WHAT their qualifications are. For treatments like laser, fillers, and Botox that can siginificantly alter your appearance, make sure that you are being treated by a physician and that they have received training in this procedure. The best... more

Possibly you will get the same care but why take a chance. The medical spa industry is not regulated the same way a physician's office is. Typically, a plastic surgeon's office is nationally accredited (AAAASF, AAAHC etc.) which requires an extremely high level of safety and competence and regular re-evaluation. The prices are usually relatively comparable between medical offices and spas so why risk your health at a spa? For sure, there will be no doctor on site at a spa during your... more

Either environment can produce quality results for Botox or laser. The important aspect is the credentials and expertise of the individual conducting the treatment. Too frequently, inferior medspas have their practitioners complete a weekend course and are then told that they can go out and do the treatment. However, if the practitioner (especially if it is a board certified physician) is experienced and skilled, then you will have a quality result in either environment....