Are you ready for your first medical spa visit? Do you want to know more about what to expect from a consultation or medical spa treatment appointment? Take a look at the top questions clients have about medical spa services, clinicians, prep steps, and more.
What Are Medical Spa Services?
Medical, or medi spas, are not the same as day spas or salons. This makes it important to understand the differences between the two categories of cosmetic or aesthetic providers before you book an appointment or select services.
While medi spas may provide many of the same treatments you would find in a traditional day spa, they also offer minimally invasive cosmetic services. These services vary by spa and could include anything from dermal filler and botulinum toxin type A injections to facial peels. According to the American Med Spa Association (AmSpa), the most popular medi spa treatments in the U.S. include chemical peels, aesthetician services (including non-medical services such as makeup application, facials, and waxing), botulinum therapy and other injectables, microdermabrasion, and photo-facial pulsed light (or IPL).
Who Provides Medi Spa Services?
Dermatologists, cosmetic surgeons, cosmetic doctors, and other similar licensed healthcare professionals provide popular medi spa treatments, such as botulinum therapy, derma, filler injections, and chemical peels. Each state has its own guidelines or rules that regulate who can and can't perform minimally invasive cosmetic treatments and similar procedures.
Even though injectables, peels, laser treatments, and other medically-based services require a licensed healthcare provider, basic facials, makeup application, and some types of hair removal won't. Medi spas may employ estheticians, makeup artists, and other cosmetic specialists to provide these services.
How Should You Prepare for Your Medi Spa Appointment?
The answer to this question depends on which treatment or procedures you want. You won't always need to prepare for a spa service. If you've scheduled a facial or makeup application, you won't need to worry about prep steps. But other types of treatments/procedures may have pre-visit guidelines or preparation recommendations. These could include:
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Laser hair removal. To reduce the possibility of irritation and maximize the results, stop using retinol (or other products that cause photosensitivity) and avoid sun/UV exposure in the days before the procedure. You may also need to shave 24 hours before your visit.
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Botulinum injections. Talk to your doctor about medications and what you should or shouldn't take. You may need to avoid medications such as aspirin and ibuprofen and supplements that have blood-thinning properties—unless medically required.
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Chemical peel. Don't exfoliate the treatment area and avoid sun/UV exposure before your procedure.
Discuss other procedures, prep, and what you should/shouldn't do before your treatment with the clinician or your doctor before your appointment date. A pre-visit consultation can help you to prepare for the service and learn more about what you can expect.
For more information, visit a local medical spa.
