If you didn’t know better, you might think that “med spa” is just a more important sounding name for any traditional spa or salon that offers cosmetic enhancement services. But that is not the case at all. There is a distinct functional difference – one that is important to know if you are considering any type of skin or body rejuvenation procedure.
What Is a Med Spa?
The American Med Spa Association defines it as “a hybrid between an aesthetic medical center and a day spa.” A medical spa provides non-surgical (non- or minimally-invasive) aesthetic medical services such as Botox® and dermal filler injections, laser- or light-based treatments, microdermabrasion, hair removal and body contouring. Medical spas are licensed and regulated by each state.
Tennessee defines cosmetic medical services as “any service that uses a biologic or synthetic material, a chemical application, a mechanical device, or a displaced energy form of any kind that alters or damages, or is capable of altering or damaging, living tissue to improve the patient's appearance or achieve an enhanced aesthetic result.” That sounds sobering, and it’s meant to be. The treatments offered by a medical spa require extensive training, skill and experience to administer safely and effectively.
Here in Tennessee, only a licensed physician can own a med spa (with a few exceptions). However, the owner might be any type of doctor, so as a prospective patient you should look for a med spa whose supervising physician has specific expertise in cosmetic enhancement and who is actively involved in day-to-day patient interactions.
Here at Image Surgical Arts, Dr. Brady Harris is a triple board certified cosmetic surgeon with extensive experience in both surgical and non-surgical procedures. He works hand-in-hand with our team of trained and certified nurses and aestheticians to consult with and treat patients.
The Med Spa Difference
At a regular spa, you can simply make an appointment and show up. At a med spa, if you are a first-time patient, the law requires that you receive a medical consultation first, to discuss your overall health and lifestyle as well as your aesthetic goals. This ensures you will get treatment that is both suitable and safe for your skin and body. At Image surgical Arts, this consultation includes a skin analysis.
When a med spa is associated with a cosmetic or plastic surgery practice, you know that you will receive medically sound, unbiased advice that might include surgical as well as non-surgical procedures to provide the best results based on your goals. Many patients prefer non-surgical options, if available, and many people don’t require surgical intervention to achieve desired results -- but you want to understand all of your options so you can make the best decision for yourself.
Every med spa offers its own unique blend of treatments and other services, based on its clientele and what the supervising physician and trained aestheticians believe is best for their patients.
Treatments at a Med Spa
Our med spa offers a wide range of treatments for men and women of all ages, to rejuvenate and enhance the appearance of your skin and body. We don’t offer every possible treatment, because we believe in quality over quantity. The options you’ll find here are proven winners that we know can provide maximum benefits for our patients. Even when performing cosmetic surgery, Dr. Brady Harris often draws upon these non-surgical treatments to assure patients achieve comprehensively appealing results.
At Image Surgical Arts, we offer the following med spa services:
- Injectables: Botox®/Dysport, dermal fillers, Kybella®, NovaThreads
- Laser treatments: skin resurfacing, laser hair removal, IPL, EVO Lite
- Skin rejuvenation: skin care, Vivace RF Microneedling
We offer valuable extras, too:
- Mini-facial
- ZO brightening facial
- Dermaplaning
- Microblading
- Peels
- Brow shaping
- Lash extensions and lash lifts
- Professional grade skin care products
The skin care products a med spa offers are carefully selected based on clinical research regarding their effectiveness and overall value for patients. At Image Surgical Arts, we also offer some unique treatments for the body:
- Male sexual enhancement shot
- Female sexual enhancement shot
- Urinary incontinence treatment
- Vaginal rejuvenation
- Vascular treatments
- HydraFacial Keravive scalp treatment
- Sculptra butt lift
Whether you’re considering surgery or a med spa treatment, be sure to check out before and after photos that show what this surgeon or professional aesthetic staff have achieved for other patients. You can review our Image Surgical Arts non-surgical gallery here. The next step is to schedule your personal consultation. Come see our beautiful med spa and let us treat you!
