November 11, 2005
Centers use many methods
Betty Beard, The Arizona Republic
New, cheaper technology and an aging population are fueling a growth in skin-care services in doctors' offices, spas and now stand-alone businesses, or medical spas.
As more and more people, especially baby boomers, are spending hundreds, even thousands of dollars to rejuvenate their skin, several local businesses are scrambling to sell franchises across the country and world.
The growth is also being driven by a rush of new, cheaper technology, especially in cosmetic laser equipment, and the fact that the procedures are quicker and cheaper than plastic surgery, can often be done on a lunch hour or weekend with little pain and are now available in shopping centers.
Services include BOTOX® injections, laser wrinkle reduction, laser hair removal, microdermabrasion, intense pulsed light and chemical peels, and other procedures designed to reduce wrinkles, acne and other scars, freckles and spider veins.
Phoenix-based Dermacare ! Laser & Skin Care Clinics only opened in July 2001 and already has seven locations open, another seven opening in 90 days and contracts to open more than 120 in the country, according to Carl Mudd, president and chief executive officer. He said safer technology is driving the growth.
Although it's less than 2 years old, Radiance MedSpa of Scottsdale has awarded 87 franchises and has 14 spas open, including six in Arizona.
"The market for this is international, in Europe, Middle East, Asia and Canada," said Chuck Engelmann, president.
No one knows how many medical spas there are in Arizona. Roxanne Cottrell, head of the small American Association of Cosmetic Laser Specialists, which has 19 members, says there are at least 50 free-standing businesses in the state. She also owns Advanced Laser Training Institute in Mesa.
More growth is coming, because of customers like Roxanne Chitwood of Mesa. She looked in the mirror at her wrinkles and dark spots! under her eyes and decided, like many other baby boomers, that since she didn't feel like she was almost 50, she didn't want to look it.
She began going to the Skinovative Laser Center at the Chandler Fashion Center for various intense pulsed light and laser treatments and even one where a thread was sewn around her face and pulled tight. She is thrilled with the results, which cost more than $3,000, and believes her more-youthful appearance helped her land a job as an administrative assistant at a Phoenix engineering firm.
"I wanted to look as good as I felt, and I thought, damn it, why do I have to look 50? Why do I have to look like I don't feel?" she said.
However, dermatologists and some regulators worry that the medical spa businesses are growing so fast that some employees may not be qualified, that the businesses may not have doctors on site as required, or that workers could misdiagnose some skin conditions, such as skin cancer.
Centers use many methods
Betty Beard, The Arizona Republic
New, cheaper technology and an aging population are fueling a growth in skin-care services in doctors' offices, spas and now stand-alone businesses, or medical spas.
As more and more people, especially baby boomers, are spending hundreds, even thousands of dollars to rejuvenate their skin, several local businesses are scrambling to sell franchises across the country and world.
The growth is also being driven by a rush of new, cheaper technology, especially in cosmetic laser equipment, and the fact that the procedures are quicker and cheaper than plastic surgery, can often be done on a lunch hour or weekend with little pain and are now available in shopping centers.
Services include BOTOX® injections, laser wrinkle reduction, laser hair removal, microdermabrasion, intense pulsed light and chemical peels, and other procedures designed to reduce wrinkles, acne and other scars, freckles and spider veins.
Phoenix-based Dermacare ! Laser & Skin Care Clinics only opened in July 2001 and already has seven locations open, another seven opening in 90 days and contracts to open more than 120 in the country, according to Carl Mudd, president and chief executive officer. He said safer technology is driving the growth.
Although it's less than 2 years old, Radiance MedSpa of Scottsdale has awarded 87 franchises and has 14 spas open, including six in Arizona.
"The market for this is international, in Europe, Middle East, Asia and Canada," said Chuck Engelmann, president.
No one knows how many medical spas there are in Arizona. Roxanne Cottrell, head of the small American Association of Cosmetic Laser Specialists, which has 19 members, says there are at least 50 free-standing businesses in the state. She also owns Advanced Laser Training Institute in Mesa.
More growth is coming, because of customers like Roxanne Chitwood of Mesa. She looked in the mirror at her wrinkles and dark spots! under her eyes and decided, like many other baby boomers, that since she didn't feel like she was almost 50, she didn't want to look it.
She began going to the Skinovative Laser Center at the Chandler Fashion Center for various intense pulsed light and laser treatments and even one where a thread was sewn around her face and pulled tight. She is thrilled with the results, which cost more than $3,000, and believes her more-youthful appearance helped her land a job as an administrative assistant at a Phoenix engineering firm.
"I wanted to look as good as I felt, and I thought, damn it, why do I have to look 50? Why do I have to look like I don't feel?" she said.
However, dermatologists and some regulators worry that the medical spa businesses are growing so fast that some employees may not be qualified, that the businesses may not have doctors on site as required, or that workers could misdiagnose some skin conditions, such as skin cancer.
