Active FX Laser Skin Resurfacing

Active FX laser skin resurfacing is gaining popularity at medical spas, laser clinics and plastic surgery centers. It’s main competitors are Thermage, Fraxel, and other skin tightening or laser skin resurfacing treatments.

Here’s an overview of Active FX and some links to more information.

The goal of laser skin resurfacing is simple: replace damaged skin with new, fresh skin. Techniques for skin resurfacing have made enormous advances, allowing nearly everyone to achieve close to flawless complexions. Many systems allow for light, moderate or deep laser resurfacing. The primary targets of laser skin resurfacing include:

• Fine lines and wrinkles of the face, especially around the upper lip, cheeks and forehead
• Loose eyelid skin
• Crow’s feet around the eyes
• Pucker marks (smoker’s lines) and frown lines
• Brown spots and splotchy, uneven skin tone
• Scars, especially acne scars
• Loose skin around the neck and jowls

How it Works

The gold standard of laser resurfacing systems, the UltraPulse® CO2 laser delivers thousands of tiny laser pulses in a pattern over the skin. Each pulse heats a column of tissue eliminating pigment discolorations at the surface and creating a zone of heating deep in the tissue. Unique to the UltraPulse Encore, these zones of heating shrink collagen and tighten the skin immediately*. The CO2 laser also offers the benefits of heating deeper layers of skin tissue, thereby stimulating collagen remodeling, tightening* the skin further. Patients can select from a range of treatments depending on the needs of your skin and lifestyle.

What is ActiveFX “fractional” laser resurfacing?

ActiveFX is a fractional laser procedure performed in a single treatment with minimal patient downtime. During the procedure, a high-energy beam of laser light is used to smooth out lines, wrinkles and scars, remove brown spots and other irregularities, and tighten the skin. It also stimulates formation of new underlying collagen to continue improvement over time. With fractional laser treatment, only a fraction of the skin’s surface is treated by the laser, leaving small “bridges” of untouched skin. This technique makes the healing process much faster and enables you to get back to normal activities sooner.

Is ActiveFX right for you?

Treated areas should be washed twice a day with cool water and a mild soap. Use our lotion twice daily to treated areas for 3 to 5 days or until healing is complete. Treated areas should be protected from direct exposure to sunlight. Sunscreen with SPF greater than 15 should be used at all times on the treated areas.

ActiveFX is ideal for you if you:

• Have a busy lifestyle or cannot be away from work for a long time
• Want noticeable results with minimal downtime
• Want to treat dyschromia, fine lines, wrinkles and skin laxity*

What you can expect from ActiveFX

Most physicians perform the procedure in the office with a topical anesthetic cream that is applied 30-40 minutes before the ActiveFX procedure begins. There is little to no pain associated with the procedure – most patients say they feel warmth similar to sunburn. You can drive yourself home after the procedure. With a gentle washing and moisturizing regimen, your photodamaged skin will begin to flake off within 2 days. After about 3-5 days, your doctor will probably let you wear make-up. Pinkness should be gone in about a week.

ActiveFX benefits

ActiveFX treatment produces a dramatic effect on the skin:

• Causes immediate skin tightening*
• Reduces wrinkles and fine lines, and softens deeper frown lines
• Noticeably improves skin tone and texture
• Stimulates new collagen formation and plumps the skin

The results of ActiveFX laser treatment are long-term and, with proper sun protection, can persist for many years. Most effects of treatment become visible right away, whereas others – such as new collagen formation, which leads to continued inner tightening – build up gradually and become more evident over time. Therefore, most people look even better 3-5 months after the procedure.

Additional Information on ActiveFX

http://www.aesthetic.lumenis.com/wt/page/activefx

http://www.lumenis.com/wt/page/pr_1170434066

http://www.skinandhealth.com/details/wrinkles_treatment#wrinkles_co2

Redness after IPL & Laser Treatments: DeepFX & ActiveFX

Reliant UltraPulse Fractional CO2 Laser

Active FX: Physician User Group ~ Medical Spa MD

via botoxpatient.com

Some fantastic info on Active FX laser resurfacing from Botox Patient. Love it.

Posted via web from Laser Center

How to run your medical spa or laser center in turbulent times.

If you’re involved with or own a medical spa, this question is no doubt on your mind.

In this article, I will give you several tips and tools to evaluate your laser centers culture and operations, so you can successfully navigate any economic downturn… And live to sell another day when the inevitable upturn comes around.

What is the Passion and Purpose of Your Medical Spa?

You reap what you sew. When you engage proactively and passionately in your business you will undoubtedly be successful and see your practice expand. It helps to articulate your passion for your medical spa.

At Assara Laser, our passion is to “help clients look and feel great, not fake.”

Why the Recession Drastically Affects Your Laser Clinics Bottom Line

You’ve probably noticed that generating revenue is not as easy as it once was. There are myriad reasons for this; from the decline in disposable income, to unemployment hitting record highs and tanking real estate valuations. As if these facts were not bleak enough, credit markets are virtually frozen so business owners are finding it nearly impossible to obtain small business loans and lines of credit. Refinancing current loans has become difficult for small businesses.

In short, we're operating in the perfect storm.

Accepting Reality and Responsibility Today

The easy way out is to close up shop and blame the recession. This will not help you going forward, it will not pay your devoted employees their wages, and most of all, it will not help your clients “look and feel great, not fake.” So, accept responsibility. 

The hardships of the recession create a fact-pattern, problem to be solved; not a reason for failure. To paraphrase Michael Jackson, start, first, with the man in the mirror. Think about the following questions. And pay attention - there will be homework at the end of this article!

Finding Your Medspas Winning Competitive Difference?

Let’s be honest. The quality of your laser clinc's treatments are probably not drastically better than that of your competitors. The proprietary equipment and IPL or laser systems (Thermage, Fraxel, Titan) that you use are, for the most part, available to the competitive skin clinic market at large.

You may believe (and tell clients) that your microdermabrasion treatments are better because you use a diamond-tipped wand or aluminum oxide crystals. You may think that your IPLs or laser hair removal treatments are better because you use cryo-cooling or because you use chilled air cooling, or because you use a diode laser or because you use alexandrite lasers . . .

BUT . . .

Step in to your clients' shoes. To them, the bells and whistles of your Thermage or Fraxel device don't matter. Your clients already expect expert advice and cutting edge cosmetic lasers, IPLs and skin tighening equipment, so merely meeting this fundamental requirement is not a winning competitive difference.

What does matter to your clients are presentation, client interaction, customer service, reliability and consistency. Consider this carefully.

What is each of your medspas clients worth? 

At Assara Laser, one of the most popular packages is our $449 per month Unlimited Laser Hair Removal Program. On average, a client that signs up for this program will remain a member of the Program for 7 months, depending on the results they wish to achieve. How much is a single unlimited client worth to us?  A client in the program for 7 months, making a monthly payment of $449 is worth $3,143. For many laser clinic owners, a single laser hair removal client is worth more than a home mortgage payment!

Do you treat every single potential laser treatment client that contacts your laser clinic as if they’re worth $3,000?

What is your time and effort worth?

Before my partners and I built Assara Laser, I was an attorney. I still practice corporate law as a labor of love, when a friend or business contact has an exciting deal. I normally discount my rate to about $400 per hour, as law isn’t my primary source of income. 

Assume an hour of your time is worth $400.  Assume further that, every time your customers complain, you are willing to give a discount, or a free treatment and that, collectively, free and discounted treatments account for a 20% loss in your revenue. To make up for this lost revenue, how much more work do you have to do? 

Well, let’s add 20% to your 10 hour day, which now makes it a 12 hour day. If your annual sales are say $1,000,000 per year, you’ve lost $200,000. This translates into 500 hours more of work you must do to bring your revenue back to status quo!

Is there a big difference between a day that starts at 9:00 a.m. and ends at 7:00 p.m. versus ending at 9:00 p.m.  You betcha there is!  Is there a big difference between a loss of $200,000 and a loss of zero. You betcha there is!  And these differences drastically affect your quality of life.

How Do You Avoid Mistakes?

Mistakes are costly. A happy client is worth more than $3,000, and will likely refer business, the best and cheapest form of marketing. A single angry client will result in you working 2 hours more per day for the following seven work days, and will possibly diminish your reputation by badmouthing your medspa. 

A lot of people think excellent customer service means free treatments. It doesn’t. Excellent customer service means delivering what you promise. You know the limitations and effectiveness of your treatments so promise only what you can deliver and do it consistently, with a smile on your face!

via Medical Spa MD

Posted via web from Laser Treatment MD

Laser Hair Removal for the very hairy.

In real need of some laser hair removal.

Sid Schwab's blog has a post on young man who'd undergone surgery for a pilonidal cyst and has some comments on big hairy men, but it was this image that jaw-dropped me. High school must have been hell for this guy.

I'm guessing that if you're offering a guarantee and this guy walks in, you might as well just close your doors. You should give your poor tech a bonus at the least.

To my knowledge, we've never had a patient who had this amount of body hair but then again, I'm not in the laser clinic treatment rooms.

I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with the uber-hairy?

via medicalspamd.com

This post on laser hair removal for the very hairy got so many spam comments I had to close them.

Posted via web from Laser Center

Cosmetic Dermatology: No wait for Botox or Photofacials.

A study in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology says if you want to see a skin doctor about a changing mole, get ready to wait. The average wait time is 26 days. But if you want a Botox shot, it's just eight days, two-and-half weeks shorter. Here in mid-Missouri, two dermatologists say that's not true.

"There's a shortage of dermatologists nationally," dermatologist John Despain said. "Also, patients have direct access to dermatologists for skin care."

Dr. John Despain owns Despain Dermatology Center and Skintuition Medical Spa in Columbia, focusing on cosmetic dermatology like Botox. He says at his practice, clinical appointments always come before cosmetics.

"They are seen on a priority basis within a few days," Despain said. "If they're a new patient, if there's the ability to put them in a new patient slot, they priority over anyone calling for cosmetic concerns, of course."

At Dr. Lindall Perry's practice in Columbia, they treat all appointment requests the same.

"We don't have, quote, 'cosmetic appointments,'" he said.

Although Perry is booked through January, he says patients with skin problems can get appointments.

"We have open appointments in two weeks with our newer staff and they would take both a cosmetic patient, an acne patient, a wart patient," Perry said.

Perry says it can be a challenge juggling business and patient care.

"I like to think I have sound business practices," she said. "I do schedule myself very fully. My staff would say too full. My patients would say too full. We pay attention though to the frustration of long waits."

With a heavy focus on clinical treatments, Perry says he tries to see as many patients as possible. Often leaving the Botox appointments for after hours. He says money is a benefit of his practice, not the motivator.

"My desire everyday is to find every melanoma that's in front of me and not to miss that," he said. 

As for Despain, he likes biopsies just as much as Botox.

"I view them as a compliment to each other," he said. "If I had to choose how to spend my time out of enjoyment or profitability, they're probably equal."

Both doctors say there's certainly a demand in mid-Missouri for cosmetic dermatology, but most of their patients and profits stem from clinical work. In the meantime, if you want to see a dermatologist, the best idea is to plan ahead.

via komu.com

Posted via web from Laser Treatment MD

Medical Spa MD selects Sendside Networks as it's exclusive member communication platform.

Medical Spa MD selects Sendside Networks as it's exclusive communication platform.

Medical Spa MD today announced that it has selected Sendside Networks as it's exclusive member communication platform. A secure replacement to email, Sendside offers a 1:1 secure sales communication platform that offers high touch interactive messaging and real-time reporting and control  for mission-critical communications in a secure environment.

"Sendside is the only solution that addresses our need to communicate easily but still allows us to protect confidential information," said Jeff Barson, Editor of Medical Spa MD.

"Unlike any other technology, Sendside gives us the ability to send interactive tabbed messages that allow recipients to fill out forms and actually make purchases 'inside' the message, without being redirected to an external link from an email. This gives us the ability to actually send the entire Medical Spa MD site directly through a message while retaining control and accessing all of Sendside's analytics and real time reporting.

For the first time we can see exactly who has read a message, downloaded and attachment, or forwarded a message to a collegue, providing us with an inside look at what a recipient is doing and offering a perfect opportunity of knowing when to send follow-up information.

The cost to create and send this type of content would be cost prohibitive using any other solution.

Best of all, it's free for the recipient and as easy to use as web based email."

Medical Spa MD is currently using Sendside to communicate with thousands of plastic surgeons, dermatologist, and cosmetic physician members around the world.

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ABOUT SENDSIDE NETWORKS, INC.
Utah-based Sendside® Networks, Inc. has developed Sendside—the 1 to 1 Sales Communication Platform that provides organizations a secure, interactive communications channel directly to their customers, prospective customers, clients and investors. Sendside combines secure, interactive messaging with file delivery, interactive forms, e-signatures, payments, and secure storage into a comprehensive communication and interaction platform unlike anything on the market today. Sendside currently has fifteen U.S. Patents pending including Sendside Markup Language (SML), Behavior-based Messaging (BBM), Multi-dimensional Messaging (MDM), Sendside eSign, on demand messaging, embedded payments and acknowledgement. www.sendside.com

ABOUT MEDICAL SPA MD
Medical Spa MD is a community of Plastic Surgeons, Dermatologists, Aesthetic Physicians, and Medical Spa Professionals. Medspa MD has Blogs, Forums, and Classified advertising. Members include 2,000+ members worldwide and medicalspa.com recieves more than 100,000 page views each month from physicians and individulals looking for informaton about cosmetic medicine and the lates advances in non-surgical technology.

via medicalspamd.com

Posted via web from Laser Treatment MD

The Medical Aesthetic Practice Assocation (MAPA) chooses Medical Spa MD as it's exclusive technology platform.

The Medical Aesthetic Practice Assocation (MAPA) chooses Medical Spa MD as it's exclusive technology platform.

Medical Spa MD has been chosen by MAPA - The Medical Aesthetic Practice Association as the exclusive technology platform for MAPA Members.

“This is a great day for MAPA”, explained Dr. Epstein. “Medical Spa MD has been a pioneer in information exchange within the cosmetic medical field for years now. His MedicalSpaMD.com Internet Website & Blog has already advance our knowledge by quantum leaps. Combining our manpower, our experience and our content with his robust internet platform will take us even further.”

The Medical Aesthetic Practice Association was formed in response to a need for information sharing in the Medical Aesthetic Practice area. The Medical Aesthetic Practice Association (MAPA) is THE Clinical and Business Information Exchange Forum for Aesthetic Medical Practices and their business and clinical staff.

Jeffrey E. Epstein, MD, MAPA’s founder and Executive Director explained the need and the purpose of MAPA, “the Medical Aesthetic Practice Association’s purpose is to promote and facilitate information exchange among Medical Aesthetic Practices. By sharing our ideas, experiences, opinions and insights, we can learn faster and benefit from each other’s successes and failures. In order to facilitate the convenient and high volume exchange of advanced business and clinical information, MAPA provides Internet Based Platforms for Medical Aesthetic Practice Owners and their Clinical Staff. MAPA also hosts live discussions in their Chat Rooms on a regular basis to promote real-time discussion about important, topical issues.”

MAPA & MSMD will soon have in excess of 2000 (two thousand) members. MAPA currently has Fifty Diamond Club Members who produce content and manage daily activities.

MAPA is planning on hosting their third clinical exchange meeting this Spring at the Cherry Hill Physician Training and Research Center. The meeting held in November 2008 was a huge success. There is no cost to attend these meetings. MAPA will also be meeting at this years ASLMS Conference in Baltimore, MD the first week in April.

* * *

ABOUT MAPA
The Medical Aesthetic Practice Association’s purpose is to promote and facilitate information exchange among Medical Aesthetic Practices. By sharing our ideas, experiences, opinions and insights, we can learn faster and benefit from each other’s successes and failures. In order to facilitate the convenient and high volume exchange of advanced business and clinical information, MAPA provides Internet Based Platforms for Medical Aesthetic Practice Owners and their Clinical Staff. MAPA hosts live discussions in their Chat Rooms on a regular basis to promote real-time discussion about important, topical issues.

ABOUT MEDICAL SPA MD
Medical Spa MD is a community of Plastic Surgeons, Dermatologists, Aesthetic Physicians, and Medical Spa Professionals. Medspa MD has Blogs, Forums, and Classified advertising. Members include 2,000+ members worldwide and medicalspa.com recieves more than 100,000 page views each month from physicians and individulals looking for informaton about cosmetic medicine and the lates advances in non-surgical technology.

via medicalspamd.com

Posted via web from Laser Treatment MD

Paula D. Young RN joins Medical Spa MD

Paula D. Young RN joins Medical Spa MD

Medica lSpa MD is proud to announce the addition of Paula D. Young RN to it's editorial board.

"It's a fantastic addition to Medical Spa MDs ability to provide expert viewpoints from a diverse group of expert medical providers and business people", says Jeff Barson, Medical Spa MDs founder and publisher. "Paulas experience will give Medical Spa MD voice for mid-level medical providers an an invaluable resource for the growing number of medical estheticians and laser techinics who are visiting Medical Spa MD to learn."

"To really know what's going on in the aesthetic business you must join Medical Spa MD!", says Young. "Nowhere else can you find the information crucial to your success in this ever changing arena. From the classified ads section, to the professional community forum discussion threads, to real equipment reviews by aesthetic professionals. I especially value the articles on marketing and the community forum discussions on therapy management like melasma, fillers, laser lipolysis, and skin resurfacing. Medical Spa MD keeps me on my toes as a medical spa owner, marketer, and nurse!"

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ABOUT Paula D. Young RN

Paula is the staff nurse and co-owner of Young Medical Spa in the Lehigh Valley area of Pennsylvania along with her husband Thomas E. Young, MD. Prior to establishing Young Medical Spa, Paula previously owned a Merle Norman Cosmetics national franchise, a full-service beauty salon and spa, and a chain of tanning salons. Most recently, Paula worked for Johnson & Johnson for over 10 years and held senior management positions in the medical and sales education, and customer relationship management departments. Her associations include:

• Dermatology Nurses Association
• American Academy of Medical Esthetic Professionals
• Association of periOperative Registered Nurses
• American Nurses Association
• The Aesthetic Practice Association

Paula also holds a current license with the Cosmetology Board in the State of Pennsylvania. She has written for Medical Spa Report Magazine and authored a textbook on Advanced Aesthetic Practices.

ABOUT MEDICAL SPA MD
Medical Spa MD is a community of Plastic Surgeons, Dermatologists, Aesthetic Physicians, and Medical Spa Professionals. Medspa MD has Blogs, Forums, and Classified advertising. Members include 2,000+ members worldwide and medicalspa.com recieves more than 100,000 page views each month from physicians and individulals looking for informaton about cosmetic medicine and the lates advances in non-surgical technology.

via medicalspamd.com

Posted via web from Laser Treatment MD

9 Top Tips For Medical Spa Success

If you're a plastic surgeon or dermatologist starting a medical spa, skin clinic, or laser center, you'll need to have all of your ducks in a row.

Here are 9 tips to keep your medspa in the black, and your laser treatments and Botox appointments full.

1. Have sufficient funds to kee your Medical Spa open for months.
Don’t even think about opening a Medical Spa unless you have the capital needed to bring it through the startup and first year of operation. Invariably, your planning will not deal with all of the unforeseen issues that can occur in the MedSpa industry. From regulatory compliance changes and training costs, to increased marketing costs. Under-capitalization is a leading indicator of business failure. You should considering a combination of various financing strategies from leasing to working capital.

2. Talk with other doctors who have successful, operating Medical Spas
Ask them what they would do the same, and what they would do differently. We are starting to see some established Medical Spas out there, try and learn from their experiences and best practices.

3. Join associations that help new Medical Spas succeed
They are a great source of experienced MedSpa owners, who have already gone through what you will. In addition, they often have members who have specialized in the MedSpa industry, including: business planning, marketing, design, dealing with regulatory issues, insurance and finance. The International Medical Spa Association even has a mentorship program that is available for new MedSpa owners. It is invaluable to chat with someone across the country who has had the same problems you may have, especially if you know they are not a local competitor!

4. Know your strengths and weaknesses
No one is strong in all areas, you may be an expert in age management medicine, but you may be weak on the business and marketing side. That’s fine, but you are going to need to identify the areas where you are weak and compensate. Not all areas require a permanent, full-time employee, you may consider hiring a consultant who has the necessary experience.

5. Watch your medical spa's monthly expenses
Especially during the startup phase of a MedSpa, it can be easy to see the glamour of having marble flooring, but is it really necessary? You may be better off adding another hair removal treatment room, which will generate income. Remember the old adage: “it will take twice as long and cost twice as much as you anticipated.”

6. Determine what need your Medical Spa meets.
As with any successful business, you need to meet a consumer demand. With 11,500 people joining the over 50 crowd every day, you have a great potential market. But you need to make sure you are where they can be found (i.e. medical centers, shopping centers, established communities).

7. Know your laser clinic's monthly cash flow.
You may think financial statements are only for accountants to understand, but you need to be able to read some key financial statements. Including the cash flow statement, this lets you know where the money is coming from and where it is going. You must always know your current cash flow situation, if you cannot pay your bills, you are effectively out of business. Botox, Restylane, Juvederm, IPL, cosmetic lasers... they're all expensive.

8. Open your medical spa because you want to.
Starting a MedSpa is going to consume two things: time and money. The profit potential of a MedSpa is huge, but if you are not doing what you really enjoy, it will show on your bottom-line! As you will probably be spending more time and money than you originally planned, you need to make sure operating a Medical Spa is what you really want to do.

9. Don’t hire family and friends
They may be able to provide you with valuable assistance during the startup phase, but they most likely will not be able to get you to that next level. This is where having an experienced MedSpa director is very important. Not only are they going to hire and train your employees, but they also will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of the MedSpa. Hiring a competent MedSpa Director can allow you to run your MedSpa as a stand alone profit center; one that makes money whether you are there or not.

Posted via web from Laser Treatment MD

Laser Center Marketing

What is medical spa & laser center click fraud costing you?

Is click fraud costing your laser center or medical spa and driving up your prices? If you’re one of the tens of thousands of cosmetic medical practices, laser clinics and med spas advertising online with Google Adwords or Yahoo, don’t be surprised to find that at least some of the money you’re paying every month is sucked out of your marketing fund by click fraud.

The practice of “click fraud” began in the early days of the Internet’s popularity with software programs that automatically surfed Web sites to increase traffic figures. This led companies to develop policing technologies touted as antidotes to the problem. (Some marketing executives estimate that up to 20 percent of fees in certain advertising categories continue to be based on nonexistent consumers in today’s search industry.)

Don’t think it’s already happening to your skin clinic, med spa or laser clinic? Here’s a recent quote from Michael Caruso, CEO of click fraud services vendor ClickFacts in an interview:

“In particularly fraud prone verticals such as finance, class action lawsuits and medical, we see click fraud rates in the 30-45 percent range. These are all categories that see high keyword pricing in the auction model. That makes them particularly tasty for click fraud artists. “If you can make more money from the dark side than the light side of search, there are plenty of people who will take advantage. Plus, it’s not even technically illegal yet.”

There are two main ways that your skin clinics and medical spas marketing budget is being drained by click fraud:

First, your medical spas and laser clinics competitors who see your ad are simply clicking on it, draining your marketing budget and costing you advertising dollars. Second, fraudsters set up ‘affiliate sites’ that run skin clinics ads where they are clicked on by bots or employees. (These sites are the most damaging since you’re paying for every click without any return at all. Click fraud around skin clinics, med spas or laser clinics can be very lucrative since dermatology or plastic surgery clinics are becoming such a competitive market and the payment per click can be as high as $4-6.)

Unfortunately, to keep your laser centers budget safe you have very few tools. (Google just gave advertisers $90 million to compensate for click fraud as the result of a class action suit but you can bet they’re not that Google’s not interested in your individual account. Especially since they’re making money from click fraud when your ads are clicked on.)

Start by limiting your laser centers exposure. If your dermatology or plastic surgery clinic is still running an Adwords or Yahoo campaign, they allow you to limit the maximum amount you spend in a day. Take advantage of this feature by limiting your maximum cost to what you can afford to spend. You can also look for the tracks of click fraud by examining the reports you might have available to you. Multiple clicks coming from the same IP address are a sure sign of fraud. (Malaysia has become such a haven for click fraud around medspas and IPL laser treatments.)

If you’re going to run ppc ads, protect your laser center, med spa or laser clinic. You can be sure that you’re the only one trying to.

Medical Spa MD is a physician community of Plastic Surgeons & Cosmetic Dermatologists with more than 4,000 physician members. Visit MedicalSpaMD.com for plastic surgeon and cosmetic dermatologist forums and provides patient and physician information on IPL & cosmetic laser medical technologies and treatments.

Posted via web from Laser Center

Medical Spa MD - Medical Assistant's can not inject Botox!

I've seen and head about medical estheticians, medical assistants and even front desk staff administering Botox injections at a laser clinic.

It's not legal, as this story on the prosicution of a medical assistant clearly shows.

Betty Guerra’s months-long nightmare is over.

The 45-year-old former medical assistant learned today from her attorney that the 10 felony counts against her on allegations of “unlawful practice of medicine” will be dismissed, she said.

“I always believed things would work out the right way,” she said tearfully. “I cannot be punished for something I didn’t do.”

Guerra’s July arrest sparked controversy over what medical assistants can and cannot do. Specifically, there was confusion over whether they are able to give shots.

Guerra was accused of unlawfully administering cosmetic injections, an act commonly performed by medical assistants throughout Nevada.

The state attorney general’s office did not specifically say charges against Guerra would be dropped but indicated it won’t be pursuing the case.

“The complaint against Betty Guerra submitted to the Attorney General’s Office by the Board of Medical Examiners has been contradicted by the subsequent actions by the Board,” Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto said in a statement. “Therefore, it is fair for us to conclude that it would be difficult to prosecute this case beyond a reasonable doubt.”

Guerra’s attorney, Jason Weiner, said this evening that the attorney general’s office had sent him a copy of an unfiled motion dismissing the case earlier in the day. He would not be able to provide the Review-Journal with a copy of that motion until Wednesday, he said.

After Guerra’s arrest, physicians became concerned about what duties their medical assistants could perform.

Former medical board director Louis Ling said that upon reading a 30-year-old law, he concluded that the assistants could not give shots. With flu season coming on, he then attempted to draft emergency regulations that would allow them to give flu shots, but not Botox or other cosmetic injections.

However, that effort was shot down when a judge recently ruled that the board, in considering the regulations, had violated the open meeting law.

The board later reversed its position, determining that state law allows medical assistants to administer everything from flu shots to Botox. Medical assistants could give shots as long as they are under the “direct supervision” of a physician. Most health officials and doctors take that to mean the physician is on premises.

via medicalspamd.com

If you're a plastic surgeon or dermatologist running a skin clinic, laser clinic or medical spa (medspa) you might want make sure that your medical estheticans and medical assistants are well within the guidelines for their individual scope of practice.

Posted via web from Laser Treatment MD

Plastic Surgery: Med Spa Blog links

Medical Spa Info

Links to areas of Medical Spa MD, an active community of Plastic Surgeons, Cosmetic Dermatologists, Aesthetic Physicians, laser clinics, skin clinics and med spas.

Medical Spa MD is the premier community destination for physicians and medical providers offering cosmetic medicine with 2,000+ Members & 1.3 Million full page views in the last 12 months.

On Medical Spa MD you'll find:

• Usefull medical spa articles and information
• A fantastic and vibrant plastic surgeon and dermatologist forums and med spa professionals.
• Classified ads for used IPL and cosmetic lasers.
• Special offers for Medical Spa MD members.

Our Members are the physician-architects and individuals behind the development of some of the current medical spa businesses models and non-surgical medical technologies. Best of all, it's free, which is a terrific price. Join us.

Other Medical Spa, Skin Clinic & Laser Treatment Info

• Medical Spa MD on FriendFeed
• Med Spa Page on Friendfeed
• Medical Spa MD on Facebook
• Medical Spa MD on Twitter
• Laser Clinic on Twitter
• Laser Clinic Info
• Skin Clinic Info
• Laser Treatment Info

If you're like 99% of physicians & medical providers in cosmetic medicine you:

• Have little or no retail business experience other than medicine
• Are trying to run your medical practice as a business AND work in it at the same time
• Are getting frustrated with the lack of available information
• Need to make informed business and medical decisions
• Leery of the constant stream of unidentified sales people and consultants.
• Feel like you have to do everything

Well, it truly doesn't have to be that way... and on Medical Spa MD it's not.

You know, Medical Spa MD started as nothing. No Members, no community, no partners... Nothing. Just a single voice of sanity in the cosmetic medical wilderness.

But that's no longer the case. Medical Spa MD now has more than 2,000 Medical Members and is visited by more than 50,000 people every month. In the last 12 months Medical Spa MD has more than 1.3 million page views, making it the single premier community for plastic surgeons, dermatologists, and aesthetic physicians practicing retail cosmetic medicine. And that's just the public facing side. As a Medical Spa MD Member, you'll have access to exclusive information, reports, forums and content that's not available to non-members.

Where there are a host of other sites built for patients, Medical Spa MD is built specifically for physicians and medical providers. There's no doubt that Medical Spa MD is absolutley the best library of information available for medical providers in the business of retail cosmetic medicine. We don't say that as a demonstration of ego but as a statement of fact. Medical Spa MD has been built over the last 5 years into a community that's almost unknown in medicine, a place where you can get real information without the marketing spin that comes from companies and the advertisers that have to bow to them.

As a Medical Spa MD Member you'll have free access to:

• Free Medical Spa MD Member Only Downloads & Reports.
• Subscribe to any page, blog or forum thread and have updates delivered to your email.
• The Medical Spa MD Member Blog.
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List of Physician Blogs:

In alphabetical order:

• About a Nurse
• Aggravated Doc Surg
• Anatomy Notes
• At Your Cervix
• Barbados Butterfly
• Bioethics Discussion
• Blogborygmi
• Blood Letting
• Borneo Breezes
• Breath Spa for Kids
• Budding Emergencist
• California Medicine Man
• Cat Scan Man
• Chance to Cure
• Chocolate and Raspberries
• Code Blog
• Corpus Callosum
• Cricoid Pressure
• DB's Medical Rants
• Diabetes Mine
• Doc Around the Clock
• Doctor
• Doctor Anonymous
• Doctor Helen
• Doctor Mental
• Doctor On Call
• Doctor RW
• Dr. Deborah Serani
• Dr. Dork
• Dr. Flea
• Dr. Jest's Case Blog
• Dr. Kannan
• Dr. Pak
• Dr. Wes
• Dust in the Wind
• Emergency Medicine Doc
• Emergiblog
• Examining Room of Dr. Charles
• Fat Doctor
• Fine Art Doctor
• Fingers and Tubes
• Fixin' Healthcare
• Future Dr. House
• Geek Nurse
• Girl MD
• Grunt Doc
• Health Care Renewal
• Health Psych
• Homeschooled Med Student
• In a Doc's Mind
• Information is Free
• Inside Surgery
• It's A Nursing Thing
• Kevin MD
• Kidney Notes
• Knight Doctor
• kt living
• Life in Qualicum
• Live Love Laugh
• Marketplace MD
• Mavistown 3.0
• Mediblogopathy
• Medical Pathetical
• Medlogs
• Medskool
• Medviews
• Mental Notes
• Mexico Medical Student
• Michael C. Hébert, MD - Journal
• Movin' Meat
• Mr. Hassle's Long Underpants
• MSSP Nexus Blog
• Musings of a Dinosaur
• Musings of a Distractible Mind
• Neonatal Doc
• NeoNurse Chick
• NHS Blog Doctor
• Nurse Ratched's Place
• OB/GYN Kenobi
• oncRN
• Orthodoc
• Over My Med Body
• Parallel Universes
• Point and Shoot
• Rangel MD
• Rebel Doctor
• Respectful Insolence
• Retired Doc's Thoughts
• Ripple of Hope
• Scalpel or Sword
• Scared To Health
• Shrinkette
• Stork Doc
• Sumer's Radiology Site
• Surgeon's Blog
• Tales from the Womb
• The Cheeful Oncologist
• The Star Chamber
• Treat Me With Respect
• Trust Me, I'm a Doctor
• Tundra Medicine Dreams
• Unbounded Medicine
• Unintelligent Design
• Wandering Visitor