Facial Work Isn’t Done By Just Surgeons Anymore
By Cindy Hadish, The Gazette, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Mar. 8–Driven by new technology and baby boomers with money, spas that offer Botox, chemical peels and other facial treatments are emerging beyond typical dermatology or plastic surgery offices.
“There is a growing trend,” said Kent Nebel, legal affairs director for the Iowa Board of Medical Examiners. “There’s a huge market, and physicians are taking advantage of that.”
Ten years ago, only a dozen such spas existed nationwide, said Charlie Baase, spokesman for the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery. Now, they number about 1,700.
In Cedar Rapids, Ob-Gyn Associates last month opened Cosmetic Solutions, offering microdermabrasion, laser rejuvenation and other skin care under medical director Dr. Johanna Abernathy, an obstetrician/gynecologist.
Dr. Richard Stangler, an ophthalmologist trained in plastic surgery around the eyes, has offered Botox and other facial services for several years at Fox Eye in Cedar Rapids.
That part of his business has grown to the point where half his work involves cosmetic procedures, he said. He also treats eye disorders, such as glaucoma.
Dr. John Vander Zee, a Cedar Rapids plastic surgeon, doesn’t object to eye doctors moving into cosmetic arenas.
But he is concerned about others encroaching on the field, enough so that he paid for a newspaper ad questioning why patients would go to a gynecologist for skin care.
“It has nothing to do with competition,” said Vander Zee, who has performed face lifts and other cosmetic procedures for nearly 15 years. “The issue is patient safety, and if there is a complication, do you have the training to deal with it?”
Abernathy declined comment.
Dr. Kimberly Schulz said she opened Infinity Skin Care & Spa in Coralville in 2004 because of patient demand. She’s concerned about spas where patients aren’t seen by doctors.
Iowa law doesn’t prohibit doctors from performing procedures outside their areas of residency training or board certification.
“Effectively, that license gives you the authority to practice in any area of medicine where you’re appropriately trained,” the Medical Board’s Nebel said.
How much training is needed is subjective, handled case by case by the board when complaints arise.
Vander Zee said a weekend seminar to learn how to inject Botox doesn’t substitute for training and experience of board-certified plastic surgeons. Complications can arise even under well-trained hands, he said.
People looking for quicker alternatives to surgery to combat signs of aging or smoking and sun damage can choose from a dizzying array of options. Web sites touting “lunch hour” procedures assure results while rarely mentioning potential complications.
Got age spots? Laser resurfacing could lighten those.
Skin sags? Titan, a treatment using infrared technology, tightens skin and stimulates collagen rebuilding.
Want lips like Angelina Jolie? The filler, Restylane, might do the trick.
Dr. Richard Mauer, a Waterloo ophthalmologist, said many new procedures are safer and less invasive than surgery.
In three rooms behind rows of eyeglasses at Mauer Eye Center, clients are greeted by ambient music, soft lighting and the fruity scent of Mauer’s new wine-based D’Vine facial products.
Mauer opened an aesthetic center last year, after starting with “Gentle Waves,” an LED device said to improve skin texture.
With an artist’s eye, Mauer scrutinized patient Alma Backstrom on Friday while injecting her face with Radiesse, a filler that reduces facial lines.
Backstrom, 52, of Cedar Falls, said Mauer once repaired a tear in her retina, so she felt comfortable with him working on her face.
Business works both ways.
Michelle Couchman, 51, of Hudson, went to the aesthetic center last week for a facial.
“I’ll be coming to get my eyes checked now,” she said.
—–
To see more of The Gazette, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.gazetteonline.com.
Copyright (c) 2006, The Gazette, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.
For information on republishing this content, contact us at (800) 661-2511 (U.S.), (213) 237-4914 (worldwide), fax (213) 237-6515, or e-mail reprints@krtinfo.com.