What is Your Big Picture?

As a physician, you want to move away from reducing insurance reimbursements and actually get paid for what you do! I love the analogy of, what if you walked into WalMart and only paid for half of the items you left with? Well, you would probably get arrested! However, this happens to physicians every day. You submit all those forms to insurance companies, and often you are lucky if you get paid for half of them. This is one of the many reasons physicians want to add aesthetic medicine procedures, like Botox, to their medical practices. The nice thing about these procedures is that they are not covered by insurance, and the patient needs to pay cash (debit or credit) when these procedures are done. Read more

Is Groupon bad for MedSpa’s?

This MedSpa in Ft. Lauderdale sold 20 units of Botox for $79, after Groupon took their cut, the Medical spa ended up getting $1.97/unit for the Botox, that is a loss of $3.28/unit (not including the time to do a consult, gloves, needles and other operating expenses). This is exactly how NOT to use Groupon for a MediSpa! Read more

Aesthetic Physician Bulletin: DIY & Illegally Imported Botox

The IAPAM has surveyed experts in the cosmetic injectable field to offer this overview for aesthetic physicians, regarding some alarming and illegal trends dealing with cosmetic injectable treatments, specifically: DIY (Do It Yourself) Botox treatments and illegally imported botulinum toxin (Dysport, Botox) product. Without a doubt, proper Botox Training is critical.

The Recent DIY Botox Trend

Recently, there have been several reports regarding DIY “botox-like” injectables, which can be purchased through the internet. A woman in Texas, Laurie D’Alleva, offered consumers a botox-like product called “Freeze,” complete with a “How-To” video, so consumers could administer the botulinum toxin themselves.  “The Texas Attorney General is charging D’Alleva with several violations of state law.  She could be fined up to $25,000 per violation per day of the Texas Food, Drug and Cosmetics Act, and up to $20,000 per violation of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices act.”  The red-flags regarding this internet offering range from the unrealistically low pricing, indicating the product is not FDA approved, to her complete disregard for the potential life threatening side affects that can accompany the delivery of a neurotoxin into the body by an untrained, unlicensed administrator. Read more

IAPAM Enhances its Symposiums with the Addition of a Medical Weight Loss

Building on the success of its physician-lead Aesthetic Medicine Symposiums, the International Association for Physicians in Aesthetic Medicine (IAPAM) has now added a medical weight management component to its renowned educational series.  This new program will teach physicians how to incorporate a medical weight loss program into their practice or medical spa, and will include the latest research on medically supervised weight loss strategies like utilizing appetite suppressants, hormone replacement therapy, and hCG. Read more

IAPAM Endorses Comprehensive Aesthetic Training

The MedSpa industry in the United States has experienced a growth rate of 133% in the past five years. Moreover, “as the current economic environment continues, the myriad of minimally invasive and less expensive procedures offered at Medical Spas, including Wellness Centers and Anti-Aging Clinics is expected to continue to garner more and more of the aesthetic medicine market,” comments Jeff Russell, Executive Director for the International Association for Physicians in Aesthetic Medicine (IAPAM). To capitalize on this profitable field of medicine, more physicians and non-physicians are launching offerings into the Medical Spa market, by opening separate facilities or turning parts of their existing practices into medispa treatment areas. Read more

The “Lipstick Effect” in Aesthetic Medicine: The 2008 ASAPS statistics support the notion that in tough economic times, small aesthetic luxuries are in demand

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The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery’s (ASAPS) recently released report, 2008 Statistics on Cosmetic Surgery, outlines that 8,491,861 non-surgical procedures were done in 2008. However, this is a reduction of 11.7% over last year, and interestingly the only three growth non-surgical procedures were Calcium hydroxylapatite (Radiance) injections which was up 3%, chemical peels which were up 2.9% and laser skin resurfacing which had increased by 12%.

Las Vegas, Nevada (www.AestheticMedicineNews.com) March 18, 2009  — Jeff Russell, Executive Director of the International Association for Physicians in Aesthetic Medicine (IAPAM) comments that, “it is expected to see a downward trend in non-surgical procedures because many of these procedures are not being done in a plastic surgeon’s offices. These statistics are compiled from a survey of members of the ASAPS, however, many of these offerings are being preformed by professionals outside the membership of the ASAPS.” Russell further reminds us that , “not all these procedures are being performed by physicians. Since the public can get many of these procedures in both medical spas and physicians’ offices, and some of these treatments like mircodermabrasion and chemical peels may be delivered by non-medical professionals in a non-ASAPS member medical spa.” Indeed, the ASAPS supports this analysis. Among the 894 Board Certified physicians surveyed, the ASAPS found that “over fifty-three percent of cosmetic procedures in 2008 were performed in office-based facilities; 26 percent in freestanding surgicenters; and 19 percent in hospitals,” states the 2008 ASAPS report. Read more

The Latest Trend: The Use of Caffeine in Aesthetics

From our double shot, extra hot, non-fat vanilla lattes to new under eye anti-puffiness serums, a jolt of caffeine has alluring qualities in making our lives more endurable. However, while there is significant study into many of the benefits of ingested caffeine, the jury is still out on the long-lasting benefits of this “miracle” ingredient, when topically applied as a part of an anti-aging regiment.

Las Vegas, Nevada (www.AestheticMedicineNews.com) February 26, 2009 — The benefits from the oral intake of caffeine in the many beverages in which it is found: teas, coffee, sodas etc. has long been the subject of study in the medical and pharmaceutical arenas. Many studies have concluded that: whether working as a powerful antioxidant within the body, as an active ingredient in the prevention of Parkinson’s disease or gallstones, or as a possible inhibitor in the development of certain cancers, moderate consumption of caffeine is generally accepted to do a healthy body more good than harm. Read more

Board Certification in Aesthetic Medicine Lacking

There has been great discussion regarding the Board Certification of Aesthetic Medicine. Currently the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) does not offer a board certification in Aesthetic Medicine. The ABMS currently states that “antiaging is not a medical specialty,” and therefore no association or organization can officially be offering “board certification” in aesthetic medicine at this time. Read more

IAPAM’s 7 Top Anti-Aging Trends for 2009

The IAPAM (International Association for Physicians in Aesthetic Medicine), in consultation with its members and associated industry experts, has compiled its list of the top trends in aesthetic medicine for 2009. From the continued market dominance of minimally-invasive procedures over surgical options, to anticipated unparalleled demand in the medical weight-loss field, 2009 promises to be a year of many anti-aging milestones. Read more

IAPAM Helps Physicians Launch Successful Medical Spas

Comprehensive clinical and business training is the best foundation upon which a successful medical spa can be launched in these difficult economic times. To provide the practical clinical and business experience needed to open a medical spa or integrate medical aesthetics into an existing practice, the IAPAM (International Association for Physicians in Aesthetic Medicine) offers the industry’s most comprehensive Aesthetic Medicine Symposium for new medispa entrants. Read more

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