Dr. Angela here today, and like many other industries, providers of medical aesthetics are seeking to improve the convenience of the services that they provide. We are seeing injections, laser and noninvasive treatments that are delivered to your house or in mobile units. Many wonder how to compare these services to those in a physician’s office.
The law in Texas is not specific about who can perform these procedures. Most injectors and people who perform noninvasive treatments are nurses or medical aestheticians with additional training in aesthetics, but they do not have to be. Also, in medical spas, whether mobile or at a physical location, there is a physician that is the medical director and over sees these procedures. In our state, this physician does not have to be one of what we call the “core specialties”, Dermatology, Plastic Surgery, Facial Plastic Surgery or Oculoplastic Surgery, that has specific training in aesthetics. This means that the physician could practice family practice, ob/gyn, radiology, oncology, really anything. There are weekend courses to get “laser certified” or “injection certified”, which are helpful, but not the same as a residency and/or fellowship in one of the core specialties.
Before and After
Before and After
Like many other situations, the skill in performing these procedures lies in the person, not necessarily the company. A skilled person is best found by personal or online references to that person. If this person is consistent in the at-home service or mobile medical spa, this might be reliable. However, the more a company invests in being convenient and available at all times, the more variability you will likely find in whom you are able to schedule your appointments. Therefore, you lose that personal relationship and responsibility, but have more of a consumer relationship with a company, which is very different. Also, the more demand a medical professional has for their skills, the more difficult it is to them to devote time to endeavors like mobile treatments.
Images c/o Dr. Angela