Written by Kaci Beatty, current Ooh La La patient and Smart SCIN Member
I’ve been coming to Ooh La La Spa, Anti-Aging & Wellness in Glen Carbon for a couple years now, and before that I tried many skincare products and visited many salons and spas. There are a lot of medical spas out there and the options can be overwhelming. The biggest problem is, how do you find the best medical spa for your skincare treatments and injectables?
Not only are there so many options, but it is becoming difficult to trust online review sites and it can be hard to get recommendations from friends because so many women are hesitant to admit that they have had aesthetic treatments. Can’t we just talk about our Botox shame free?!
With all of this in mind, I’ve created a list of the Top Things You Should Never Compromise When Choosing a Medical Spa:
Credentials are more important than finding the lowest price.
As Dr. Jacobs says in her book Live Life Beautifully (With a Little Help), “It is not in your best interest to pursue the cheapest options for any services. Consumers are trained to price shop for aesthetic treatments when they need to shop for results and a great experience! You would not opt for the cheapest heart surgery, and you should not opt for the cheapest Botox and filler or any other aesthetic treatment”
Please find a medical spa that has fully licensed providers (MD, nurse practitioner, physician’s assistant, registered nurse, aesthetician or laser technician). You should also do research on how long the provider(s) have been practicing aesthetic medicine. Don’t be someone’s guinea pig!
Look for what kind of certifications the providers have. What impressed me about Ooh La La is that Dr. Jacobs is an Allergan Trainer who travels the country training other injectors. She’s a Master Injector and in the Top 1% of all Allergan clinics. I knew I was in good hands!
You should also look at before and after photos on the med spa’s website and social media, as well as reviews and testimonials from existing patients. Do your research and find the most qualified med spa, not the cheapest.
You should expect to be educated on your treatment options, post-procedure care, cost, benefits, risks and precautions, and how long you can expect your results to last.
Taking a step toward healthier skin is a big deal and not something that should be taken lightly. At Ooh La La, from day 1, I had ALL of my questions answered and had all of the relevant information before agreeing to my treatment. Unfortunately, I’ve heard horror stories of aesthetic companies providing treatments without the patient even consenting to treatment. It wasn’t until the patient received a several thousand-dollar bill that they found out they’d received a 5-syringe liquid facelift! There should be no surprises…EVER!
If your treatment plan doesn’t make sense to you, you should be encouraged to ask more questions and receive answers that make sense to you. At Ooh La La, you are not just a number. Your satisfaction and education are most important to them. The bottom line is: find a provider that actually makes time for you.
Choose a provider that uses name-brand products and devices.
If a medical spa offers non-surgical fat reduction that isn’t CoolSculpting, a neurotoxin that isn’t a brand like BOTOX or Daxxify, a dermal filler that a name brand like Juvederm, or a serum-based facial that isn’t a name brand like DiamondGlow, this should be a red flag!
Second-rate providers cut corners with second rate products and knockoffs from overseas. They are too cheap to pay for the tools that will ensure great results for their patients, and instead, they use inferior technology.
Remember: inferior technology will lead to inferior results. You get what you pay for!
If you feel pressure, it’s not the med spa for you!
You should never feel like you’re buying a car when you go to a medical spa. It should feel educational and a team effort between you and your provider. Your provider should be treating you like a friend or family member, always with YOUR best interest in mind.
If you don’t feel empowered and in control of your skincare plan, run away! When medical spas are good at what they do, they don’t need to coerce you or talk you into getting a treatment you don’t need or don’t want.
Medical Spas should be clean, safe and compliant.
A clean clinic shows that there’s a priority to offer safe and sterile procedures. When it comes to medical spas and aesthetic procedures, safety is the most important factor. An injector may have great technique, but if they don’t use impeccable cleanliness you could end up with complications like nodules, sepsis, and other infections.
Ask your provider what they do to ensure a safe, sterile environment during treatments. There’s no such thing as being “too clean,” “too safe,” or “too careful,” so keep your standards high.
Too many medical spas cut corners. This isn’t a non-profit industry, so there are providers out there looking to do anything they can to make an extra dollar. When they do this, they prioritize making money over the proper care of patients.
These truly are The Top Things You Should Never Compromise When Choosing a Medical Spa. There are so many other things to watch out for, (such as: don’t go to an injector who you think looks overdone… or you’ll end up looking like her, never receive treatments in someone’s home, etc…), but these are the big ones.
My experience at Ooh La La has been nothing short of amazing. Every single time I come in, I’m treated with compassion and respect and genuinely feel like they care about my wellbeing. Dr. Jacobs and her team are the absolute best in the biz.
Have questions? Want more information about what makes Ooh La La Spa, Anti-Aging & Wellness different? Give them a call today at (618) 288-9117. They’d love to meet you, educate you, and TOGETHER create a personalized plan to get you looking and feeling better than you’ve felt in years.
