Oct. 31, 2005 By JUDY SHERARD, Hays Daily News
STOCKTON — Family practice providers Dr. Ann Taylor and Dana Jewell, a physicians' assistant, have opened Med-Spa to help those concerned with cosmetic issues such as sun damage or unwanted hair.
The two are joint owners in the photofacial treatment facility that opened earlier this month.
The light-based treatments may be used on sun damage, age spots, pigmented lesions, facial veins and spider veins.
A person's skin type plays a part in the process, Jewell said.
The business isn't a component of their medical practice. They expect to schedule most appointments at the Med Spa on weekends, so it doesn't take time from their medical patients, Jewell said.
Since the treatments are cosmetic, health insurance most likely won't cover the costs, Taylor said.
However, they can help increase self-esteem and “help people feel better about themselves,” Jewell said.
Med-Spa also offers pulsed light hair removal, which Taylor said is less intense than a laser.
“A lot of women with hair growth on their face come in (to her office) about other things and mention it,” Taylor said.
There is a sensation during the two treatments to which each person may react differently, as well as a sunburn effect afterwards that will vary depending upon the treatment and the individual, Jewell said.
Someone having the treatment for a special occasion such as a wedding would want to allow plenty of healing time, Taylor said.
Acne might be treated, but improvement would depend on the acne scars' coloring since the process goes through the pigmentation to the hair follicles, Jewell said.
After an initial training session in Wichita, the trainer came to Stockton to train their family practice office staff. Taylor's husband, Clayton, and eight staff members are trained to use the machine. However, Taylor or Jewell will do the initial consultation.
All of them passed a test designed to show they knew how to apply the machine in different circumstances to accomplish effective treatments, and are certified by the company, Palomar Medical Technologies Inc., Jewell said.
The wands on the machine are interchangeable, so as new procedures are developed by Palomar, they can be done with the same machine, Jewell said.
The building was last used as a clinic by some Phillipsburg doctors and has five examining rooms. Eventually they plan to offer deep tissue massage one Saturday a month, Jewell said.
The machines are mobile, and some of the tables can be transported, so they could set up in another facility and offer treatments if a doctor or health provider had several patients who wanted them to come, Jewell said.
Reporter Judy Sherard can be reached at (785) 628-1081, ext. 138, or by e-mail at jsherard@dailynews.net.
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