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Area Aesthetic Wellness Options

When it comes to thinking about a “spa day” a lot can come to mind in terms of choices, both in the type of spa and treatments offered.

Relaxing massages, specialized facials and a myriad of therapies abound at day and destination spas found at resorts and airports—places to escape to for refreshing and rejuvenating “surface level” options.

Medical spas, or medi spas, however, have a different distinction.

Offering nonsurgical aesthetic treatments, they focus on deeper issues like wrinkles, age spots, scarring, loose skin and more. Treatments help guests achieve a more youthful appearance and can include lasers, sound waves and radio frequencies.

Below are a few of the most highly-rated medical spas in the Fox Cities and how they make us “look good, feel good”:

AestheticA Skin Health Center, Appleton

What it is: “Under my medical direction, a group of elite aesthetic business owners, with over 50 years of combined experience, provide services within AestheticA Skin Health Center,” Dr. Richard C. Parfitt, Double Board-Certified facial plastic surgeon and owner of Parfitt Facial Cosmetic Surgery Center and AestheticA Skin Health Center, explains.

“This group includes myself of Parfitt Facial Cosmetic Surgery Center; Jennifer Erb, RN of Aglow Skin; Denise Winek, RN of Advanced Aesthetics; and Kally Reshel, RN of Dose of Joy Aesthetics.”

“The services we provide are tailored to meet the individual needs of each client, ensuring personalized care and exceptional results. I specialize in cosmetic surgery of the face, while the aesthetic nurse injectors specialize in the latest techniques in cosmetic injectables, including BOTOX, Dysport, Restylane and Juvederm dermal fillers, and Sculptra, designed to rejuvenate and enhance the natural beauty of our clients.

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“It’s not just about enhancing appearances but also about boosting confidence and fostering a positive self-image, which ultimately contributes to one’s overall health, happiness and overall quality of life,” Parfitt says.

AestheticA specializes in facial cosmetic surgery and medical-grade non-surgical skin and below-the-skin treatments, including BOTOX, Hyaluronic Acid dermal fillers, biostimulators, and EZ Platelet Rich Fibrin treatments.

Biggest Misconception: “Not all injectables are the same. Injectables encompass a variety of products, each designed for specific purposes and areas of the face. BOTOX and other neurotoxins work by relaxing muscles to reduce wrinkles, while dermal fillers add volume and contour to the face. It’s essential to understand the differences and choose the right treatment for your specific needs, which our experts are here to help you with,” Parfitt explains. “While cosmetic injectables offer significant benefits and can produce impressive results, they are not an alternative to surgery. Each has its unique role and purpose in aesthetic treatments. For example, a facelift can tighten and lift sagging skin, producing results that can last over 15 years; and provide a more uniform and balanced rejuvenation. Surgery can also provide more dramatic and transformative results by physically modifying bone and cartilage structures through procedures such as Rhinoplasty and Chin Implants.”

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New technology: “The providers at AestheticA never immediately jump on the bandwagon of a new heavily-marketed treatment, taking advantage of the surrounding ‘hype,’ simply to make profits. We wait. We watch. We try the new treatments on ourselves and friends for free. We not only evaluate immediate results, but long-term results.

“In many cases, the best results are achieved by combining injectables and surgery,” Parfitt says. “For instance, a patient might undergo a facelift to address significant sagging and then use injectables to refine and maintain their appearance. This comprehensive approach allows for both immediate and long-term enhancements, addressing different layers of the skin and the underlying anatomy.”

Refine MD, Menasha

What it is: “We offer aesthetic services that help bring out our clients’ natural beauty and give them confidence in how they look and feel,” Kay Theyerl, MD, MS, FACP, co-owner, explains. “Anything that helps make our clients feel more confident. Some of us are born with features that make us self-conscious while others it comes as part of the aging process. Whatever it is, we listen to our clients’ concerns and help come up with a solution… everyone has different goals, we are here to help our clients achieve them.

“We are a medical spa that has a medical director and our staff has specific training in medical aesthetic services and procedures. We offer everything from therapeutic facials to diamond glow and hydra facials. We offer serums to address specific issues. And then we do microneedling with PRP or radiofrequency to light and laser treatments like body sculpting. We also have vaginal rejuvenation as well as vein treatments. Our very first priority is safety. Our next priorities are clinically proven results and happy clients.”

Biggest Misconception: “One thing that I see/hear a lot is when people comment on a celebrity who ‘has too much BOTOX in her lips,’” Theyerl says. “A lot of people out there really don’t know the difference. BOTOX is a neuromodular that works by reducing movement in the muscles… filler doesn’t do anything to the muscle but provides volume. What I wish I could say to those people is that filler is what you want it to be. Too much of anything can be bad but don’t let it give filler a bad name. Here at Refine MD we really pride ourselves on natural beauty. You already have it, we are just here to help reveal it.

New technology: “We’ve been having a lot of fun with Morpheus8 radiofrequency microneedling and Moxi. Morpheus8 combines microneedling with radiofrequency energy which makes for a powerful treatment. We’ve seen absolutely beautiful results with skin tightening and texture as this treatment gets your body to rebuild your own natural collagen which we lose about 1% of every year of our adult life. That means by 40 you’re already down 20%, this has been really popular for that reason. Earlier this year we invested in Moxi laser treatment. This treatment is relatively quick and offers an awesome skin polish effect. Stubborn pigment that traditional technologies weren’t able to remove, resurfacing, its working multiple jobs at once to create a really lovely result.

DIY Skin Care Tip: “My No. 1 tip is that everyone is different,” Theyerl says. “We all have different skin types and reactions so it’s important that you are developing a skincare regimen that works for you as an individual.”

Illumatox Aesthetic Studio, Neenah

What it is: “Illumatox is a medical aesthetic studio—it has a much more intimate feeling than a clinic,” Elizabeth Coenen, APMP, owner, says. “We do medical aesthetic treatment… injectables, filler, neurotoxin, which for lack of better words, people know as BOTOX… laser treatments like laser hair removal… photo facials that help with rosacea or pigment. We also do tattoo removal on black tattoos right now.

“I have advanced education in medical weight loss… The reason I do this is because I was a patient I’ve personally lost over 50 pounds. My before and after pics are on my website. We do a full consultation. I go over medical history and then make sure that they’re a good candidate, that they don’t have what we would consider contraindications or reasons that they can’t take the medication.The medication is once a week injectable. I prescribe generic compounded versions and I prescribe with an FDA guideline.

“While I can’t guarantee weight loss at any point with it, it is usually very successful for most people. I also give all of my patients a customized vitamin supplement regimen while they’re on the medication that can help enhance the results as well as usually help with some of the side effects they could experience.

Illumatox also offers facial enhancements like filler.

“Filler is a hyaluronic acid gel substance,” Coenen explains. “It is injected into different parts of the face to provide structure and volume essentially and hydration. I like to always say cheeks are the bra for the face. I like to make analogies. So Olaf from Frozen is in the sun, he’s melting, everything’s sagging and dripping. That’s what happens when we age. We lose collagen and elastin already in our 20s and drastically quicker as we hit our 30s and everything just starts to fade. So if we add filler to our cheeks, it can lift and it can give structure back to the face.”
Different brand names and different types of filler dictate the level of structure, all resulting in different looks, depending on what the client is trying to achieve.

“I will say that our personal aesthetic at Illumatox is to look natural,” Coenen says. “We are very, very much conservative in our injections. It’s all about enhancing your natural beauty.

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Biggest misconception: “That you’re going to look plastic,” Coenen says. “That’s totally false. You need to research your injector. You need to know that your injector is well educated and that they invest in their education in themselves. This is truly a specialized industry. There’s no harm if someone’s like, well, I want to try it, but I can’t try it because if I do and I don’t keep up with it, it’s going to be worse. Not true!”

DIY Skin Care Tip: “My No. 1 tip is sunscreen. Something with no fragrance because fragrance is irritating to our skin. Then use a simple cleanser and moisturizer and invest your money in treatment serums like Vitamin C to brighten your skin.”