Featured Vendor: Flawless Med Spa
Let’s face it. If given a choice, most adults long to look more beautiful and younger. Whether if they are a woman or man, if given the opportunity to erase a few wrinkles here and there, remove an unflattering muffin top, or replace thinning hair, most of us would quickly sign on the dotted line to slow the signs of aging.
It is really amazing. Many of today’s 50-somethings look 10 to even 20 years younger than they actually are. Is there a secret to getting flawless younger looking skin? The answer for many adults may be with the team at Flawless Med Spa in Livonia.
Detroit Wedding Day visited Flawless Med Spa and met with its owners, Dr. Julie Beri and Naida Xhakollari. These former co-workers, now turned entrepreneurs, are single-handedly turning back the hands of time with the help of their staff.
Before starting Flawless Med Spa, Dr. Beri and Naida worked together at the Henry Ford Health System in Livonia for five years. At that time, Dr. Beri was a physician in the internal medicine department and Naida was her medical assistant.
Dr. Beri and Naida are good friends in addition to being business partners. During the interview, they spoke very humbly about their achievements, even though both were well-accomplished in their own right. As they continued to discuss various ways that they helped their clients, their excitement grew.
Dr. Beri’s Vision Unfolds
Dr. Beri is originally from the small town of Porterville, California, where she got her start in medicine.
“I was working there, doing just about everything. In part of the clinic, there was a little area where we did aesthetics. I used to see patients, but in addition to that, we used to do aesthetics,” said Dr. Beri.
Dr. Beri said that the clinic’s director added the aesthetics services after she showed him the opportunity to enhance their services while providing the growing aesthetics services to the small town.
Years later, after meeting and marrying her husband, she relocated to Michigan and began working in the hospital health systems. Still fascinated by skin care, while working within several health system providers, she happily performed many of the dermatological procedures when opportunities arose.
As she reminisced, both she and Naida chuckled as they talked about the many different types of procedures Dr. Beri performed while she was at the hospital.
Dr. Beri recalled, “I used to do dermatological procedures all the time. Little things like I&D, laceration repairs, mole removals, and skin biopsies. A lot of things.”
As she looked back over her years in the internal medicine department, she said that many of the doctors would send their patients to her instead of sending them to a dermatologist because they knew that she liked working within this field of medicine. Additionally, most of the patients could be seen by her within days compared to weeks with other dermatologists.
Even though she was a successful internist, she had a longing to expand her practice to include aesthetics. So, in 2011, she left Henry Ford Health Systems. After doing some research and collaborating with her handy medical assistant, she and Naida took the leap into entrepreneurship. In 2015, the new business owners opened their new business in South Lyon. They called it Flawless Medical Spa. A couple of years later, they relocated the office to its current location on Farmington Road in Livonia.
Naida Follows Her Passion
“Ever since I was little, medicine interested me, but I went into teaching because this was what my parents wanted me to do,” said Naida. This all changed when she arrived in Michigan and started working with Dr. Beri. Just seeing the doctor work with patients began to inspire Naida more and more.
“I enjoyed working with Dr. Beri so much. We couldn’t talk about anything else except how we could get our own little practice. If there’s a will there will be a way,” said Naida.
Naida refers to herself as a skin specialist but she is much more than that. Not only does she consult with patients, but she also helps run the spa, in addition to helping Dr. Beri as she did in years past.
Types of Services
When asked what was the most popular service requested, both Dr. Beri and Naida agreed it was microneedling.
“I love promoting it. It’s more reasonably priced. It gets great results. And it’s fun for us to do,” said Dr. Beri.
Dr. Beri explained that when performing microneedling she uses the MD Pen (a brand of microneedling system) with disposable needles. This type of therapy corrects a number of skin conditions. In addition to increasing collagen distribution in many patients, it also helps break-up melanin deposits resulting from hyperpigmentation and brown spots. According to Dr. Beri, the treatment is also good for reducing unwanted lines and wrinkles. Overall, the procedure gives patients a brighter fresh look.
“It helps to produce more collagen. It’s anti-aging!” said Dr. Beri.
Dr. Beri said that the typical client who gets this type of service are women. However, over the years more and more men are taking advantage of the treatment. She then continued to list the benefits of microneedling which included reducing acne scarring.
When asked how long it takes for patients usually see results after undergoing microneedling, Dr. Beri indicated that some patients see results within one week. If however, the patient required a more aggressive procedure, the final results may take a little longer.
Since microneedling has multiple benefits, we asked if brides should consider this procedure before their wedding day?
“If they don’t, they should!” said, Dr. Beri.
“They should! I definitely recommend it,” Naida agreed. She continued, “I see a lot of brides. Most of them plan ahead. Once they decide when their wedding is, they start seeing me even a year before.”
Dr. Beri suggested brides considering this procedure should plan to meet with them at least three to four months before the wedding date. She explained that after the treatments are performed, collagen keeps building and depending on how intense the treatments, in addition to the type of serums and plasmas used in the procedure, the three-month window provides time for the bride to see desired results.
Furthermore, Dr. Beri explained services conducted at Flawless Med Spa are typically offered as a series of treatments which includes maintenance sessions. One patient’s maintenance program might be performed every three months whereas another patient might have a six-month plan.
Naida explained,” I will use myself as an example. Every three or three and a half months, I do one treatment on my face. This is how you always maintain youthfulness. You don’t get more collagen. After age 30, collagen stops producing. So, whatever collagen we have just gets into the lower layers of the skin. What we do, is to keep the collagen up in the upper layers of the skin. This is how you look younger. This is how people nowadays are looking younger and younger with those treatments.”
Naida informs her clients that if they come in for treatments every three months, they will maintain a fresh younger appearance. Microneedling treatment prices start at $225 for one treatment, but for those who buy a package consisting of multiple treatments and follow-up maintenance sessions, the price is less.
Another popular procedure selected by patients is IPL (intense pulsed light) which is a type of laser treatment. This type of treatment works well on addressing broken blood vessels, Rosacea, and other skin pigmentation issues. Additionally, the procedure reduces the appearance of certain types of moles.
What to Expect When Visiting
When new patients come into the office, they consult with an aesthetician who assesses their skin. After determining the patient’s expectations, a personalized procedural treatment plan is recommended for them. Although there is a nominal $50 consultation fee, it is later applied towards the patient’s services once they begin receiving treatments.
As you might expect, most insurances do not cover any of the treatment expenses provided by the spa. That being said, don’t be discouraged, because Flawless Med Spa has several financing options, Care Credit and Parasail. Patients can conveniently apply for credit financing approval while they are at the spa. The approval process generally takes just a few minutes to complete.
“The finance companies have changed their policy, where now there is 18-months financing or no interest. It’s a pretty good deal,” Dr. Beri said.
If that is the case, take a moment to think about this. If a patient follows the recommended microneedling treatment plan which consists of six treatments and three maintenance sessions, assuming that they financed their treatments using the 18-month financing option, even before the multiple treatment discounts are applied to the total, the patient could expect to invest as little as $113 per month. In contrast, if that same patient opted to forego the procedure and instead invested in, let’s say, a daily cup of coffee and a pastry at $4 a day, by the end of the month, the cost of their morning routine would actually be more expensive than if they would have had the aesthetic procedure.
It is not uncommon for patients to have a treatment plan that combines multiple aesthetic procedures, such as, chemical peels, facials, dermaplaning, and microdermabrasion, to obtain a flawless look.
“That’s another important thing about coming in and getting their initial consultation. We assess the skin. Then we make the best recommendations based on what you are able to afford and based on your skin’s needs. We also teach. It’s so important to maintain good skin care at home. We really emphasize that every time they come in for their treatment. If they are going to invest in their skin, they need to make sure that it doesn’t just happen in our office. It happens by maintaining it every single day with the right products,” said Dr. Beri.
Combining Integrative Medicine and Nutrition
“Skin is the largest organ in our body. To maintain our skin and the rest of our body, we need to make sure that we nourish it. That depends on the foods that we eat, the sleep that we get, to how active we are, and the stress. All these play a big factor. So, I make sure to educate clients.”
Beginning in the fall of 2019, Dr. Beri will be enhancing the medical spa’s services to include functional medicine education.
“As one physician put it, through medical school, we learn dysfunctional medicine and how to treat dysfunction when it happens. How to treat disease when it happens. So, functional medicine is based on keeping the body functioning at the most optimal level. That type of lifestyle is very important to me. I’d like to educate the patients as they come in,” expressed Dr. Beri.
Dr. Beri continued, “I love medicine and practicing internal medicine. To have that background. Incorporating functional medicine into our aesthetics excites me.”
In addition to education, Dr. Beri will be able to offer blood testing along with other ancillary services, nutrition, and personal training. All of these services help address and support the patient’s ultimate maintenance plan.
Best Time to Visit
When asked when is the best time of the year to consult with the team for services, both Dr. Beri and Naida suggested that it be in the spring and fall. They explained that the sun’s strong rays have the tendency to undo some of the gains achieved by some treatment procedures. This is especially true if the patient doesn’t use SPF sunscreen.
Since some of their procedures include intense pulsed light therapy and other heat-generating treatments, they generally don’t recommend some type of procedures in the summertime.
In addition to the services offered at the spa, they carry two lines of medical-grade skincare products, iS Clinical and Jan Marini. Both products have in recent years have been featured on various television shows like TODAY, The Doctors, and Extra, as well as in magazines such as New Beauty, Women’s Health, O Magazine, InStyle, Marie Claire, and others.
Men Are Welcomed
As mentioned before, men also use the services provided at the medical spa. In addition to the previously mentioned microneedling, other procedures used by men include hair removal, Botox, and hair rejuvenation.
Always Looking Ahead
The team at Flawless Med Spa is a progressive group of professionals who are continuously looking for products and services for their clients. Whether it’s partnering with a local TV station to giveaway Mother’s Day Spa treatments or teaming up with Doterra representatives to share the benefit of using essential oils, this team is always looking for ways to enhance their patient’s well-being.
In Closing
When these two friends and co-owners are not working, they both find time to enjoy life’s little pleasures and also give back to the community.
Naida enjoys traveling as well as meditating. When asked to give a word of advice to couples, Naida said, “Be open to your soul mate. Be honest, so your partner can hear you through your heart.”
Naida is a wife of 26 years and the mother of one son and daughter.
Like Naida, Dr. Beri also likes to travel with her family. Additionally, she enjoys exercising and experimenting with healthy cooking. She also regularly gives back to the community by offering her services to non-profit organizations including HOPE clinic where she volunteers her medical services. The organization provides health care services to patients who don’t have insurance.
Dr. Beri is a wife with 20 years of marriage under her belt, and the mother to three sons.
When asked to give a word of advice to new couples, Dr. Beri replied, “Breathe! Realize it’s a life-long commitment. It has less to do with the wedding event, and more to do with life. So, be happy. Be there for each other. And take care of yourself, mind, body, and soul. Everything else follows.”
