After 35 years of owning his own dermatology practice, Dr. Scott Ross, MD, a fellow of the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery, sold his four offices and decided to slow down. But that didn’t last long. Shortly after, he realized how much he missed his field and decided to embark on a new career path as the medical director of his own medical spa, Clinic Femina.
Since the clinic opened five years ago in Minneapolis, new technologies in skincare have been changing the way treatments are done, and in many cases, have made looking and feeling great much easier. Two of these technologies, InMode’s Evolve and Evoke, have really made a significant impact. They are so new, in fact, that they’ve only been in use in Clinic Femina since March.
“Evolve deals with non-facial areas, so those where you have fat and loose skin that you want to tighten up,” says Dr. Ross. “The common areas are the abdomen and waist, as well as the arms, thighs and knees.” Other areas may include the buttocks, legs, and bra back areas.
Evoke is used only on the face. “You can do the chin, or the cheeks and the chin, depending on if you want to get a little tightening under the neck, or if you want to simulate a non-surgical face lift,” he says.
Evoke and Evoke are both non-invasive, so there are no incisions, no anesthesia, no pain and no downtime. “It consists, on average, of about five one-hour treatments - one treatment per week – and the beauty is that it’s the only thing on the market that not only reduces fat, but also tightens the skin at the same time,” says Dr. Ross.
“That’s the advantage over liposuction, which just gets rid of fat, and also the advantage over CoolSculpting, because at best that gets rid of fat but doesn’t do anything to the skin.”
Evolve and Evoke, on the other hand, produce a firmer and more youthful appearance, and are safe for all skin types and skin tones. In his 35 years in practice, Dr. Ross says he never indulged in any treatments on himself, but once Evolve and Evoke came on the scene, he started using them because he was impressed by how well they work.
Typically, he explains, you’ll start to see changes before you finish your fifth session and then you’ll continue to see changes for about three months after that. “Of course, the aging process still continues and it doesn’t stop that, but what it does do is reverse what you wanted to get rid of up to that point. So, we recommend that people come in about once a year for maintenance and just for one treatment, not all five again.”
Other services offered at Clinic Femina include Botox ®, which helps diminish the appearance of lines on the forehead and wrinkles around the eyes, and injectable fillers, which can help plump thin lips, enhance shallow contours, remove wrinkles, soften facial creases, and improve the look of recessed scars.
“We’re doing more of these than ever,” says Dr. Ross. “I think it has to do with the fact that people got their vaccines and started to get back to life and decided that they wanted to spend money on themselves. They’re tired of looking at their faces on Zoom – so we have people coming in for Zoom Botox and Zoom filler. And combine that with people who were past due for their Botox and fillers (these are done every four months) and it's booming.”
He performs a lot of liposuction treatments for those who have a little more fat than what they want to treat with Evolve, and who also don’t need skin tightening.
“We also do a lot of vaginal rejuvenation which is a big thing now,” says Dr. Ross. “There’s a procedure called THERMIva® and we have nurses who perform those treatments.”
Clients are coming not just to a medical spa, but an actual medical office.
In addition to cosmetic procedures, Clinic Femina offers general dermatology services such as mole checks and skin cancer removal.
“They are getting medical, surgical and spa treatments in a contemporary, clean, and very upbeat facility, so we have it all here,” he says. “My staff from my practice moved with me, so we have years and years of experience dealing with all kinds of issues.”
Every client receives a customized treatment plan and these treatments, along with the expected results, are explained in an easy-to-understand manner. He and his staff want to ensure that clients have a positive experience and the best outcomes while in their care.
If someone cannot come into the med spa, or lives too far away, Clinic Femina also offers TeleDerm appointments. So, if a person is concerned about a rash, acne, a fungal infection, mole, or other skin condition, Dr. Ross can virtually diagnose and prescribe from afar.
To find out more about Clinic Femina and how Dr. Ross and his team can help you look and feel your best, go to https://www.clinicfemina.com/. 1620 W. Lake Street, Minneapolis. (612) 822-1301.