Spas are changing in the sense they are combining wellness with anti-aging techniques and medicine. Very much in fashion in the United States and Switzerland, medispas are having a harder time penetrating into some European countries and especially in France due to special legislation. A talks cycle at EUROPEAN SPA SUMMIT will give you the rundown and enable you to consider this evolution while integrating the essential aspect of legality.

We are still rather far in Europe from the roughly 26,000 medispas in the US or Dr Mulholland’s famous Spa Medica in Canada covering 2 200 m2 in Toronto. Yet we are slowly going in that direction, knowing it’s imperative to take the limits imposed by our legislation into account.

In France, the only place where doctors are allowed to exercise a commercial activity outside their office is a laser center, in the sense that the center makes costly equipment available for doctors’ use that is difficult to purchase and difficult to make profitable in one office.

Faced with the growing demand for medicalized beauty spaces, the trend is toward developing structures where para-medics and beauticians using the equipment work and are medically referenced and selected by doctors. This makes it possible to put a medicalized dimension into spas that can also benefit anti-age or slimming devices that have been scientifically validated.

In the context of a recent law prohibiting the use of lipolysis devices (including some that have brought about cases of skin necrosis) this guarantee of seriousness appears to be essential in restoring confidence. This thorny issue will also be addressed.

In addition, treatments only authorized in medical offices such as injections, dermabrasions, and in-depth peelings can be done by practitioners working in their own office but in liaison with spas. They can also establish treatment protocols for spa customers.

This talks cycle held jointly by Dr Philippe Blanchemaison and Thierry Piolatto of Anti-Age magazine will make it possible foresee “integrative medicine” (treatments for beauty, wellness, nutrition, stimulation of the dermis, osteopathy and anti-age physical therapy, etc.) and the meeting of all the best techniques, whether allopathic or alternatives, in one place only.

In parallel, representatives of dermo-cosmetics brands will speak (Mene&Moy, Filorga, Skinceuticals, Dermaceutique). These new types of spas favor them as the link between anti-age cosmetics and medical beauty.

Evelyne Dreyfus

EUROPEAN SPA @BEYOND BEAUTY

Anti-Age et Medispa Cycle

Monday September 12th, 13h30-14h30 and Wednesday September 14th, 13h-16h30

www.beyondbeautyparis.com from 12 to 14 september 2011 – Paris – Porte de Versailles

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