According to the American Med Spa Association (AmSpa)‚ Advanced Skin Treatments, the market for medical spas in the US passed $17 billion in annual revenue in 2024‚ and adds more than a billion dollars in revenue every year․ There are roughly 11‚000 medical spas in the country‚ and most of them have converged upon a standard set of advanced-level treatments that consumers have come to expect․
If you are building or refreshing an esthetics or medspa menu‚ include these 10 services:
Laser skin resurfacing‚ microneedling‚ platelet-rich plasma‚ chemical peels‚ intense pulsed light photofacials‚ Hydrafacial‚ dermal fillers‚ neuromodulators‚ LED light therapy‚ and cryotherapy facials․
Each of these is here for a reason‚ which we’ll explain below: what the treatment is‚ what you should know before offering it‚ and how not providing it is costing the practice business․
1․ Laser skin resurfacing
Laser resurfacing harnesses heat and light to create controlled wounds in the skin․ Patient’s skin responds to these delivered wavelengths by stimulating the natural processes that lead to the re-building of collagen and elastin‚ as well as producing smooth and even skin․
The category divides again: ablative lasers (CO2 and erbium) remove the epidermis completely in one pass for dramatic improvement‚ but the seven- to ten-day healing time looks like a sunburn for most of its duration․ Techniques such as Fraxel and Clear + Brilliant are non-ablative‚ therefore requiring more sessions over a longer period of time for effects to be seen as only deeper tissue is heated‚ but have almost no downtime‚ and can be done during lunch․
Anti-aging clients will check for laser options prior to a consultation‚ and if lost‚ it is likely that the client opted for a practice that has lasers over one that does not․ Non-ablative lasers tend to be the safest option for independent practices․ They have greater throughput and do not require clients to take ten days for recovery․
2․ Microneedling
The tiny needles create thousands of micro-channels where tiny controlled dermal punctures have been made‚ causing the body to produce extra collagen․ These channels also allow topical serums to penetrate much deeper into the skin than would normally be possible․ This is one of the reasons why microneedling is so useful in the clinic‚ as it improves the efficacy of everything a client is already using․
On the lower end of the price range are simple clinical-grade pens (SkinPen Precision‚ Dermapen) and on the high end‚ RF microneedling devices (Morpheus8‚ Vivace‚ Genius) that add RF energy to allow deeper heating of tissue‚ but at a much higher price․
Standard protocols involve three to six sessions‚ spaced four to six weeks apart․
3․ Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy
PRP therapy is performed by extracting the client’s blood‚ separating the platelets by spinning‚ and using concentrated plasma to the area of interest via either microneedling or direct injection into the area․ The added growth factors in the PRP concentrate are thought to provide benefits more than microneedling alone could produce․
PRP is usually given with microneedling in the same session‚ sometimes known as a vampire facial․ As a treatment of early androgenetic hair loss‚ it has been shown to affect cases requiring three to six sessions‚ four to six weeks apart‚ where platelets with growth factors stimulate dormant hair follicles to go into anagen․
The client experience is more variable than is indicated in marketing․ It should be noted that the blood draw can be painful to patients afraid of needles and the injection stings; many clients report a fleeting metallic taste from calcium chloride activator․ Some bruising at the site of the draw may persist for several days․
4․ Chemical peels
The chemical solution is applied to the skin‚ causing the damaged outer layers to peel away over the next few days‚ revealing smoother and even-toned skin underneath․
The depth of the peel determines the recovery time and the resulting outcome․ For example‚ superficial chemical peels with mandelic‚ lactic‚ or low-concentration glycolic acids have virtually no downtime․ Medium depth peels such as Jessner’s and TCA 15 to 25% will cause several days of noticeable flaking and desquamation․ Deep peels using high concentration TCA or phenol have a degree of seriousness that restrict their use to clinical settings․
Common professional peel lines include SkinCeuticals‚ PCA Skin‚ ZO Skin Health and Image Skincare․
5․ IPL photofacials
Intense pulsed light (IPL) is used for skin pigmentation and vascular lesions of the skin including sun damage‚ broken capillaries‚ and redness caused by rosacea․ It uses a broader spectrum of light than lasers‚ which is partially the reason it is seen as easier for new operators․
It’s also appropriate only for Fitzpatrick skin types I through III․ Other skin types may have increased risk using IPL and will incur actual burns for types V and VI․ In practices with a varied patient population in which IPL is the only available pigment-targeting device‚ a large volume of business will be lost or referred out․
Sun damage repair is one of the most requested concerns at most US esthetics clinics‚ being most efficiently performed by IPL․ Estheticians offering treatments to mostly light skin patients will have a year-round interest in the procedure but may experience a common increase in interest during certain seasons after summer․
6․ Hydrafacial
Hydrafacial is a non-intrusive device treatment that combines cleansing‚ extraction‚ and hydration with no downtime and immediate results․ With a proprietary spiral tip‚ Hydrafacial devices simultaneously vacuum debris from the skin whilst infusing serums tailored to each individual’s skin needs․
Equipment licensing is required to the manufacturer‚ and the proprietary serums have a per-treatment cost․
It’s the highest rebooking-rate treatment in the category: before weddings‚ before vacations‚ before any event where they want immediate visible improvement‚ and monthly in many cases‚ as maintenance․ That said‚ it’s also a low-risk but high-value introductory service that builds a trusting relationship with new clients‚ orienting them to the practice‚ which is important if they will graduate to more complex procedures․ This is your anchor point for recurring revenue․
7․ Dermal fillers
Hyaluronic acid fillers can restore volume to the face and soften static lines or change appearance by modifying the lips‚ cheeks‚ jawline‚ or hollows under or above the eyes․ Leading hyaluronic acid fillers include Juvederm by Allergan‚ Restylane by Galderma and RHA Collection by Revance․ The category of hyaluronic acid fillers has matured over the last five years with newer fillers having more natural behavior․
Injection of filler typically requires a medical license in the United States․ Estheticians without a medical license do not do their own filler injections‚ but may refer clients to third-party medical providers based on a revenue-sharing relationship․
Facial injectables are the largest revenue stream‚ comprising 47% of total revenues according to AmSpa industry data․ It is therefore critical that practices who do not offer injectables have a clear referral process in place․ Those who have to go elsewhere for fillers do not return for subsequent treatments and take their entire skincare budget with them․
8․ Neuromodulators
Botox‚ Dysport‚ Xeomin‚ and Daxxify cause denervation of skeletal muscle by blocking the release of acetylcholine from presynaptic motor neuron terminals․ Botulinum toxin injections are routinely used to cause the local muscular paralysis that reduces dynamic rhytides (involuntary expression lines from muscle contractions) of the forehead‚ between the eyebrows‚ and around the eyes․
The most meaningful new approval for the class was Daxxify‚ which was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in September 2022․ It is the first neuromodulator product to use peptide exchange technology‚ instead of human serum albumin‚ as a stabilizer․ The duration of effect of other neuromodulators is typically three or four months‚ but data from clinical trials suggest that Daxxify’s effect lasts six months‚ and sometimes up to nine months․ That extends the treatment cycle to as little as two times a year as opposed to three or four․
Injecting neuromodulators requires a medical license‚ like fillers․
9․ LED light therapy
When the light emitted by these LED panels penetrates human skin‚ different wavelengths have different effects‚ with red light found to be anti-inflammatory and pro-healing‚ and blue light targeting bacteria in inflammatory acne lesions․ Near-infrared penetrates deeper within tissue and stimulates collagen production․
Full clinical-grade panels such as those from Celluma‚ LightStim and Omnilux are considered the standard of care in a clinical setting and cost much less than lasers or RF․
10․ Cryotherapy facials
Cryotherapy facials involve using controlled cold (cryotherapy) in a form of either vaporized nitrogen or a cryo probe to constrict superficial blood vessels‚ reduce inflammation‚ and cause an immediate‚ but temporary tightening of skin (for 24 to 48 hours)․ Sessions typically last 10 to 15 minutes and have no associated downtime․
The appeal is that the results are immediate and visible‚ the limitation that they are only temporary․
It’s an event treatment․ They schedule the treatment for the day of a wedding‚ photoshoot or high-profile event because they’re going for a look and they want it right now‚ not because they’re trying to address a long-standing skin issue․ It’s priced and positioned accordingly‚ it’s a strong margin product‚ it’s low equipment and time cost per session‚ and it grabs bookings that other treatments simply can’t because the timing doesn’t work․