Early 2020 marked the arrival of Coronvirus disease 2019–COVID as everyone now refers to it—and has turned the world on its head.  COVID is the first global pandemic in 3 generations and has affected everything the world does, whether it be work, pleasure or just plain living.

The Medical Spa industry was impacted as much as the rest of the world.  In March 2020 the Canadian Government locked down all non-essential services which included Medical Spas.  YOUTH MediSpa’s flagship location in Toronto was forced to close only a few weeks after its Grand Opening. During the period of closure, the management and clinical team of YOUTH continued to monitor the effects of the global pandemic while simultaneously working on a re-opening strategy that would allow us to treat patients safely while also protecting the health of its Health Care Practitioners.

What is important to know is that Medical Spas and Plastic Surgery Clinics already prescribed to a very high level of anti-viral transmission protocols in the pre-covid world.  For example, it was mandatory for staff and practitioners to wear PPE (face masks, shields, gloves and gowns) at YOUTH before COVID even existed.   Every procedure performed at YOUTH was and is always reviewed and approved by the Medical Director who in the case of YOUTH is a licensed Medical Doctor (and thankfully in our case, a specialist in plastic surgery).  The Medical Director operates under the guidelines on the Ontario College of Physicians and Surgeons, the highest governing body that oversees all medical procedures in the Province of Ontario, including all hospitals and health care facilities.

It is very important for patients and potential patients of YOUTH to understand the distinction between a “medical spa” versus a “personal services spa”.  Personal services spas, such as nail salons, massage and tattoo parlors, beauty and facial bars do not have medical supervision. They are not supervised by a Medical Doctor nor by the Ontario College of Physicians and Surgeons.  Therefore, the anti-virus protocols they have in place may or may not prevent the transmission of COVID.  Finally, all services provided at YOUTH must be administered by accredited Team Members: our Team consists only of Medical Doctors, Registered Nurses, Nurse Practitioners and Medical Aestheticians.

 

What does this all mean for the YOUTH patient? It means that your safety and that of our Team is not only the highest priority but it also mandated by the Government imposed PPE protocols.  During the lock-down phase, we added to these already strict protocols to bring you the safest environment possible including:

1. Electronic Medical Records:  YOUTH is a paperless office, where all patient ‘forms’ are completed electronically on your smart phone prior to your appointment.  This eliminates all paper and pen touch points.
2. No Waiting Room: YOUTH’s boutique design eliminates the waiting room you find at most medical offices. Check in electronically and upon arrival you are escorted to your private treatment room.
3. Separate Entrance and Exit:  Fronting on to two streets, patients enter from our Berkeley St door and exit through our Adelaide St door. Interaction with other patients in the facility is eliminated.
4. Exclusive VIP Treatment Rooms:  with 8 treatment rooms, YOUTH provides each patient with exclusive treatment environment.  No treatment room is occupied without a thorough COVID cleaning protocol.
5. COVID Questionnaire:  all patients are required to electronically complete a COVID Screening Questionaire 24hrs before their scheduled appointment time.
6. PPE:  and YOUTH practitioners wear Ontario College of Physicians and Surgeon’s mandate PPE including masks, shields, gowns and gloves (as appropriate to the patient’s treatment).  Each treatment room is thoroughly COVID sanitized before each treatment.
7. YOUTH operates a HEPA air filtration system that eliminates 99.97% of airborne viral droplets, dramatically reducing the risk of airborne infection.

Choosing to do a Medical Spa procedure in the trying time of 2020 means you have to weigh a lot of pros and cons.  In the end, you must choose your treatment provider carefully and fully understand their level of commitment to your safety. As a medically supervised facility, YOUTH MediSpa is here to meet your needs in the safest environment possible. Look Great. Feel Even Better. YOUTH.