Medical aesthetics is the category of skin treatments that go past a standard facial: things like microneedling, chemical peels, laser treatments, and the boosters added to a HydraFacial. A basic facial cleanses and relaxes you. Medical aesthetics changes what your skin is doing, at a level you can measure. At Salt Haven Med Spa, every one of those treatments starts with a real consultation, not a menu you’re picking from blind.

What counts as medical aesthetics, and what doesn’t?

A basic facial is cleanse, extract, mask, moisturize. It feels good and it’s a real part of skin care, but it’s working on the surface.

Basically, medical aesthetics is anything built to change what’s happening underneath that surface. 

• Microneedling tells your skin to produce more collagen. 
• A chemical peel removes the top layer so newer skin can come through. 
• Laser targets pigment, hair, or broken capillaries specifically. 
• HydraFacial boosters (retinol, clarifying, hydrating) get added on top of a facial to target one problem instead of treating your whole face the same way.

One thing it doesn’t include here: injectables. Salt Haven doesn’t offer Botox or fillers. If you’re weighing microneedling against Botox, that’s a real question, and we’ll get into it in a post of its own.

Why does every treatment start with a consultation instead of a menu?

Here’s the thing: the same symptom usually has more than one possible cause, and the treatment only works if it’s matched to the real cause.

Take dry skin. A lot of people who come in with it are over-exfoliating at home, and that one habit alone can fix about 30% of the problem before a single service happens. 

Acne is the same story. It’s rarely just “acne.” It’s a symptom, and the real questions are what you’re taking, what you’re drinking, whether you’re on hormone therapy, what your skin care routine is at home. Skip that conversation and we’re just guessing.

What does medical aesthetics treat?

• Acne, including adult acne. 
• Hyperpigmentation and melasma. 
• Sun damage. 
• Fine lines and early collagen loss (I forget the exact stat, but by the time you’re around 24, your body’s collagen production has already dropped a lot, which is why prevention starts earlier than most people think). 
• Scarring, whether it’s from acne or something else. 
• Congestion, like blackheads, which is different from acne even though people use the words interchangeably.

Each of those points toward a different treatment, sometimes a combination, and that’s the part a consultation is for.

How do you know which treatment is right for you?

I’d say: if you want a longer-term change and you’re building collagen back, microneedling. 

If you’re dealing with sun damage or dullness and want to see a difference fast, a peel. 

If you want to target pigment, hair, or vessels precisely, laser. 

If you’re not sure yet and just know something’s off, that’s what the consultation figures out, with your home care routine and your goals both on the table.

Where do you start?

Not sure which treatment your skin needs? Call us and we’ll walk you through it before you book anything.