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New business offers Botox, Dermafil

Lead Summary
By
Lori Sorenson

Dave Knips isn’t on a mission to make people look 20 years younger, but with his new Medi Spa business, he said he enjoys helping people feel better about themselves.
“It’s not Joan Rivers and plastic surgery and big lips,” said Knips, who offers Botox and Dermafill treatments at his office in the Salon 75 building on South Highway 75.
“You want to look refreshed — good for your age — not 20 years younger.”
Botox is an injected muscle relaxant that softens lines in foreheads.
Dermafill is a biosynthetic cellulose that resembles human collagen. It is typically used in the lower part of the face to fill in creases alongside the mouth and across the lips.
The procedures cost $150 to $750 depending on how much product is used.
“The goal is to not over-medicate,” Knips said. “… to get the best result with the least amount of medication.”
And while many of his patients tend to be in their 50s, he said treating wrinkles early can actually slow the process of aging.
“Think about a piece of paper folded in half,” he said. “If you fold it enough times, it will eventually form a crease. Wrinkles are the same … If you can fill in a crease before it gets too deep, you can slow down the process.”
A Botox treatment lasts about six months, and Dermafill can last up to a year.
The treatments take a half hour to an hour to complete. “With Dermafill, you see the results right away,” Knips said. “With Botox, it takes a week to 10 days.”
Both Botox and Dermafill are safe and non-invasive, but they are medical procedures, and Knips said he completed a rigorous certification process in order to be licensed.
During training in Texas, he said he practiced the procedures on paid models and on other participants.
“I said, if I’m going to do this to others, I’m going to have it done myself,” he said, pointing to his forehead.
“I want to make sure everything goes right 100 percent of the time. …You don’t get a second chance.”
Knips is a 30-year nurse anesthetist at Sanford Luverne, so he said the certification came naturally for him. “I have a good relationship with patients — they trust that I’m giving them good care,” Knips said.
And while he has no immediate plans to retire from Sanford, he said his Medi Spa business will someday provide a good transition toward retirement.
Knips has been in business several months and said he’s seen more than a dozen patients at his office, which he leases from Salon 75.
“A lot of people don’t want others — even their spouses — to know,” he said, adding that’s why it’s convenient that his office is located near a back door of the Salon 75 building.
But he said it’s becoming more common and more acceptable as Baby Boomers age and as they are more open and candid about their cosmetic choices.
Conversely, he said his treatments are considered by 30-somethings, too. “There’s an interest among the younger generation also; it’s not just for 50-year-olds,” he said. “It’s really just about feeling better about yourself.”
Medi Spa is open by appointment. Knips can be reached for a free consultation at 283-9820, 507-227-4851 or dknips@iw.net. A Medi Spa website will be live soon.

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