Daniela Dadurian, M.D. specializes in Anti-Aging medicine, Laser treatment and Cosmetic Medicine. At MD Beauty Labs, Dadurian practices a whole-body approach. She evaluates everything from anti-aging to preventative, nutritional and emotional wellbeing.

Name: Daniela Dadurian, M.D.
Clinic: MD BeautyLabs Medical Spa
Location: West Palm Beach, Florida        
Website: mdbeautylabs.com

What's your training and experience like and how did you get to where you are? 

I started my practice specializing in internal medicine. My patients started asking me why I don’t offer Botox in my practice and if I did they would prefer to come to me. So I started educating myself on Botox injections and it all started from there. I then brought in lasers and microdermabrasion and over the years the practice has evolved into a full service medical spa.

What has certainly been your inspiration to start a medspa? What was the greatest obstacle you encountered?

My driving force to open a medical spa was to combine wellness and aesthetic medicine and focus more on preventative medicine rather than fixing problems that are already there

My biggest road block was the overwhelming doubt from other physicians that I wasn’t a real physician anymore. Patients trust their doctors opinion when choosing procedures and many of the times the same colleagues that referred to me for years, now discredited my ability because I was changing my direction to aesthetics. 

How is your medspa organized? How does it function? Who supervises your medspa? What kinds of products and services do you provide? What is your patient population like? Where are you located? How big is your medspa? 

My clinic is comprised of two physicians including myself as the medical director, Medspa Director, a registered nurse, estheticians, concierge, medical assistant, massage therapist and permanent makeup specialist.

My clinic operates under my direction Monday thru Saturdays.

I have a Medspa Director who was my employee from when I first started my practice 17 years ago in 1997. She has evolved from managing a large internal medicine and nephrology practice  to a medical spa. During the years she has trained and redeveloped her skill set as a Medspa Director and Medical Esthetician.

I offer an array of anti-aging and aesthetic services such as, Injectables and Fillers, Anti- Aging and Preventative services, body contouring procedures, including Smart lipo and Venus freeze and Coolsculpting. I offer weight loss solutions, iv vitamin therapy, facials, massage and permanent makeup among many.

My patient population is mainly my existing patients from my many years of practicing internal medicine along with men and women between the ages of 35 – 90.

I am based in West Palm Beach, Florida with a second location opening in Palm Beach.

My current facility is 4200 sq feet. And my second location will be 1000 sq ft.

What are your responsibilities? What's a regular day like in your medspa? What's an everyday thing are you better at than everyone else? 

My daily responsibilities consist of treating patients aesthetically and preventatively. A typical day consist of injections, consults , on some days I have liposuction. An everyday thing that I am better at than any one is probably injecting lips and performing liposuction. I hear repeatedly from my clients that I have a gentle hand and a very good artistic sense.

What's the best part of your work?

The best part of my work is when a patient returns with overwhelming gratitude that I helped them with their self-esteem and they are extremely happy with the results whether it is aesthetically or even wellness related.

Are there any favorable circumstances that you have as a female medical doctor that male medical professionals don't have? Do you think that you have (or not have) a competitive advantage with female clients?

As a female physician I feel I can relate to women better and women feel comfortable with me and my approach.  I have a gentle approach in everything I do specifically injecting and in surgery. Male physicians tend to be heavier handed.

I feel I have an advantage with female clients because women relate to me and I understand them also.

How are your medspa's staffing and operations systematized? What difficulties have you had with staffing and how did you handle them?

Myself as the Medical Director. A physician who reports directly to me. The rest of my staff reports directly to my Medical Spa Director.

Some problems that I face with staffing and structure have mainly always been related to pay structure. Also I have had difficulty finding staff that are sales oriented that also know about medical knowledge.

Describe what varieties of programs, media, advertising, social media and internal programs you make use of to market to new and existing patients. How successful are you marketing efforts?

We have tried a number of avenues for marketing. The key to successful marketing for a physician has been advertorials. I do an extreme amount of writing, that are used as expert questions and used in advertorials. People tend to like reading about me as an expert rather than bringing in a coupon from an ad that was advertised.

I mainly spend money on newspaper, and search engine optimization. For newspaper ads I find they only work when there is written content. People tend to hold onto the articles that I write and follow me on what I’m doing.

What treatments/services do you offer? What treatments or services yield a good deal of revenue? Did you ever get rid of a treatment that you previously offered? What sparked that decision? 

I offer a number of different services, however the treatment that consistently generates the most revenue are fillers. I have dropped services in the past. I have dropped services because the market had decreased their value (example Groupon, Living Social), and I have also dropped service because I found a new technology that I feel is superior.

Have you ever had any encounters with technologies that you felt were oversold, either to the physician or to the patient? Are there any specific technologies that you would endorse to physicians to be wary of, either for medical or business reasons? 

I feel like cold lasers have very unpredictable treatment outcomes usually ending with dissastified patients. There is nothing specific that I would say to stay away from, my only advice is to focus on being good at a few things not everything unless you are properly staffed.

Many health professionals are just starting to discover PRP procedures. Can you provide us some background about your knowledge and experience with PRP treatments and where you see them fitting in to a cosmetic practice? 

I have been injecting PRP for a few years now and I truly believe in its healing properties as well as its use for aesthetic purposes. I use mainly as the primary choice for under the eyes. It is good for a more natural look and does not leave the skin surface irregular or lumpy.

Do you think Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) have a real valid role in rejuvenation and cosmetic medicine?

I have been using PRP mainly for cosmetic use and I feel it has a very valid role.  The effects are more natural looking and are a great alternative for a patient that does not want the “filled in” look or synthetic fillers, but to gently turn back the clock. It is safe, and truly natural.

Are there any treatments or technologies that you're especially excited about that haven't hit the market yet? What do you think about new therapies (like stem cells or others) that are being developed outside the US?

I’m very excited about starting stem cell therapy and advancing my training in this arena. There are a lot of modalities for its use and I’m always looking to offer the most current therapies in my practice.

What are you looking to change or improve in your operations as a business? Unlike other websites, your site doesn't seem to have any links to social media sites. Are you willing to consider social media as a form of marketing strategy? What are your customer demographics?

I am looking to grow my business and strengthen my marketing strategy. My website does have links to social media and I have a company managing those pages.

My customer demographics are 90 percent female

What advice would you give to others that want to take on a similar venture?

Being willing to take risks, this isn’t medicine and be ready to have a different approach about running your business.

What's the best advice you've ever received as a physician and as an entrepreneur?

Listen to your clientele and believe in yourself.

About: Dr. Daniela Dadurian received her medical degree from the University of Miami School of Medicine and is Board Certified in Anti-Aging and RegenerativeMedicine and Laser Surgery. Her expertise in anti-aging techniques and passion for excellence are reflected in the extraordinary and personal care she gives each patient.

This interview is part of a series of interviews of physicians running medical spas, laser clinics and cosmetic surgery centers. If you'd like to be interviewed, just contact us.