Feeling and looking good isn’t just vanity. It’s an investment in our overall well-being and confidence.

And that all ties into the quality of work we do each day.

In Chattanooga, the health and wellness industry has been on the rise for years. For many, prioritizing their physical appearance and overall well being is money well spent toward living a long, vivacious life.

Chattanooga offers options for every preference and need, from highly skilled physicians specializing in reconstructive work to luxury medical spas providing minimally invasive procedures like cryotherapy and infrared sessions. Additionally, the area features unique businesses that address specific issues, such as salt cavern therapy, cold plunges, herbal and nutrition stores, and yoga and massage studios.

With a wide variety of services to choose from, residents can easily find the treatments and solutions that best meet their health and wellness needs.

^

Dr. James Shire, Shire Facial Plastic Surgery

    Contributed photo / Dr. James Shire and staff members
  

“Right now, when we do surgeries, we don’t even prescribe pain medicines, because the procedures are no longer painful. We don’t use dressing, because they’re no longer necessary. That’s due to medical advancements. Results are getting better and lasting longer.

But I’m talking about techniques that skilled physicians are trained and licensed to do. These procedures aren’t the same in just anybody’s hands. In my opinion, we’ve reached the limit as to what can be done with some of the new machines being developed.

These are minimally invasive, and easy in terms of recovery. But all of this is dependent on the patient’s conditions. Younger patients naturally have more elasticity. As we age, the elasticity goes away, and there is only so much machines can do.”

Dr. Mark Brzezienski, RefinedLooks Plastic Surgery

    Photo by Jennifer McNally / Dr. Mark Brzezienski at RefinedLooks Plastic Surgery.
  

“I think that AI is going to do incredible things for plastic surgery and for medicine, overall. Providing care at the hospital level, I believe, will get better with the introduction of AI, smoothing the way for our relationships with both insurance companies and hospital providers.

With continued growth in our industry, more people are beginning to understand what plastic surgery actually provides. It used to be that people just thought we did cosmetic surgery, whereas plastic surgery is something that can touch a person’s life from they time they are born until the time they pass.

A specific example of how plastic surgery will grow is in transgender surgeries. Ultimately, I think there will be centers that are performing those surgeries within every state.”

Dr. Deborah DiStefano, NorSpring DiStefano MedSpa Wellness Center co-owner

    Photo by Jennifer McNally / Dr. Deborah DiStefano at NorSpring MedSpa Wellness Center.
  

“When I think about moving into 2030, I think we’re going to be able to not only enhance beauty on the outside, but we’re going to be able to slow or stop aging on the inside. For us, the future is about finding ways to treat aging on the cellular level. For years, there has been a focus on outer beauty. But with modern advancements, we’re finding ways to literally slow or stop aging on the cellular level.

We do this through processes such as hyperbaric chamber sessions and cryotherapy. Additionally, we explore skin aging through supplements developed in laboratories. Our offerings encompass a wide range of treatments and services, including acupuncture, physical therapy, and consultations on exercise and nutrition, as well. These services are complemented by our array of wellness treatments. Together, they constitute our approach to reversing aging and, ideally, preventing disease.

With the way our health care system is set up now, most of the time we wait until we are sick — and we treat a sick person. Our goal is to keep people well.”

Cora and Tracie LeSar, Alchemy MedSpa + Wellness Center

    Contributed photo / Cora and Tracie LeSar
  

About a year after graduating from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga with a degree in communications, Cora LeSar had a moment of clarity about her true calling in life.

“I knew that I wanted to help people in their journey, and acne is something I was passionate about,” she remembers, now one of the the owners of Alchemy MedSpa + Wellness Center. “I have struggled with acne since I was 13 years old.”

Soon after, her mother, Tracie LeSar, had a realization of her own. She, too, enjoyed working in the realm of medical aesthetics.

“So one night, we decided to go for it,” Cora says. The two of them developed a business plan, and asked Dr. Chris LeSar, the owner and head surgeon of the Vascular Institute of Chattanooga (Cora’s father and Tracie’s husband) to oversee the practice and be their medical director.

Alchemy is now beginning its third year in business, with two locations, and a third in planning stages. As with the Vascular Institute, Tracie LeSar says there is a heavy focus on patient education.

“We take a holistic approach to patient care,” she says. “We look at underlying factors … We look at where the patient is, where they want to go, and what they are willing to do to get there.”

“I never imagined I’d be working with my mother,” Cora LeSar says. “But I feel honored to call her friend, partner and mom.”