One-Stop Shop
An institute in Miami offers a destination for various cosmetic surgeries.
In the era of multitasking, execs can now book a vacation that includes cosmetic dental surgery, a brow lift, a tummy tuck and laser hair removal all at one location -- and then check into any number of nearby hotels, including the adjacent Four Seasons Hotel & Tower, to start the recovery process.
The new 90,000-sq.-ft. Miami Institute for Age Management and Intervention combines several types of cosmetic surgery in a spa atmosphere with a private VIP entrance and personal waiting rooms. Seven doctors, supported by a 12-person staff, handle different specialties under the same roof instead of referring business to each other's independent practices.
It's the brainchild of Dr. Julio Gallo, a facial plastic surgeon, and businessman Stephen Watson, the institute's president and CEO, who specializes in marketing and branding.
"This is a totally new concept that hasn't been duplicated elsewhere, in terms of putting all these specialties together in a state-of-the-art facility," Gallo says. "Rather than just being a plastic surgery center or a cosmetic dermatology center where somebody comes in and says 'I don't like my nose' or 'I don't like my neck' and 'Fix it,' we want to partner with the patient so we can address all the different aspects of aging."
Gallo, named one of the top U.S. plastic surgeons by Elle magazine in 2003, expects to continue seeing patients from Europe, Latin America and the U.S. More than 75% of his patients have been women, but the institute expects to attract men and even teens with some services such as teeth whitening, facial chemical peels and dermatology products mixed specifically for a patient's needs.
A trip to the Miami Institute for Age Management and Intervention will restore "balance," Dr. Gallo says.
"We're going to expose a lot of male clientele to the concept of looking and feeling younger," Watson says, "especially for the executives who are in a very competitive environment and need to have an edge."
The cosmetic dental suite offers extras, including virtual-reality glasses that let patients watch a movie while they're having work done, sedation dentistry for those who don't want to be awake during procedures, and a machine that builds crowns and veneers on site so patients can have them immediately. Eventually the institute wants to expand to include educational programs and a clinical trial arm that works with companies studying new products and treatments.
"What's nice about Miami for this type of service is it offers world-class medical facilities as well as a destination," Watson says. "It really is the best of both worlds. You can come down for an extended period of time on a mini-rejuvenation holiday."
Just don't call it a "makeover," Gallo says. "That whole idea of extremism is not what we're all about. We're more about balance, about finding harmony and symmetry. As we age, we fall out of balance, whether it's metabolically or physically, and we want to bring that balance back into your life."