Dermfx Looks to Reopen After 2021 Building Fire

BY BREEANA GREENBERG

When a fire broke out the night before Dermfx’s grand opening in Dana Point on April 12, 2021, the medical spa had to find a creative solution to continue offering its services while rebuilding.

Since the fire, the Dermfx team has been working out of its Botox Express Bus in the building’s parking lot on Pacific Coast Highway and Golden Lantern. Dermfx used the Botox Express to attend events and street fairs before it became the temporary home of the Dana Point location.

“Seeing as the whole building burned down, it was a perfect opportunity to use (the bus) for injecting,” Dermfx Nurse Manager Kristina Plant said. “Now, we have patients that are actually coming in that are saying they’re going to miss the Botox Bus.”

The fire was devastating, Plant said.

“We’re not talking just a fire that ignited one section of the building; it was its entirety,” Plant said. “We had some of our machines in there, so all our equipment, too. It was a full-on rebuilding.”

Still unsure of what started the fire that night, the medical spa—or med spa, for short—has worked to rebuild over the past two years, and plans to celebrate its grand reopening on June 7.

“We’re so excited,” Plant said. “We can’t believe it’s already here. Part of me is going to miss the bus, because you kind of get used to that, but I’m just excited to be part of the Dana Point community.”

“It feels a bit surreal since we’ve been waiting for two years for this to actually happen,” Plant continued.

Dermfx opened its first location in Seal Beach in July 2002 and has since opened additional locations in Sunset Beach, Newport Beach and Redondo Beach.

The women-owned-and-operated business also fully funds an orphanage in Mexicali called The Forgotten Foundation, which has served the community for 15 years.

“We are so passionate about empowering women,” Plant said. “You’ll see that in our core values; that’s the root of who we are.”

Plant explained that Dermfx stands for “Dedicated team, Eager to provide a white glove experience, Results Driven, Make it happen, Flexible in providing affordable care and ‘Xperienced’ in aesthetics.”

“All the proceeds that you see in our jewelry and everything that we sell in the front all goes to funding this orphanage,” Plant said. “There’s a lot of good that’s done with Dermfx; it’s not just empowering women to be and feel their best selves, it’s to actually help.”

Plant added that Dermfx is “such an incredible business to work for. You get that feeling when you walk in, because we are about empowering women, and it’s a women-run-and-owned business.”

No matter what service a patient is receiving at Dermfx, Plant said she hopes they walk away feeling empowered.

“I see patients come in, and they’re not feeling so good about life, or they’re going through something in life, and my goal is not to just give them that treatment; my goal is to have them walk out with a smile on their face,” Plant said.

“I want them to have an extra kick in their step when they’re walking and just feel like whatever they’re facing in their lives, they have that extra bit of confidence to go out there and get it,” Plant continued.

Dermfx’s Dana Point office is located at 34184 Pacific Coast Highway.

Coffee Chat to Host State Sen. Nguyen

BY BREEANA GREENBERG

The Dana Point Civic Association will host State Sen. Janet Nguyen at its upcoming coffee chat on Friday, May 19, at 8:30 a.m.

First elected to the State Senate in 2014 to represent the 34th Senate District, Nguyen was elected in 2022 to represent the 36th District, which includes the cities of Dana Point, San Clemente, Laguna Beach, Newport Beach, Fountain Valley, Huntington Beach, Seal Beach, Westminster, Garden Grove, Stanton, Cypress, Buena Park, La Palma, Cerritos, Artesia, Los Alamitos and part of Long Beach.

Nguyen previously served as a state assemblymember, Orange County Board Supervisor and Garden Grove City Councilmember.

During the coffee chat, Nguyen will share a legislative update, as well as her priorities for the district.

The upcoming chat will begin at 8:30 a.m., when complimentary coffee will be available, courtesy of Coffee Importers. All are welcome to attend. The event is weather-permitting. Coffee Importers is located at 34531 Golden Lantern, Dana Point.

Community Meetings

SATURDAY, MAY 13

Challenging Cancer

10-11:30 a.m. The Challenging Cancer group is conducting weekly meetings through Zoom video conferences. The meetings are open to caregivers, people who have a compromised immune system, and people dealing with cancer. To join, email donnavigil2@gmail.com or linda_ crdv@yahoo.com. heritagesc.org.

Citizens’ Climate Education

10:45 a.m.-noon. This nonpartisan climate action group holds monthly meetings on the second Saturday of the month through Zoom video conferences. Email larrykramerccl@ gmail.com to receive a link to join.

MONDAY, MAY 135

Dana Point Planning Commission

6 p.m. The Dana Point Planning Commission will hold a special meeting. This meeting will also be livestreamed through the city’s YouTube channel. A link for livestreams and replays is available on the city’s website. Dana Point Council Chambers, 33282 Golden Lantern Street, Suite 210, Dana Point. danapoint.org.

TUESDAY, MAY 16

Because I Love You (BILY)

6:30-8:30 p.m. The organization

Because I Love You (BILY), which helps parents navigate through any parenting challenges they may be facing (e.g., failure to launch, substance misuse, disrespect, mental health), conducts its weekly meetings on Tuesdays via Zoom video conference and in-person/Zoom the first Tuesday of each month at the Outlets at San Clemente’s Conference Room. For detailed instructions on how to participate, email bilysanclemente@ gmail.com.

Dana Point City Council

6 p.m. The Dana Point City Council will hold its regularly scheduled meeting in the Council Chambers at City Hall. This meeting will also be livestreamed through the city’s YouTube channel. A link for livestreams and replays is available on the city’s website. Dana Point City Hall, 33282 Golden Lantern Street, Suite 210, Dana Point. danapoint.org.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 17

VA Disabled Claims Clinic

2-4 p.m. The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 9934 will sponsor a Veterans Affairs Disability Claims Clinic at the Dana Point Community Center the first and third Wednesday of each month. Veterans can walk in and meet with a VFW Service Officer and receive information on how to file a claim for service-related medical issues. Dana Point Community Center, 34052 Del Obispo Street, Dana Point.