From Family Practice to Medical Spa Owner

Giving Women More Options

Dr. Nicole Norris was a family practitioner for 12 years before leaving that field to open her own medical spa that offers injectables, facials, chemical peels, teeth whitening, laser procedures, and more.

Dr. Nicole Norris switched gears to pursue her passion

Story and photos by Shannon Serpette

As a family practitioner in the Illinois Valley, Dr. Nicole Norris had reached a level of success many people would envy. During her 12 years as a doctor, she helped many patients with their medical issues and had a steady, well-paying job.

“I enjoyed it. I had a great experience,” she said.

But after having a cosmetic procedure, she decided to change the path she was on to do something more fulfilling and to fill a need she saw in the Illinois Valley.

“About eight years ago, I turned 35 and I got Botox,” she said. “The procedure took five minutes.”

However, the drive was a different matter. She had to drive to Chicago for the Botox injection, turning that five-minute procedure into a whole-day excursion. That long drive got her wheels turning in a different way.

“I thought, I could learn to do this and save myself a trip,” she said. “I took some courses and learned to do it.”

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She knew she couldn’t be the only one in the area who wanted access to that type of procedure without having to drive to Chicago. Norris decided to add it to her existing practice, offering it once a week. Some of the patients she had been treating for years opted to get injections, and she saw what a difference it made for them.

“In one episode of injections, they acted happier. They had better self-esteem,” she said.

To satisfy her growing interest in cosmetic procedures, she kept learning.

“I learned how to do filler,” she said. “That was also life-changing to many of my patients. I could make people happier without one pill.”

Once she began offering cosmetic treatments in her family practice, she realized that was what she wanted to be doing.

“My dream was to do it full-time after I started doing it,” she said.

She decided to pursue her dream – not only for herself, but for the good of her family.

“I decided to do it because I wanted a better lifestyle for my kids at the time,” she said, adding that she didn’t want to be on-call all the time any longer. “I gave my four months’ notice and took out a big loan at the bank. It was hard because I don’t have any formal background in business.”

She rented an office, gave it a facelift, and opened the doors of Nicole Norris MD Medical Spa in Peru on June 20, 2016. She got another job to pay her bills as she spread the word about her business until she felt comfortable drawing a salary from her medical spa.

“I didn’t pay myself from this business for 18 months,” she said.

Now with a thriving practice, she has clients that range in age from their 20s to their 80s.

“When patients come in for a new patient consultation, we take pictures,” she said. “Everybody’s got something they don’t like.”

They take multiple-view pictures from three different angles and show underneath the skin so they can look at things like inflammation and pigmentation. The before-and-after pictures show the clients how much of a difference their procedures have made.

“It’s amazing to see the transformation,” Norris said. “Patients are always like, ‘Oh my gosh.’”

Sierra Vaessen of Sublette, a licensed esthetician at Nicole Norris MD Medical Spa, also loves to see people’s transformations because she knows how it feels to struggle with one aspect of her appearance.

“I always had skin issues growing up. I had acne. It made me self-conscious,” she said.

She said it’s great to see people’s reactions when they see their results, and she also enjoys working with Norris.

“I absolutely love it. It’s a very positive work environment,” Vaessen said.

One of the features a medical spa should offer is a good explanation of each service, as well as any risks involved. Education is a crucial part of what Norris does, and it’s a role she’s comfortable with.

“In family practice, I was an educator,” she said.

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Nicole Norris MD Medical Spa in Peru offers high-quality makeup that customers can buy.

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With this practice, she’s just educating clients about different topics.

“A lot of people didn’t know what a medical spa was,” she said.

She said the difference between her medical spa and day spas is that she has extensive medical training. Since some of the procedures have risks, she said it’s better to go to someone who is qualified rather than someone who offers cheaper services or more convenient procedures, such as those who offer Botox parties and don’t do a follow-up with the patient.

“Trust your face to someone who is qualified,” she said.

At her medical spa, Norris informs people about products and procedures that might make a difference in their appearance and how they feel and lets them make an informed choice about what’s best for them.

She offers subtle changes with fillers and other procedures. With fillers, most last approximately a year, although some can last for two years. The effects of an injectable botulinum toxin, such as Botox, will last three to five months.

Her medical spa offers services such as injectables, facials, chemical peels, teeth whitening, laser procedures, and more. Customers can book procedures such as dermaplaning, which is an antiaging procedure they do with all facials.

Chemical peels are a popular procedure offered at the medical spa. Since they are a medical spa rather than a day spa, they’re allowed to do deeper chemical peels.

“If you do peels monthly, your skin will be transformed,” she said.

The hydrafacials she offers are enormously popular.

“It’s good for all skin types,” she said.

She enjoys teaching and educating her patients, but she’s also starting to do more of that within the industry. She goes to conferences and does some speaking as well.

“It’s neat to be a part of a bigger thing,” Norris said.

Now, a few years into her role as a business owner, Norris couldn’t be happier with her career path.

“My favorite thing is that every patient who comes in the door comes in happy, and they leave happier,” she said. “It’s very satisfying and fulfilling. You’re improving other people’s lives and mental health without any pills. I’m very happy. I don’t feel like I go to work anymore.”

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