Meet Your Expert Providers - Spotlight on Abby Coats, PA-C

Before you unwind and rejuvenate, let's get to know your Certified Physician Associate, Abby Coats. We believe a strong connection with your provider can elevate your spa experience, ensuring you feel comfortable, understood, and truly heard. At Renew Medical Spa, it's essential for us to get to know you and, likewise, for you to get to know us as providers. Here are a few questions to help you get acquainted with Abby.

Experience and Expertise

What initially drew you to the medical spa industry?

As a physician associate, I love being hands-on with my patients and centered around patient care. After specializing in general and vascular surgery for over 3 years, I looked at other ways to expand my knowledge and skill while increasing my medical autonomy. I met an oculoplastic surgeon at Medical Eye Center and fell in love with combining beauty and medicine. It became my passion to help people look and feel their best, helping to create the very best version of themselves. It has become my goal to help people live a more fulfilled life by assisting them to look their best and increasing their self-esteem and confidence.

Can you tell us about your educational background and professional experience in medical aesthetics?

I graduated Magna Cum Laude at Oregon State University with a Bachelor of Science degree. Then, I got my master's degree and passed my boards to become a certified physician assistant/associate. Right out of college, I started working in general & vascular surgery as a first assistant in surgery, seeing pre & post-op patients, ER calls, and trauma calls, and I worked a little in urgent care. After about 3 1/2 years, I looked for other ways to continue my career as a PA and met the oculoplastic surgeon at Medical Eye Center. I fell in love with the idea of combining beauty and medicine. I started assisting him in surgery and seeing his pre & post-op patients while learning injectable treatments and laser treatments. I worked with the oculoplastic surgeon while building my cosmetic practice at the spa. After about three years, my practice grew to where I started only working in the spa, specializing in injectable and laser treatments to help each individual look and feel their best!

What are some of your areas of specialty within the medical spa field?

Neuromodulators are injectable treatments that relax the muscles and help wrinkles caused by muscle movement. These include Botox®, Dysport® and Daxxify®. They can be placed all over the face and neck area. Botox® is great for frown lines between the eyes, crow's feet around the eyes, and forehead wrinkles. Botox® can also be used for excess sweating and hyperhidrosis at the armpits/axilla. I currently offer Botox®, Dysport®, and Daxxify®. All of these are slightly different but have similar properties to help decrease muscle movement.Dermal fillers are another injectable treatment that helps fill in volume loss that occurs as we age. Injections can be done at the temple area, the cheeks to help lift and recontour, smile lines, mid-face cheeks, lateral face lifting and balance, jawline, chin, and lips. The fillers that I offer are all hyaluronic acid fillers, an ingredient that our body naturally makes and is found throughout the body; we also naturally break it down. I offer Allergan® products, including Juvéderm®, Voluma®, Vollure®, and Volbella®; Aspire products, including Restylane® and Kysse®; and Revance® products, such as Redensity® and RHA®. All of these products are slightly different and great for different areas.Our skin also ages, and the outer layer becomes damaged with sun exposure. We can help repair this damage with laser treatments. This includes non-invasive treatments such as broadband light treatments to help reduce brown spots, redness, veins, and even tighten and lift the skin. This can also include more advanced laser treatments that create open channels in the skin to help see more results for scars, wrinkles, and collagen production. Our most invasive laser treatment is laser resurfacing, which lasers off 100% of the surface area to a deep level to help eliminate fine lines and wrinkles while also tightening the skin safely.

How do you stay up-to-date on the latest advancements in medical spa treatments and technologies?

I attend trainings yearly in both laser and injectables. The injectable training includes product knowledge on new fillers on the market, injection techniques, and trends in the industry. These also include anatomy updates and how to manage risks and complications. The laser training provides information on the latest techniques to achieve desired results without complications. Discuss pre & post-skin care products for best results and how to combine treatments and techniques to maximize the patient experience.

What makes you stand out as a beauty provider/concierge?

I am a skilled medical provider with a background and knowledge of anatomy and physiology. I worked in surgery to help develop critical skills and anatomy knowledge that has helped me develop fine motor skills for injecting. I have performed medical aesthetics and injections daily, full-time, for the last 16 years. I have been studying beauty and aesthetics throughout this time and strive to achieve the best outcomes by attending advanced injection training regularly. I recommend and encourage a full consultation before or during treatment to help achieve your goals while also listening and explaining the treatment before pursuing it. I am genuine and honest with each patient with my professional recommendations and achieving your desired results. I have had all the treatments I offer here at Renew, and I can also speak about my personal experience. I love what I do, and you can tell.

Client Care and Philosophy

What is your approach to building trust and rapport with your clients?

Each of my patients has individual goals that are unique to them specifically. My opportunity is to identify their goal, find a treatment plan just for them, and make sure that it aligns with their timelines, budget, and possibly downtime or healing time. I try to repeat back to my patients regularly what I am hearing them say to make sure that we are on the same page and that I hear them correctly. I write down key notes from my patients, so I do not forget specifics. I also address every thought and concern before the patient leaves. Then, I give the patient a handout with an overview of what we discussed, pricing, and the next steps.I get the opportunity to go over before-and-after pictures with the patient and discuss my experiences with them about the treatments that I have had at the spa as well. Connecting with my patients and learning why they are currently seeking treatment, and what their life entails helps me get to authentically know them.

How do you ensure clients' personalized and comfortable experience during consultations and treatments?

The consultation is the most essential part of the process; it's my favorite part. This gives us time to discuss your skin, goals, expectations, downtime, and budget and devise a plan just for you. We will use a collaborative approach to create a treatment plan together. I do not want to dictate what you need. This will start with a Visia® skin analysis that most other medical spas do not have. This medical imaging system analyzes your skin in 8 different views and compares you to others your age and skin type. Based on the Visia®, I may recommend skin care products and possible treatments. I like to have a calm environment throughout the process, including a gentle touch. I listen carefully, repeat to the patient what I am hearing, and together, devise a plan.

Industry Trends and Insights

In your opinion, what are some of the biggest trends in the medical spa industry right now?

One of the biggest trends I see today is an increased focus on natural-looking results. This has always been my goal as a cosmetic professional, but I am seeing that becoming more popular nationally. This is shown more with injectable outcomes of a smaller natural lip vs. overfilled, subtle increased fullness at cheeks and not too defined, creating an unnatural cat or skeletal appearance. I love halting the skin's aging process, like we have never aged, instead of creating new features or an appearance that does not look natural. This is done more with non-surgical treatments such as injectables and lasers instead of surgery.

What advice would you give someone considering a medical spa treatment for the first time?

I advise them to go to a medical professional with a good reputation and natural outcome. Get a consultation and see if there is a right feel from when you walk into the office to how much time you spend with the provider. Do you feel comfortable, invited, and heard? Does the treatment plan match your goals and expectations? Did they try to oversell you in any way? Make sure it is a good fit.

Specific to the Medical Spa

What are you most passionate about when helping clients achieve their aesthetic goals?

I am most passionate about helping my patients achieve their personal goals, whatever those goals may be. This starts with a comprehensive consultation to identify their goals with their skin and possibly any events or reasons for starting this journey. Then, I love developing a plan to fit that person's goals. The treatments are an important time to comfort each patient and reassure them throughout the process. Lastly, I follow up to make sure their goals are achieved and that the patient is HAPPY!

What is your favorite treatment to give and to receive? Why?

My favorite treatment to give and receive includes Halo for overall skin brightening, wrinkles, texture, and laxity. It's a great laser treatment that helps everything. My other favorite treatment is filler because I get instant gratification with results and not a lot of downtime, and I really see a great improvement.

As a Person

What are your hobbies? Is there anything you love to do?

I love being a mom and hanging out with my kids. That includes fishing with my son and paddleboarding with my daughter. My favorite personal hobby is running, and I love to run!

What is one fun fact about you?

A fun fact about me is that I truly never give up. I started running in 2011 and ran my first marathon in 2012. I fell in love with running and wanted to train for the Boston Marathon. This was not an easy task for me because I had to run a marathon with a qualifying time based on my gender and age and then be fast enough in that qualifying time to get in. I tried for about 5 years to get a qualifying time fast enough to get accepted. At the time, I was only 50 seconds too slow. Then, in 2019, I had a qualifying time and got accepted, but it got canceled in 2020! I then resubmitted my time and got in for the fall of 2021, which the race is typically in the spring. It was a great adventure, and I would do it again.

Do you have any pets? Type, names, age?

I have four dogs that are my "other" children. They are all border collies or mixes and love running on the farm. Shelby is my girl, who stalks me every morning until we go for our run together. Her furthest distance is 28 miles… and she could have kept going.

What else could you see yourself doing if you didn't work in the spa?

If I did not work in the spa, I would love to work as a PA in dermatology. I love the skin and would enjoy working with it at a medical level as well. Originally my dream career was to be a jet pilot, but I decided against that option.

Name one place on your bucket list to visit.

I would love to visit Jerusalem, the ancient city that is also the Holy City. I would love to learn about the history of Christianity and visit the sites where many biblical events occurred. Walking in Jesus's footsteps, praying at the holy sites, and experiencing the places mentioned in the Bible would truly draw me closer to my religion and faith.

What is your proudest accomplishment?

My proudest accomplishments include my two children, Emma and Brenden. I can admit that I have worked hard, struggled, and pursued my goals with strength and determination. I have studied at universities and have grown a medical spa from the beginning. My most significant accomplishments are still my children. I have raised amazing, loving young individuals who work hard and give their all in all they do. Emma is my oldest; she is very strong-willed, goal-oriented, funny, intelligent, witty, and eye-catching. My son Brenden is silly, humorous, intelligent, and clever in ways I cannot believe. Both individuals will make a significant difference in the world and help show love and kindness throughout the process, I could not be prouder.

What accomplishment/goals are you working towards now?

I am working on growing Renew Medical Spa to enhance the skills of all providers while focusing on result-focused treatments. I am currently helping my daughter finish high school and prep for college. I am working on getting stronger after breaking my foot while running, and I hope to run another marathon this year. Overall, I am finding that balance in life to fulfill each of my roles and maximize my potential with all.

If you could travel in time, when/where would you go (past or future)?

I would time travel back to the 1980s when life was fun; there was less stress and no cell phones or social media.

What have you learned about yourself in the past year?

In the past year, I have learned to give myself grace. Life tends to throw me in different directions, and there is not always the perfect option or plan to follow. I may forget something or mess up on something else, but life goes on, and it's how we handle the crazy situations that make us who we are today. I choose love and kindness for those around me and for myself.