FreshSkin: Helping Clients Look and Feel Great

We all look in the mirror and see things we’d like to change—whether it’s skin-related, like crow’s feet, extra weight we’d like to lose or wanting more energy in general. We may not be sure how to go about making changes, but we’d definitely like to avoid the pain and expense of surgery.
 

FreshSkin is a Highland Park-based aesthetic medical center headed by Josie Tenore, M.D., MSc, a board-certified family physician who became interested in aesthetics during medical school. After 22 years of practicing medicine, she decided to dedicate more time to aesthetics medicine, which offers medically supervised beauty treatments, products and procedures.

Tenore’s practice includes cosmetic procedures like Botox alongside these services because she feels both are intertwined and are part of the health and wellness approach to feeling and looking better. “The goal at FreshSkin is to help our patients look and feel great,” says Tenore.

She and her team, which now includes Ryan Lombardo, DAOM, BCIM, RH, ABAAHP, provide a wide range of services that include skin rejuvenation aids such as dermal fillers, and treatment of various skin conditions such as acne and sun damage, along with weight-loss programs and Chinese herbal medicine, specialized testing for food sensitivities and aging, bio-identical hormones and nutriceuticals and holistic services such as acupuncture.

Bio-identical hormone treatments help patients see improved energy, sleeping, libido and memory, weight loss and reduced wrinkles. “We’re a bunch of hormones,” says Tenore. “As we age, so do the endocrine glands that manufacture our hormones. Bio-identical hormone treatment is a very powerful way to help the body.”

To achieve better internal health, an initial consultation includes an in-depth health history. The FreshSkin staff then reviews a comprehensive set of blood hormone levels, micronutrient and age marker testing before designing a customized hormone and supplement program for patients to help them maintain good health and vitality.

“When reviewing their lab work, we look at each person as an individual and not just some subset of a ‘norm’,” says Lombardo. “We work with each individual to provide ‘optimal’ nutrient and hormone levels to encourage health, vitality and longevity, not just ‘normal’ levels based on general ranges.”

According to Lombardo, his patients appreciate the fact that in addition to taking into account their lifestyles, the clinic uses scientific data when creating a plan. “It’s a truly integrative consultation,” he says. He approaches alternative medicine from an evidence-based point of view that includes using acupuncture as an effective tool for weight loss and rejuvenation. “Often patients come to us as a first or last resort,” Lombardo continues. “They aren’t feeling well but no one can tell them why. Attempts at weight loss have been unsuccessful and they don’t know where to turn. We can help to provide answers or investigate options. There are always ways to improve your quality of life.”

Tenore stresses the importance of scientific data to back up their treatment plans. “Our skin is the biggest organ of our body,” she says. “While the general health of your skin from the outside is important and we have resources to help improve the outward appearance of your skin, we also review the results from blood tests to see if there are any underlying issues we need to address, as well.”

Lombardo adds that they are integrative practitioners in the sense of looking at the whole person and their goals, instead of just chasing symptoms. He feels both Eastern and Western approaches to medicine offer patients advantages, and when used together, they are much more effective, especially for inflammatory and age-related conditions.

While Tenore is in the office daily and sees patients on a regular basis, she’s also focusing her efforts on expanding her practice, because the demand for services continues to grow. A former instructor at several medical schools, including her alma mater, the University of Toronto, and Harvard University, Tenore wants to develop a training center with a research component so other physicians can learn how to bring these types of services to their patients.

Tenore reminds her patients of the importance of whole-body care as the key to achieving healthy skin—and a healthy weight. Her most popular services include Botox, dermal fillers, weight-loss and acupuncture treatments. FreshSkin’s services afford Chicagoland residents with a number of options to help them not only to look great on the outside, but also to feel great on the inside.

To learn more about FreshSkin, located at 806 Central Ave., Ste. 203, in Highland Park, call 847-787-7080 or visit MyFreshSkin.com.