a Red Bank spa combines traditional techniques with health and wellness training, including weight management and nutrition

By Jessica Jones-Gorman • Photos By Robert Nuzzie

Dr. Abir Marcus started her medical practice in Egypt, working as a general practitioner and an assistant professor in a fast-paced urban university clinic. She dealt with acute illnesses and injuries while teaching pathology and toxicology to medical students. And even though she loved her chosen career, she felt there was something missing.

“I worked in such a fast-paced environment, which was wonderful and exciting, but I had this desire to be more connected with my patients,” Dr. Marcus said.

So, she moved to the United States in 1995 and completely switched gears, earning a degree in psychology and directing her career toward an in-depth understanding of human emotions and behavior.

“I did my residency at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in Newark and a fellowship in addiction at Robert Wood Johnson [University Hospital],” Marcus said. “I worked in psychology and mental illness for some time, and after a few years I had a very strong desire to work with my hands once again, so I challenged myself to earn additional certifications.”

During the course of completing two board certifications, compiling different research studies and maintaining an involved practice with her clients, Marcus observed the connection between people’s perception of their own appearance and their love of the inner self.

“Those who like themselves work on maintaining and caring for their body, and those who maintain a healthy beautiful physique feel much better about their persona,” she noted.

That was the force behind her seeking advanced training and board certification in aesthetic medicine. In 2005, Dr. Marcus founded BiroVenus Medical Spa, where she has devised a roster of advanced and noninvasive aesthetic treatments and services.

“BiroVenus Medical Spa is a rejuvenation and wellness center where men and women can experience the empowerment of actively pursuing their physical and emotional well-being, enjoying each stage of their journey,” she explained. “It makes a difference when patients look good. They begin to feel good, and in turn start to do more for themselves.”

At BiroVenus, Marcus administers many of the luxury spa treatments herself, drawing upon her clinical expertise and background in psychology.

“When I first started studying aesthetic medicine, I studied frown lines and how to get rid of them,” said Marcus. “That introduced me to a range of other non-surgical cosmetic procedures that make a big difference in how people look and feel.” She began to combine those techniques with comprehensive health and wellness training, incorporating weight management and nutrition treatments into the facility’s offerings. “I really felt that nutrition and exercise were closely tied into my psychological studies, because people eat emotionally and diet and exercise have a huge impact on both mood and behavior. I also have a lot of experience with the treatment of addiction, and for many, food can be an addiction. I knew if we offered weight management programs and other therapies to combat hormonal imbalance, we could help a lot of people.”

Dr. Marcus became certified in hormonal replacement because, as she put it, “you cannot look at weight without thinking of hormones.”

At BiroVenus, she offers a variety of medically supervised weight-management programs, including the human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) diet.

“Through the use of prescription HCG, given in the form of lozenges or injections, and in conjunction with a structured, low-calorie diet, your body will start using its own stored fat contents as energy,” she said. “The HCG diet is a three- to six-week active phase program that can help participants lose half to one pound a day. The HCG diet is known to help you lose the fat from the stomach, thighs, love handles, and double chin without losing volume from the face and looking unhealthy.”

Dr. Marcus also provides patients with supplements, appetite suppressants, and B12 injections, and orders blood laboratory screenings, body composition profiles, and sometimes electrocardiograms to help patients achieve weight loss goals without compromising their health.

The Red Bank-based medical spa also focuses on non-surgical cosmetic injections and fillers, such as Botox, Bellafill, and Juvederm, which help counteract dynamic wrinkles and crow’s feet on the face. “Every filler is used for a different area and injected at a different depth in the skin,” Marcus said. “We work with each patient to determine which product is best and even adjust the filler accordingly based on what they’d like to correct.”

There’s also laser and light treatments available to reduce cellulite and remove unwanted hair and acne scars, as well as a variety of facials and peels to revitalize skin. The Ultherapy facelift (the only FDA-approved procedure to non-invasively lift areas of the face and minimize wrinkles) harnesses the power of ultrasound to treat deep layers of skin without disturbing surface layers. This helps create a tighter, smoother, and more radiant appearance on the neck, eyebrows, chin, and décolletage.

“The ultrasound energy awakens your own collagen deep inside the skin to create a firmer neck and face,” the doctor said. “It is simply the best thing to lift the face and neck without having surgery.”

Body-contouring treatments include VelaShape, a relatively new procedure that combines bipolar radio frequency with infrared light energy and mechanical massage to help create smother skin and reduce the size of fat cells using heat.

“As we age it is extremely important to keep taking care of ourselves,” Marcus concluded. “I see patients come in, somewhat defeated, to discuss an issue that is really bothering them, unsure if they can do anything about it. And then I see the joy in their faces when they follow the regimen and ultimately reach their goals. As the physician who is helping them to tackle their problem and the underlying depression or self-consciousness that goes along with it…it really is a pleasure to see such positive outcomes.”

BiroVenus Medical Spa
321 Broad Street, Red Bank
732.530.3222 / birovenusmedicalspa.com