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A medical spa where patients aren’t dollar signs and Botox is not the only answer

by Kate Menard

On Rockaway Beach Boulevard, not far from the water’s edge, Nicole Frontera Beauty takes an approach to cosmetic skincare that’s something just shy of revolutionary in an often derivative, botox-centric marketplace.

A certified nurse practitioner, Frontera began her medical career in a cardiac intensive care unit where, with only two patients to care for at a time, she developed close relationships with each person who came in. From there, she moved into the area of plastic surgery, working with doctors in private practice. In this environment, her understanding of the nurse’s role as “patient advocate” deepened. She noted: “…we’re [nurses] always on the side of the patient. We advocate for the patient, stand up for the patient, do the best thing in the patient’s interest…I always felt my approach was different than a lot of the doctors I’ve worked for.”

It was this feeling, and a desire to provide patients with a relaxed environment where they would be heard—and from which they would not be “rushed in and out”—that led Frontera to open her own practice.

At Nicole Frontera Beauty, a wide range of services are available, and the owner works with clients to determine which procedures will meet individual needs. Botox injections and fillers are popular routes, yes, but laser procedures such as photorejuvenation (which corrects sun damage) and laser resurfacing can also be employed. Other options include: ultherapy, which makes use of an ultrasound device to lift and tighten skin; microneedling, a newer technique which causes the body to produce new collagen and plumps up the skin; and spa services such as medical grade facials, microdermabrasion, chemical peels, and massages.

Frontera related that the majority of her clientele is made up of working women and men, and the first thing they say when they come in is, “I look tired.” The business then focuses on making clients feel relaxed and refreshed. The goal is a beauty that looks natural—not “done”—achieved by “doing a little bit of different things,” she noted. “If you take someone and you just put ten syringes of filler in them, they look too filled, but if you take that same person and do a little bit of a laser treatment, a little tightening treatment, and give them only two syringes of filler, they’ll look natural and rejuvenated.” This varied approach, she added, is a big part of what separates the practice from other medical spas. Frontera also takes pride in her honesty; if she does not believe that someone needs a particular procedure, she does not do it, bottom line considerations be damned. Part of the reason for this is that her patients include neighbors and parents of children who attend the same school as her own child. In fact, her decision to establish her practice in Rockaway, after working many botox parties there, was born out of the community’s response to Hurricane Sandy in 2012. To her surprise, in the midst of devastation and the collective clearing out of homes ravaged by the storm, many people came to her seeking a way to simply feel better about themselves. Her practice allows Frontera to continue to offer this to her neighbors and anyone else who desires a way to age gracefully.

Nicole Frontera Beauty
104-02 Rockaway Beach Boulevard
718.945.1100 / nicolefronterabeauty.com

Hand & Stone SPREAD