A paramus physician incorporates a variety of regenerative services under one roof

By Jessica Jones-Gorman • Photos By Amessé Photography

While Dr. Heripsime Ohanian was studying for her Ph.D. in biochemistry, she did a great deal of research on cellular function and regenerative medicine. But her desire to physically practice medicine and not just study it in a laboratory pushed her to pursue and develop a successful career in women’s health. For more than 25 years she specialized in obstetrics and gynecology, delivering babies and tending to mothers’ prenatal and postnatal care. Then in 2004, she once again changed lanes, linking that medical past with her future.

“I was fascinated by research but chose obstetrics because it was such a broad field which forced me to utilize all of my medical knowledge,” Dr. Ohanian said. “I found it intense to essentially treat two patients, mom and baby, and I was able to perform surgery and be part of a very important cycle of life.”

But after a back injury forced limitations on her obstetrics practice, Ohanian started to scout other areas of medicine that would allow her to combine her entire background.

“I knew there had to be something else that would allow me to put the pieces together and bring in my research,” she recalled. “During my training, I used a lot of lasers and was one of the first to be doing laparoscopic hysterectomies, so I had a great deal of experience operating with new equipment. In 2004, I started pursuing laser treatments that were being perfected for the skin.”

As one of the first 31 doctors to be certified by the American Board of Regenerative Medicine, Dr. Ohanian used her research-oriented perspective to combat the signs of aging. She trained all over the world and even discovered techniques that related to her gynecological background.

“I studied vaginal revitalization and tissue atrophy in post-menopausal women,” she said. “I found it to be an extraordinary treatment that reverses the aging process and really gives women their lives back. I also studied treatment for incontinence in women, which involved deriving stem cells from a patient’s fat stores and injecting them into the urethra. It took me back to my biochemistry research, and I watched my career come full circle. By combining my OB/GYN expertise with the type of regenerative medicine I studied in school, I watched the pieces of a puzzle slowly coming together, and now I am able to help an entirely new category of patients.”

Bergen Aesthetics, which Ohanian launched 12 years ago, incorporates all of those regenerative services under one roof, offering processes like the MonaLisa Touch, which uses C02 fractional laser technology to relieve some of the most common symptoms of genitourinary syndrome of menopause. The MonaLisa Touch is equipped with a laser that functions similarly to aesthetic lasers, but is specifically designed to stimulate new collagen production in the vaginal walls. As a result, blood flow and lubrication in the area are naturally increased to help improve function and alleviate side effects like dryness, itching, and painful sexual intercourse or urination.

“All of these things that I’m treating are what you see in television commercials now,” explained Ohanian. “Incontinence and so many other issues that happen to women as they age…these are things that can be prevented or corrected if treated with stem cells derived from fat.”

The physician, who derives the fat from a small amount of liposuction tissue and then injects the cells directly into the patient’s area of concern, said she has seen tremendous results over the past several years and is happy to be performing techniques that draw from research she performed more than 30 years ago.

She’s now completing board certification in laser medicine and also works as lead investigator on several regenerative focused clinical trials—an aspect of medicine she’d eventually like to incorporate into her practice.

“Hopefully within the next 10 years the research will bring us to where we want to be,” she said.

Dr. Ohanian’s Bergen Aesthetics also offers SculpSure, a 25-minute noninvasive body contouring system for the reduction of stubborn fat in areas like the abdomen.

Skin resurfacing, laser facials, hair removal, vein therapy, Botox and dermal fillers are also among the center’s menu of services.

“Right now the bulk of our work is mainly urologic,” Ohanian concluded. “But in the future I’d like to expand to the treatment of joints, bring some orthopedic aspects to the office to help heal issues like a torn meniscus and even prevent joint replacement by injecting a person’s own blood-growth factors directly into injured areas. It’s an amazing form of treatment which helps to alleviate inflammation and heal a variety of ailments. Many will still opt for a surgical procedure but this could be a new method for preserving joints.”

Bergen Aesthetics
1 Kalisa Way, Suite 103, Paramus
201.265.9042 / bergen-aesthetics.com