PRAIRIE DU SAC — Michelle Niesen said she opened her cosmetic dermatology clinic in Sauk Prairie because she noticed that there wasn’t anything like it in her hometown.
A 1991 graduate of Sauk Prairie High School, Niesen said after more than 12 years working in family medicine at Prairie Clinic in Prairie du Sac and learning aesthetic dermatology at a clinic in Middleton, she wanted to bring her passion for minimally invasive skin care home.
So in 2010 she opened the Rejuvenation Clinic of Sauk Prairie in Prairie du Sac.
“Treating men and women of all ages with frustrating and complex skin conditions became a passion of mine while working in Family Practice. I suffered early in life and again as an adult with distressing skin problems,” she stated in a press release. “I wanted to learn as much as I could about this to help myself as well as others.”
The clinic offers minimally invasive procedures that are completed on an out-patient basis. Treatments include laser therapies for hair removal, sun damage/age spots, acne and acne scars and aging; Botox; dermal fillers; benign skin lesion removals; and sclerotherapy to eliminate spider veins in the legs.
Niesen is a trained and licensed physician assistant and works closely with Dr. John DeGiovanni, who serves as medical director for the clinic.
She sat down with the Eagle this week to answer some questions about her new business.
Q: who is the ideal candidate for some of the treatments you offer at Rejuvenation Clinic?
A: Generally, we see between 40 and 60 years old is the common age. however, I can treat teens for acne or acne scars, or even older people for age-related skin conditions. There really is no one ideal candidate.
Q: What’s the most common treatment that you’re patients receive?
A: Probably broadband light is the most common. In the past it was called a photo facial. It evens out skin tone, lessens — grandma called them liver spots — I call them sun spots, shrinks the pores and smoothes the skin. It does so much with one treatment.
Q: how much do the various procedures cost?
A: the broadband light can cost between $300 to $400, depending on the damage. There are procedures to remove benign skin tags or lesions that cost around $200. the most expensive is $800, and that’s called SkinTyte, a collagen-tightening procedure that’s done with a laser. It’s not painful but feels like a hot-stone massage. It helps with wrinkles and sagging skin.
Q: how has business been so far?
A: Really good. I have a good friend who’s an RN, a nurse, who works with me, and we just started putting ads in a few weeks ago, but we’ve been open since October and the word-of-mouth has been wonderful.
Q: do you find yourself in everyday life seeing someone and saying, “Oh, I could help you with that”?
A: I’m not as good at that as my mother is. I do have people who know me who will come to me and ask questions, but no, I don’t do that. That’s a boundary I don’t want to cross. I feel like in Sauk Prairie, a big part of this business will be education. Initial consultations that are free, but I spend a good hour going over everything with them.
Q: What’s the most rewarding part of your job?
A: I love it when people are just able to see their skin and feel really confident. I’ll have people tell me, “I don’t have to wear makeup anymore. I can just go out to the store without worrying about my skin.”