Optima Dermatology: How they can treat your skin cancer and make you look younger
STRATHAM — Optima Dermatology has opened its 19th location, and CEO Max Puyanic said the cutting-edge medical office is “unlike any other facility in the country.”
The 10,000-square-foot building at 23 Portsmouth Ave. features 18 exam rooms and a Mohs surgical unit for skin cancer and on-site pathology.
Puyanic, the co-founder of ConvenientMD, and his partner Ben Collins said their goal is to make skin treatments accessible, whether medical, aesthetic or surgical.
The Optima Dermatology building, situated at the front of the lot on Portsmouth Avenue in Stratham between the 110 Grill and Market Basket, is hard to miss, and that’s by design.
“We want to make sure patients have a beautiful experience from every point of the patient’s journey from when they call to make an appointment,” said Puyanic. “We have really talented people that are very much focused on providing a great experience from the moment patients make an appointment to when they arrive.”
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Optima Dermatology helps 'people look and feel younger'
From Botox to BroadBand Light (BBL) treatment, Optima Dermatology offers services to help patients achieve their skin goals, whether tightening, lifting or radiance. The exam rooms are equipped with cutting-edge technology with machinery that costs up to a half million dollars each.
“In this facility, we have a lot of offerings,” said Puyanic. “We have what we believe is the most advanced medical technology in the world to treat aesthetics and help people look and feel younger. We’re getting older every year, but we can actually make our skin younger.”
During the initial consultation, Puyanic said patients will be provided with a VISIA Skin Complexion Analysis, a machine that allows them to measure someone’s skin health.
“It shows what you look like in five or 10 or 20 years from now,” said Puyanic. “And then as you’re getting treated with different skin services, you can measure the benefit that you’re getting from those services in a scientific way with this device.”
Jill Bickford, a registered nurse offering a variety of medical aesthetics treatments at Optima, said when it comes to skin maintenance, over-the-counter products are not as effective as medical-grade equipment.
With over two decades of experience in the medical industry, Bickford said the most common procedures people seek out are injectables, microneedling and BBL. Her customer demographic, she said, includes both men and women.
“It’s kind of one of those things where people could do just that – microneedling or BBL – once a year, they’d be in great shape,” she said.
Optima Dermatology also provides CoolSculpting, a treatment used to freeze fat cells below the skin surface without damaging the skin or surrounding tissue. Once frozen, fat cells die and your body naturally eliminates them, according to Ben Collins, chief growth officer at Optima Dermatology.
He added, CoolSculpting is different from Emsculp, where the latter is used to build muscles instead of getting rid of fat cells.
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Optima Dermatology treats skin cancer
According to Puyanic, skin cancer is the most common type of cancer in the world. Treatable if caught early and fatal when caught late, he said.
Aside from aesthetics, Optima Dermatology is also focused on treating skin cancer through Mohs surgery, an effective technique with a cure rate of up to 99%.
The Mohs procedure involves surgically removing skin cancer layer by layer and examining the tissue under a microscope until healthy, cancer-free tissue around the tumor is reached. This allows the removal of all cancerous cells for the highest cure rate while sparing healthy tissue and leaving the smallest possible scar.
With research labs always being in the back corner of every medical office, Puyanic wanted to do something different.
The Stratham Optima Dermatology is equipped with an FDA-approved lab in the center of the right wing of the building, with glass windows to showcase the scientific aspect of the Mohs procedure where skin cells are being examined.
According to Puyanic, skin cancer accounts for almost two-thirds of cancers worldwide – its culprit is the sun.
“As we get older, our immune system slows down,” explained Puyanic. “In addition, anytime we walk outside, sitting next to a window, or driving in your car, you’re getting UV exposure. The impact of the sun is cumulative. The longer you live, the more you’re outside, you’re getting cumulative damage and that’s more likely to cause skin cancer.”
Much like teeth cleaning, Puyanic said it is important to get your skin checked at least once a year.
Bickford said preventative care is extremely important.
“So top three – SPF, vitamin C, retinol,” said Bickford. “Those are the top three so everything else is a bonus but vitamin C, retinol, SPF.”
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Owners look to grow Optima Dermatology
Puyanic co-founded ConvenientMD in 2012, with a single location in Windham. When Puyanic sold his stake in the business in 2019, it had grown to 24 facilities in New Hampshire, Maine and Massachusetts.
Puyanic and Collins, the former chief growth officer for ConvenientMD, have similar ambitions for Optima Dermatology.
This is Optima Dermatology’s 19th medical office in the nation and third in the state, with other locations in Indiana, Maine and Ohio. The other two locations in New Hampshire are in Bedford and Salem, with another one planned in Windham. The business employs 200 people, including approximately 50 at the “practice support center” on Heritage Avenue in Portsmouth.
Puyanic calls the Stratham office "a model flagship" facility.
“Stratham is especially special because it is central to the Seacoast area,” said Puyanic.
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Optima Dermatology: A one-stop shop for skin health
