Racine Med Spa Sees Surge in Preventative Treatments Among Younger Clients

When Dr. Marcus Feldt opened Lakeside Aesthetics Med Spa overlooking downtown Racine's waterfront five years ago, the majority of his neuromodulator clients were in their mid-forties and beyond, typically seeking to soften wrinkles that had already become well established. That pattern has shifted considerably, and Feldt said the fastest-growing segment of his practice now is clients in their late twenties and early thirties booking treatments before visible lines ever fully form.

"Ten years ago, if a twenty-eight-year-old asked about Botox, that was unusual enough that I'd probe a little into why," Feldt said. "Now it's routine. We probably see more new patients under thirty-five than we did in any age group five years ago."

Feldt, a physician who transitioned into aesthetic medicine after more than a decade in general practice, said the trend reflects a broader cultural shift toward so-called preventative treatment, the idea that starting neuromodulator injections before deep wrinkles form can slow their development rather than simply treating lines that already exist.

Social Media's Role in Client Education

Feldt credits much of the shift to increased visibility on social media platforms, where dermatologists, nurse injectors, and patients themselves now openly discuss treatment timelines and expectations in ways that were far less common a decade ago. He said many younger clients arrive at their first consultation already familiar with dosing terminology and specific technique names, a level of pre-existing knowledge that has changed how initial appointments are structured.

"I used to spend the first fifteen minutes of every consult just explaining what the product even does," Feldt said. "Now I'm often adjusting a treatment plan someone half-formed based on a video they watched, which comes with its own challenges."

Those challenges include managing expectations shaped by heavily filtered or unrealistic before-and-after content, as well as fielding requests for treatments that Feldt said aren't appropriate for a given patient's anatomy or skin condition. He said he declines to perform certain requested treatments regularly enough that turning clients away, or recommending an alternative approach, has become a routine part of running the practice.

Balancing Growth With Clinical Caution

The rise in demand has prompted Lakeside Aesthetics to bring on a second injector, a nurse practitioner with specialized aesthetic training, to manage the growing patient load without compressing appointment times. Feldt said he has resisted pressure to shorten consultations despite rising demand, insisting on a minimum first-visit consultation length regardless of how routine a requested treatment might seem.

"The temptation in this field is always to move faster because demand exceeds your schedule," Feldt said. "I'd rather turn away volume than turn a consultation into something transactional."

Patient Alicia Byrne, a 29-year-old Racine resident who began preventative treatments last year, said she researched extensively before booking. "I wasn't going in blind," Byrne said. "But I still appreciated that Dr. Feldt pushed back on a couple of things I asked about and explained why he wasn't going to do them yet."

Feldt said he expects the preventative trend to continue growing among younger clients, but he remains cautious about where the industry is headed overall, particularly as med spas proliferate with less physician oversight than his own practice maintains.