Featured IMSA Member
Chair, IMSA Medical Advisory Board

Dr. Dion Chavis is a 1978 graduate of Jefferson City High School in Jefferson City, Missouri. Upon graduation, Dr. Chavis began a 16-year journey at the University of Missouri in Columbia. While at "MIZZOU", Dr. Chavis earned a bachelor's degree in biology, a master's degree in endocrinology and his medical degree. He also completed residencies in general surgery, plastic surgery, and a fellowship in microvascular surgery.

In 1994, Dr. Chavis began his career in private practice in Indianapolis, Indiana. Dr. Chavis is the former Chief of plastic surgery at Methodist Hospital and the former Vice chairman of plastic surgery at Community Hospitals of Indiana. He is one of only a handful of physicians who is board certified in both plastic surgery and age management medicine.

Because of his long held interest in holistic and alternative treatments, Dr. Chavis began studying the medical spa concept in the 1990's and this research culminated into the opening of Khara Spa in November of 2006. Dr. Chavis is a founding member of the International Medical Spa Association and is the head of the IMSA's Medical Advisory Board.

Member Benefit of the Month: Free Subscriptions -

Don't miss out on the free magazine subscriptions you're entitled to as a member of the IMSA! They will not automatically be sent to you-you must send for them. Click here to see which publications you qualify for and send away for your free issues today!

Disaster Assistance
The Day Spa Association and the International Medical Spa Association have been following the flood and fire devastation that has been ravaging the Midwest and Northern California over the past several weeks and we are concerned about you, your livelihood, and those of your employees.

We've opened up our "Members only Forum" on our respective websites www.dayspaassociation.com and www.medicalspaassociation.org to give everyone access to post messages, request assistance and offer assistance. Visit today and let us know how we can help.

Spa/Industry News
Breakthrough in Beauty Search
The 2009 Breakthrough in Beauty search has opened for submissions. The 2009 search emphasizes natural or organic cosmetics products, representing what has become one of the most competitive niches in beauty and a very tough market for young upstart companies to penetrate. The Breakthrough in Beauty annual search is the chance for a small, unknown line to break through the clutter and to shine. Submissions will be accepted through August 2008; visit www.BreakthroughinBeauty.com for more information and to download submission forms.

The Medspa Survival Guide for Tough Economic Times
By Dion D. Chavis, MD, FACS

As we begin to accept the reality of our current economic situation, those of us who are employers and entrepreneurs must find a way to survive and possibly even thrive in the times within which we find ourselves. There is the tendency to become overwhelmed with the grim news that meets us each evening at the dinner hour. Since our economy is still essentially driven by fossil fuel, the current spike in the price of petroleum has influenced everything and everyone from the young man who cuts the grass, to how much one will pay for groceries, to where we will journey for our vacations, to something as vital as the costs that one will encounter in the delivery of products and supplies to their place of business. Click HEREto view complete article.

Hot Products/Services
Track Down New Clients
Have you ever considered building a mailing territory by analyzing the drive times surrounding your spa? Well, Compact Information Systems has. The Drive Time feature allows a radius to be created, not purely by the distance of the given route from the origin, but by the amount of time it takes to drive from a given route to the origin. This method takes into account the road network, average driving speeds as well as other obstacles such as bodies of water and railroad tracks. Contact Justin at 720-851-2326 or justin@cisdirect.com for more information.

What's New at the IMSA
"The Day Spa/Medical Spa Directory will soon be going green as we introduce a digital version. In addition to saving countless trees, you'll have the directory at your fingertips anytime you're near the computer.

Trend Watch
You're probably familiar with the option to spa while cruising, but did you know that the latest trend is to partake in facial aesthetic treatments such as lip augmentation or Botox injections supervised by a medical director on board? It makes sense when you consider that many cruisers don't even step foot off the ship while cruising and often say that they don't have time to visit the spas in their own hometown. The options are seemingly endless as this is still a growing field.