A Veteran-owned Fayetteville medical spa that launched during the COVID-19 pandemic has grown into a multi-disciplinary aesthetics and wellness practice — winning the 2024 Readers’ Choice Award for Best Med Spa — prompting a recent move into a significantly larger facility.

Skin Specialists of Fayetteville has relocated to 1661 Owen Drive, near Cape Fear Valley Medical Center, nearly doubling its treatment space as demand for aesthetic and wellness services continues to grow.

Founder Deanna Holt, a certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA), started the business in 2020 after elective surgeries slowed during the pandemic.

“My background is actually anesthesia,” Holt said. “I still work in operating rooms and ambulatory surgery centers around town. During COVID, when elective procedures slowed down, I had an opportunity to get trained in Botox and fillers, and that’s really how this business started.”

What began as a small operation in a rented downtown space has steadily expanded over the past five years. The practice later moved to Fairway Drive, where Holt hired aestheticians and additional medical providers while broadening its service offerings.

“We’ve gone from just facials and Botox to offering a large variety of services to meet clients’ needs,” Holt said. 

Today, Skin Specialists of Fayetteville provides a wide range of aesthetic and wellness treatments, including Botox, dermal fillers, laser hair removal, tattoo removal, skin resurfacing, microneedling, PRP therapy, chemical peels and customized facial treatments. The practice also offers hormone replacement therapy and medical weight-loss services, with GLP-1 medications available through the practice’s physician assistant.

The move to Owen Drive gives the growing practice room to continue expanding. The new facility is a former dental office, providing a medical layout well-suited to the business’s needs, with a larger reception area, an administrative area and significantly more treatment capacity.

“The new location features nine treatment rooms, up from five at the previous office,” Holt said. 

The bigger space for the business seemed destined.

“It just kind of fell into my lap,” Holt said of the new space. “I walked in there and looked at it and thought, ‘This could be our forever home.’”

In addition to Holt, the practice currently employs three aestheticians, two nurses, a nurse practitioner, a physician assistant, a full-time office manager and a full-time front-office assistant.

The business has also become a pipeline for workforce development through the Skin Specialists Aesthetician Academy, a private aesthetician school Holt launched in 2024.

Located separately on Robeson Street, the school trains students seeking North Carolina aesthetician licensure and provides opportunities for hands-on learning at the medical spa. Students complete shadowing hours at Skin Specialists and receive exposure to advanced treatments such as microneedling and laser procedures. 

Two of the spa’s current aestheticians are graduates of the academy, while a third serves as an instructor in the program.

As aesthetic medicine becomes increasingly popular, Holt said education remains a key part of the client experience. The practice offers complimentary consultations with both medical providers and aestheticians to help clients understand treatment options and develop plans that align with their goals and budgets.

“We’re ready to serve those who genuinely want to see results and understand that it’s a process,” Holt said. “You don’t age overnight, and you don’t go to the gym once and come out with a six-pack. We help people develop a long-term skin wellness plan that works for them.”

To accommodate working professionals, the practice offers online scheduling, extended evening hours during the week and Saturday availability. Financing options are also available through Cherry Financing.

Skin Specialists of Fayetteville will celebrate its new location with a grand reopening event on July 25. The open-house-style celebration is expected to feature local vendors, food trucks, giveaways and treatment promotions.

Planned participants include Boba & Bites, a local dirty soda vendor and a permanent jewelry vendor, with additional vendors expected to be announced. Attendees can also enter raffles for prizes such as a year’s worth of Botox or facials and take advantage of special event-day discounts on future treatments.

“We’re already loving our new spot and hope the community joins us,” Holt said.

For more information about Skin Specialists of Fayetteville, visit www.bestskinoffayetteville.com.