When you look in the mirror, what do you see? At Bengtson Center for Aesthetics & Plastic Surgery, a specialized team makes it their utmost responsibility to ensure each person portrays and enjoys the best version of herself. "We really believe in a natural look, and in beauty at every age," said Roxanne Cornelius, physician assistant.
Roxanne found her dream job last December, when she was hired at Bengtson Center. And with more than fourteen years of experience practicing medicine as a physician assistant—more than eight of them as an aesthetic PA—Roxanne has intricate knowledge of working with clients and providing everything from Botox treatments to skin peelers and laser treatments. Roxanne feels blessed to work one-on-one with clients and provide them with services that leave them feeling more confident in themselves.
"I love listening to patients and figuring out what their concerns are, then educating them on their options for treatment," she said. "A lot of people are nervous when they come in—they've seen injectables and lips that are way too big. But my philosophy is to be conservative. I want you to look like you, only better! Just a refreshed look, taking into consideration what they would change or modify if they could."
Roxanne starts out with each patient by turning her office into a classroom. At the initial consultation, she educates patients on the risks, the benefits, what to expect, and available treatments. "The more I educate them, the better they will be able to help direct and manage their aesthetic care," she said. Roxanne, a national Botox trainer, works with doctors and physician assistants across the country to provide best practice methods in Botox and skin fillers. She can also give her patients a first-hand account of the treatments she's had herself. "I do it myself, so that I can experience what patients experience and so I can tell them from personal point of view what they can expect," she said.
Because she is so widely experienced and traveled in the field, Roxanne knows that some people attach a stigma to aesthetic treatments. But procedures such as Botox are no different to Roxanne than coloring hair or getting braces. "People who are sometime opposed maybe need more information, or need education," she said.
Roxanne said it seems everyone has something about themselves they'd like to change—a nose, a tummy, weight loss, et cetera. But no matter what modifications patients have in mind, Roxanne and all of her colleagues at Bengtson Center are passionate about providing people with the confidence boost that comes from looking as good as they feel. "If we're not confident first in ourselves and feeling good about ourselves, then it's more difficult to reach out to other people," she said.
"I think, really, it's not so much about how we make people look. It's how we make them feel."
Written by: Erika Fifelski is West Michigan Woman magazine's staff writer. She graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in journalism. Erika was born and raised in West Michigan, and after a brief stint on the sunrise side, she's home and loving it. Photo: Bengtson Center for Aesthetics & Plastic Surgery
