After spending time in many different nursing positions through the years, Bernadette Mints said she’s finally found the feel-good side of nursing she was looking for in her own medical salon.
Senti Bella Medical Salon, inside V1 Salon Suites in Ahwatukee Foothills, offers Botox and fillers, acne treatments, vein treatments, anti aging, permanent hair reduction, scar revision and skin rejuvenation. All of the treatments are less invasive than plastic surgery and have little or no down time for clients.
“I stumbled onto this,” Mints said. “I was working at the Arizona Heart Hospital in the (operating room) and I was so fascinated with the lasers. I started taking extra laser classes and saw what the lasers could do. One thing just led to another and I just loved this.”
Mints said the part she loves the most is seeing the difference a simple procedure can make in just a few days. Since she began practicing she’s realized the procedures she’s learned are quickly gaining popularity, even among men.
“I was shocked when I saw my first male patient come in,” Mints said. “I always thought it was just a female thing. The more and more I got to talking to him, he was a middle-aged man whose company was downsized so he was hitting the pavement looking for a new job. He said it’s hard when you’re in your late 30’s or early 40’s and competing with these young guys fresh out of college. You may feel good and you know you can do what they can do, and you have more experience, but because you may not look the part it’s a strike against you. That changed my whole attitude about treating men.”
Matt Maggiora, 41, has visited Senti Bella Medical Salon a few times for Botox treatments, which Mints calls “brotox.” He said he chose Senti Bella because the small office could get him in quickly, was inexpensive and gave him the results he wanted.
“I’m not changing my appearance with plastic surgery,” Maggiora said. “I’m just enhancing what I already have. I want to maintain a good look. I want to have confidence when I go out. There are procedures you can do now that are non-invasive, pretty much painless, and quick and easy. You always feel better when you go and get a hair cut. It’s kind of the same thing. You come in and a couple days later you don’t have those lines. People notice that.”
Mints works under the direction of Rebecca Whelchel at Senti Bella Medical Salon, 15725 S. 46th St., Suite 108. For more information, visit www.sentibella.com or call (480) 438-4545.
• Contact writer: (480) 898-7914 or ahurtado@ahwatukee.com