The American Med Spa Association (AmSpa) announces in a recent media release from Kelz PR that it will merge with International Aesthetic and Laser Association Inc (IALA) to add more than 250 members to AmSpa’s more than 1,200 existing members.
IALA was formed in 2008 by Nicole Strothman, IALA’s president and founder, to bring together various industry stakeholders to focus on legal changes affecting medical spas. At the time, there were a growing number of aesthetic technological advancements converging in an unchartered marketplace. Many states and business owners were struggling with who could use certain medical devices, what level of physician supervision was necessary, and what was needed to ensure the lowest incident rates.
As general counsel at Ideal Image, the largest retailer of med spas in North America with 130 plus locations, Strothman quickly realized the importance of focusing on laws that protected both patients and med spa owners and formed IALA as a trade association to help address these issues. IALA successfully worked hand-in-hand with various interest groups, including national aesthetic chains, single operators, and health care professionals to pave the way for patient safety focused laws in multiple states across North America.
“Given AmSpa’s focus on compliance and the laws affecting the medical aesthetic industry, we felt combining our membership was a perfect synergy. For the last decade, IALA has been instrumental in keeping up with legislative changes, monitoring special interest groups, and spearheading government change to ensure patient safety is front and center. I feel confident that, under the AmSpa umbrella, our members will continue to receive the most up-to-date industry news in the ever-changing legal landscape that affects all med spa owners and staff,” Strothman says.
“We are excited and proud to welcome IALA into the AmSpa family. Their commitment to training, safety, and legal compliance make this trade organization a perfect fit with the American Med Spa Association,” adds AmSpa founder/director, Alex R. Thiersch, JD.
IALA’s membership will transition to the AmSpa group over the next month and will receive benefits including access to their state’s medical aesthetic legal summary, live and recorded business and legal webinars, member pricing on AmSpa events, and much more.
[Source: KELZ PR]
