Total Skin gets upgrades with new location and equipment

Total Skin Dermatology and Aesthetics in Grand Forks has moved to a new location at 4571 S. Washington St.

The business provides dermatology, medical and wellness services. Dermatology is the medical study of treating skin, hair and nails. It covers a wide variety of conditions, and Total Skin treats many of them including acne, alopecia, cysts, eczema, lupus and more.

“The skin is our largest organ,” owner Jennifer Laframboise said. “We sometimes forget that. It protects us from everything going in and out of our bodies. Most of us grew up in a generation where we didn’t really even know what sunscreen was and, living in a rural area, spent multiple hours outside either playing or working. That all kind of catches up with us.”

Laframboise said the business started with humble beginnings. Compared to its original location, it now has more than doubled its square footage and exam rooms.

“Total Skin started out almost two years ago on Nov. 1, 2019 as a three-bedroom, 900-square-foot little clinic and kind of flourished during COVID,” Laframboise said. “We’ve brought on more employees and more services.”

Total Skin recently upgraded by moving to a space that has more than 3,000 square feet and seven exam rooms, as well as increasing its staff to 11 employees. Laframboise said the increase in space is noticeable for not just clients but the business’s employees as well.

“Oh, we are loving the space,” Laframboise said. “We do hot laps. Before, we would walk 10 steps and we would be everywhere in our clinic, and now we can do hot laps.”

Along with the new space, Total Skin has also upgraded some of its equipment, including the recent addition of what’s called the Emsculpt Neo, which is one of the newest body sculpting products on the market. Laframboise said it combines three different modalities to encourage losing fat, gaining muscle and tightening skin in the same treatment.

Total Skin has also added new lasers it uses for hair removal treatment.

“We have kind of the newest lasers in town,” Laframboise said. “It’s pain-free laser hair removal is a pretty big deal. Everywhere else kind of has old models where it still feels like you’re going through childbirth to have lasers done. Basically, it feels like you’re getting an ultrasound.”

Total Skin prioritizes outreach clinics with an emphasis on outreach to rural areas and provides medical and cosmetic services and even telemedicine to some areas. Part of what the new building with more exam rooms offers customers is easier registration and appointment scheduling. Laframboise said she wanted this to set Total Skin apart from other dermatology centers, considering the backlogs many medical centers are experiencing when it comes to getting customers to come in for appointments.

“Especially during this pandemic, this crazy world right now, we really can offer access,” Laframboise said. “People can get in with us within a few days, where a lot of places it’s months and months they’re waiting for dermatological services.”

Laframboise is adamant that Total Skin is a place where customers should expect to heal not just physically but emotionally and mentally, as well.

“Our motto or slogan is caring for your skin, caring for you,” Laframboise said. “We try to encompass everything from making someone feel good by treating psoriasis on over 90% of their body to giving them a medical grade facial where they feel amazing walking out of here, as well.”