While earning her medical and surgery degree, Dr. Caroline Young Ortiz was already dreaming of opening a medical spa to help people look and feel good about themselves. “The city in Colombia where I grew up is famous for aesthetic procedures,” says the owner of Orchidia Med Spa, in Fort Myers.

After graduating from the Universidad Libre, in Cali, and throughout her residency at Franklin Square Hospital, in Baltimore, Young’s dream continued to gather strength. “I wanted to focus on non-surgical procedures mostly because I couldn’t see myself standing for hours in the operating performing surgical procedures on patients. I was more interested in how I could help my patients to stay healthy, keep their weight down and stave off the aging process. As I learned and worked in all the different medical specialties at Franklin Square Hospital, I continued to feel that I was missing the connection that I had with medical aesthetics and I knew that I wanted to help improve an individual’s self-image and self-esteem,” explains Young.

Young’s postgraduate experience, which began with running a successful weight management and aesthetics clinic in Houston, Texas, expanded while she delivered primary care medicine to veterans through the Office of Veterans Services, in Cape Coral.

Now trained and experienced in wellness medicine, anti-aging, weight loss, bioidentical hormones and aesthetic procedures, Young is a member of the American Academy of Family Medicine, American Academy of Aesthetic Medicine, International Association of Physicians in Aesthetic Medicine, American Academy of Anti-aging Medicine and American Academy of Procedural Medicine.

Young devised her current weight-loss program after working with many patients. It features a combination of physician supervised care to help patients not only lose weight, but also educate them about how to change their lifestyle and translate what they learn into a healthy way to live and enjoy optimal health. “Patients have a personalized trainer who goes to their house and helps them to develop and follow an exercise regimen,” says Young, who opened her spa in 2014.

Other services offered include facial rejuvenation with platelet-rich plasma, fillers, chemical peels, micro-needling, Botox and mesotherapy, as well as a non-surgical option for improving the appearance of severe fat/folds below the chin, known as a double chin.

“I love my work because there is always some new procedure or product to learn about. I do all the procedures myself and particular enjoy expanding into more integrative medicine and offering services such as intravenous vitamin therapy,” enthuses Young.

“The flower of my native country is the orchid. I wanted to be reminded of it, which is why I named my spa Orchidia. The spelling is a cross between English and Spanish because I wanted everyone, including my family, friends and the Latino community to feel invited and comfortable here,” she explains.

Orchidia Spa is located at 4966 Royal Gulf Circle, in Ft. Myers. For more information, call 239-333-8809.