“What can we do to help ourselves feel better?”

That’s the underlying question Dr. Cheryl Perlis asks when treating patients at Perlis Wellness and Aesthetic Center in Lake Bluff, one of the North Shore’s top locations for health and cosmetic services.

While Perlis Wellness and Aesthetic Center offers cosmetic treatments such as Botox®, dermal fillers, brand-new state-of-theart lasers, and a full menu of aesthetic services, Perlis believes that feeling better and looking better go hand in hand.

“At our practice, we take a holistic approach to the well-being of patients as well as the aesthetics and how they look,” Perlis explains. “In our office, we work as a team and we listen very carefully to what patients are asking for and their needs and expectations.”

Perlis cites as an example patients who may have skin irritation or puffiness under the eyes. While lasers and other treatments might help improve the skin, she is more interested in getting to the root of the problem.

“My approach is asking this patient if they’ve ever tested their thyroid, or if they have any dietary intolerances to gluten or dairy. I’m looking more at what’s occurring in their body as a cause for the irritation on their face,” she says.

Perlis recently brought in a new medical aesthetician, Anne Yeaton, who brings more than 20 years of experience on the North Shore and shares Perlis’ philosophy of treating patients holistically.

“I think having the right people and the right team together really makes a difference. What people will find in my office is that we really care for them,” she says. “It’s not just come in for a treatment and ‘see you later.’ It’s more about long-term relationships. That’s the key.”

Many of Perlis’ patients are between the ages of 45 and 65 and are concerned about maintaining their health and looks as they age. “They want to look better but they also want to really feel better,” she says. “That’s a big thing. They want to know how they can age well, enjoy their life, and prevent disease.”

Perlis says she doesn’t like to be “stagnant” with her education and continually seeks to learn the latest techniques for injectable treatments in the face and is always incorporating new technology into her practice. She mentions the Silouette InstaLift® threads, a non-invasive procedure that produces similar results to a facelift.

But for Perlis, it always comes back to treating patients holistically and with an eye toward long-term results, whether it’s analyzing and changing her patient’s lifestyles or improving their self-confidence with aesthetic treatments, Dr. Perlis knows how to make her patients feel better. As a survivor of Bell’s Palsy, a condition that causes paralysis of the skin on one side of the face, she can identify with those she seeks to help.

“It’s about looking and feeling better, aging gracefully, and managing stress. If you feel better physically and feel better about the way you look it improves your relationships and makes them stronger,” says Perlis. “I believe strongly that if you start with you, once you change, everyone around you changes for the better.”

Perlis Wellness and Aesthetic Center is located at 81 E. Scranton Ave. in Lake Bluff, 847-295-5997, perliswellnesscenter.com.