Customers who visit Radiance Medspa in Woodbury are surrounded with calming earthtones, subdued lighting, and carefully chosen accessories as they check in for their Botox treatments, chemical peels or massages.

Like other medical spas, Radiance also provides access to prescriptions for certain cosmetic medications including Latisse, a topical agent that many use for longer, thicker eyelashes.

But places like Radiance are facing new competition. Now beauty-conscious shoppers at Target can pop in for a consultation about eyelash treatments between picking up cat food, breakfast cereal and a new toaster.

The Minneapolis-based retailer announced in July that it is beginning to offer consultations for Latisse; Vaniqa, used for unwanted facial hair; and a treatment for hyperpigmentation of the skin at its network of in-store clinics. TargetClinic won't actually dispense the medications, but will charge $49 for consultations that result in a prescription to be filled at a pharmacy.

Target's foray represents another attempt to offset the seasonal cycles that make places like Target Clinic, MinuteClinic and Take Care Clinics especially busy during the cold and flu season -- and quiet at other times, analysts say.

But will customers accustomed to getting their Latisse in spa-like surroundings, or at a traditional doctor's office, opt for shopping in Target's bull's-eye?

Michelle Hyatt, 42, of Oakdale is not so sure.

"That wouldn't work for me at Target,"
said Hyatt, who got a Latisse prescription from her dermatologist and loved the medication before giving it up due to a side effect. "It's not like this is an impulse buy -- it costs $120."

EXPANDING THE CLINICS' MISSION

Some physicians, meanwhile, are suspicious of Target's motives.

"Is this to serve people? Or, is this to make money?" asked Dr. Cindy Firkins Smith, president-elect of the Minnesota Medical Association. "This seems like something to increase profit, and sometimes at the expense of people who don't know what's best for them."

Consultations for cosmetic medications represent the latest twist on the retail clinic model pioneered more than a decade ago by MinuteClinic right here in the Twin Cities.

Much like today, retail clinics offered treatments from nurse practitioners and physician assistants for common ailments such as strep throat and ear infections, plus screenings and vaccinations.

Over the years, the typical price tag for services at retail clinics has grown from $40 to about $75. The number of treatments offered has grown, too.

MinuteClinic, now owned by Rhode Island-based CVS Caremark, offers more than 80 services, including B-12 injections and a vaccine for cervical cancer, said Brent Burkhardt, a company spokesman.

Target's move to offer cosmetic prescriptions is an extension of retail clinics' services to patients with acne and other dermatology issues, said Tine Hansen-Turton, executive director of the Convenient Care Association, a Philadelphia-based trade group.

But it also represents a new area because the medications themselves are cosmetic in nature, and therefore aren't covered by health insurance, said Dr. Kevin Ronneberg, medical director for Target Clinic.

"It's a new category," Ronneberg said. "We know that many of our guests are already obtaining the service elsewhere."

The service Target is offering, of course, is not a treatment at the clinic, but a prescription.

The medication for hyperpigmentation is a generic drug called hydroquinone that has been around for years, Ronneberg said. But Latisse and Vaniqa are fairly new medications that generated a combined $100 million in sales nationally during 2011, according to IMS Health, a New Jersey-based health care information company.

A FRINGE BENEFIT

Latisse is by far the biggest of the three, promoted on TV and in magazines by actresses Brooke Shields and Claire Danes.

The active ingredient in Latisse was first approved in 2001 as a medical product to reduce intraocular pressure in people with open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension. Patients treated with the medication experienced eyelash growth as a side effect.

Allergan, a drug company based in California, sponsored a clinical trial to document the medication's results for people with hypotrichosis, the medical term for inadequate lashes. Researchers documented the effects on overall eyelash prominence by using a computer to analyze photos of patients' lashes, said Ember Garrett, a company spokeswoman.

The clinical trial showed that fewer than 4 percent of patients experienced side effects, Garrett said, adding that the most common problems were irritation and redness. A small subset of those who reported side effects experienced discoloration of the eyelid or iris pigmentation, she said.

A one-month supply of Latisse costs about $120, in addition to the $49 consultation fee at Target.

All three drugs have side effects, Target's Ronneberg said, so clinicians will evaluate whether it's safe for patients to take them. Patients who aren't eligible for a prescription won't be charged the consultation fee.

Target isn't sharing sales projections, but the service expansion comes at a time when the company also is expanding the number of in-store clinics it operates across the country. Until recently, Target has had clinics in just a handful of states, but in May, the retailer said it was opening four new clinics at stores in North Carolina and four more in Virginia.

"Target guests have very busy lives, so anything we can do to help them meet their health care needs in a more convenient manner is what we're trying to accomplish," Ronneberg said. "We have very qualified clinicians in our clinic who are going to make sure we're providing the right prescription for the right guest."

RIGHT PRESCRIPTION?

But the MMA's Smith, a dermatologist, questioned whether nurse practitioners in a retail clinic would be in a position to help patients with unwanted facial hair who might have other health problems that Vaniqa wouldn't help.

"A lot of the prescriptions could be inappropriate," she said. "It could be wasted money for the patients."

Retail clinics have shown over the years that they can help provide quick access to care for upper respiratory conditions and other basic ailments when patients might otherwise struggle to see their regular physicians, Smith said.

But patients don't typically have much trouble getting access to cosmetic services, Smith said, as they can obtain such prescriptions from medical spas or from their dermatologist or primary-care physician.

More important, Smith said, a patient's desire for longer eyelashes can't be deemed as urgent as the need to treat other problems handled in retail clinics such as urinary-tract infections or minor lacerations.

"It's a whole different level of patient care -- you're talking about something that's aesthetic or cosmetic," Smith said.

BEYOND COLD AND FLU

Retail clinics struggle with drawing customers beyond the busy winter months when many people suffering cold and flu symptoms seek care, said Tom Charland of the consulting firm Merchant Medicine LLC in Shoreview.

Target's decision to offer cosmetic medication consultations is an attempt to offset this seasonality, Charland said.

Resolving the seasonality problem is key to growth for the industry, Charland maintains. Offering consultations on cosmetic drugs could help draw patients throughout the year in some markets, he said.

But Charland said he doubts retail clinics would try to compete with medical spas for their full line of services such as laser hair removal that can stretch beyond the 15- to 20-minute window that's become standard for the retail clinic visit.

At Radiance Medspa in Woodbury, nurse Maria Becker said she's not too worried about patients having access to prescriptions for Latisse and other cosmetic medications at Target.

The medical spa doesn't charge for Latisse consultations, she said. Customers can get their prescription at the Woodbury store, Becker said, and also buy the medication there.

"We have a strong following with customers," she said, "because it's more about the relationship."

Christopher Snowbeck can be reached at 651-228-5479. Follow him at twitter.com/chrissnowbeck