Photograph courtesy of Abraza Skin Studio
Eleven years ago, a tragic birthday trip forever changed Dr. Natasha Welch’s life. While on vacation in St. Croix, she was in a near fatal car accident, suffering severe trauma to her face and body. Thrown through the windshield, her nose, eyelid, and left eyebrow were all displaced. Multiple plastic surgeries and procedures followed, including laser treatments, microneedling for scar revision, microblading for brow touchup, Botox, and platelet-rich plasma for a thinning hair line.
A nurse practitioner with a doctorate in nursing practice, Welch had formerly specialized in cardiology and emergency medicine. But her obsession with minimizing hyperpigmentation (dark spots) and scarring during her own recovery led her to focus on skin care. She says her “aha moment” came when she saw how much having her missing left eyebrow permanently tattooed did for her self-esteem.
In August 2017, she opened Abraza Skin Studio in Buckhead and launched a skin-care line. Abraza is Spanish for “to embrace.” Dr. Welch urges clients to accept their natural beauty and imperfections. “What you see in a magazine doesn’t define your beauty,” she explains. “When we see women in mainstream media on TV or in publications, the everyday woman usually doesn’t look like them. I want to offer services that enhance a woman’s natural beauty and make her feel beautiful.”
The salon offers a variety of services, including hydrafacials, hair restoration, anti-aging injectables, permanent makeup micro blading, vampire facials (a treatment using plasma for skin rejuvenation instead of fillers), micro needling, and areaola tattooing. Welch also practices palliative care and hospice. Her medical-grade, plant-based skin-care products range from $33 to $122, avoiding potentially harmful ingredients like parabins and sulfates.
