Domus Vitae

Domus Vitae is a private aesthetic medicine practice in San Diego, located in Suite 121 at 3055 University Avenue. The name is Latin for the house of life. Visits are by appointment only, in a private suite, and the practice is open Monday to Friday from 10am to 6pm.

Care starts with a 30-minute in-person initial consultation, and every new client meets with the founder, Gabriel Gonzalez, at that first visit. The consultation fee is $50, paid at booking, and it is applied in full to any treatment that follows. It moves with the appointment if rescheduled, and it is refunded when cancelled with at least 24 hours' notice; otherwise it is kept once the consultation has taken place.

The practice favors restraint and changes a face only as far as it needs, making changes by degrees so that treated faces do not look done. Faces are planned as a whole, with treatments sequenced across the face and reviewed as it changes over time. It does not publish before-and-after galleries, and it describes its aim as work that goes unnoticed.

Neuromodulators, including Botox, Dysport, and Letybo, are dosed to each face and used around the forehead, between the brows, around the eyes, and on the neck. Chemical peels are matched in strength to each person: lighter peels address tone and clarity, while deeper peels address texture, pigment, and fine lines. Microneedling is done as a series of sessions and may also address pore appearance and some scarring. PRP uses growth factors from a small blood draw and is applied with microneedling, while PDGF (Ariessence) needs no blood draw and is applied at the end of the appointment. Domus protocols are given as courses of treatment rather than single visits.

Clients are asked to arrive without makeup and to avoid alcohol the night before and the day of injectable treatments. Retinoids and exfoliating acids are paused for a few days before microneedling and peels, depending on strength, and peels and microneedling are not performed on recently sunburned or heavily exposed skin. Appointments can be moved at no charge for reasons such as sunburn, cold sores, fever, or recent dental work or vaccination. Street parking is on the block, and a private paid lot sits beside the building. Aftercare questions can be directed to 619-289-8311.

Plans each face as a whole, sequencing treatments across it and reviewing them as the face changes, with a focus on restraint and changes made by degrees.

A private suite, seen by appointment only.