Kara Wilfong
Doctorate Prepared Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner
Fleming IslandA doctorally-prepared nurse practitioner who spent a decade as an emergency room nurse before moving into aesthetics and wellness.
Peptide Therapy · Fleming Island, FL
Peptide therapy, built on mechanism and supervision
A physician-supervised program centered on Sermorelin. Lab-guided, individualized, and paired with medical weight loss or hormone optimization when your goals call for it.
Written by the Well Labs+ editorial team · Last updated July 2026
Category Overview
Signaling molecules, not a shortcut
Peptides are short chains of amino acids that act as signaling molecules. They direct a specific system in your body to do something it already knows how to do, rather than replacing that system outright. At Pura Vida, peptide therapy is a physician-supervised program built around labs, not a menu of trending compounds.
It is also a bridge. Peptide therapy connects naturally to medical weight loss when the goal is metabolic, and to hormone optimization when growth-hormone and sex-hormone pathways overlap. Your provider builds the plan around your labs and your goal, as part of our complete wellness & body program.
Where Peptide Therapy Fits
The program, and the paths it connects to
Start with the Fleming Island program itself, or see how it pairs with the two plans it most often sits alongside.
The Fleming Island program
Peptide Therapy
Our physician-supervised peptide program, built around Sermorelin: candidacy, the process, and what to expect at your first visit.
Explore Peptide TherapyMetabolic pairing
Medical Weight Loss
Peptide therapy often sits alongside a supervised weight-loss plan when a patient’s goals are metabolic: energy, body composition, and sustainable change.
Explore Medical Weight LossHormone pairing
Hormone Optimization
Growth-hormone pathways and sex-hormone balance are connected. Many patients build a peptide plan alongside hormone optimization, not instead of it.
Explore Hormone OptimizationWhich path is right for you is decided together at your consultation, based on your labs and your goal.
What’s Confirmed
Clear answers beyond the hype
Peptide therapy attracts a lot of noise online. Here is what we actually build programs around, and how we talk about the rest of the field.
Sermorelin, specifically
Sermorelin is the peptide we build programs around at Pura Vida. It is a growth-hormone-releasing peptide that supports the body’s own natural production rather than replacing it outright. We keep this page and our program centered on what is confirmed and supervised, not a longer list of trending compounds.
A broader, growing field
You may hear other terms and trending compounds in the wider peptide-therapy world. At your consultation, your provider will tell you plainly what is confirmed and appropriate for your plan; we do not add a compound to your program that has not been reviewed with you first.
In Expert Hands
A plan built on labs, led by a clinician
Every peptide program at Pura Vida starts with bloodwork and a real conversation, not an order form. Kara Wilfong, DNP, APRN, FNP-C, leads the wellness and hormone side of our practice. Her approach here is the same as it is with hormone optimization: treat to an optimal level, not just a lab result.
When peptide therapy is not the right tool for your goal, we say so, and point you toward medical weight loss or hormone optimization instead, part of the full wellness & body program built around you.
Fleming Island · Northeast Florida
Energy and longevity, built for how Fleming Island lives
Fleming Island skews toward research-first, prevention-minded professionals and NAS Jacksonville families in their peak working years. These are people who notice a real dip in energy or recovery long before it becomes a health crisis. Peptide therapy is one supervised tool in a longer-term plan for staying capable, not a quick fix, and we are candid about what it can and cannot do.
Northeast Florida’s UV index climbs to extreme from spring through late summer, and sun exposure drives much of the collagen loss and visible aging we treat, so care here is as much about prevention as it is about correction.
The practice Fleming Island trusts for medical wellness. Voted the area’s best medspa six years running, cared for from our Medical Spa on Island Lane.
Serving
- Fleming Island
- Orange Park
- Middleburg
- Green Cove Springs
- Jacksonville
- Clay County
Is This For You?
Am I a Candidate?
A Good Fit If…
- you have noticed a real, sustained dip in energy, recovery, or sleep quality
- you want a physician-supervised, lab-guided approach rather than a self-directed one
- you are already working on medical weight loss or hormone optimization and want to know if peptide therapy fits alongside it
- you are comfortable with ongoing labs and monitoring as part of the plan
Let’s Talk First If…
- you are looking for a specific compound beyond Sermorelin. We will tell you plainly what we do and do not carry
- you have an underlying condition that needs to be ruled out first, so let’s talk before we start
- you are pregnant or breastfeeding, so we will ask you to wait
- you are expecting a dramatic, immediate change. Peptide therapy works with your body’s own systems gradually
If peptide therapy is not the right fit for your goal, we will tell you honestly and point you toward medical weight loss, hormone optimization, or both. Declining a treatment that would not serve you is part of how we work.
Ready to Start?
Sounds like you? Let’s build your peptide plan.
Request an appointment and we’ll start with labs, then build a Sermorelin plan around your goals, here in Fleming Island.
Our Process
How our peptide program comes together
Start with labs and a real conversation
Peptide therapy begins with bloodwork and an unhurried consultation. Your provider reviews your labs, your goals, and your health history before recommending anything.
A plan built around Sermorelin
If peptide therapy is a fit, your provider builds a dosing plan around Sermorelin, individualized to your labs and your goal: energy, recovery, or supporting a weight or hormone plan already underway.
Monitored over time
We recheck labs and how you are responding at planned intervals, adjusting the plan as your body does. Peptide therapy is a supervised program, not a one-time purchase.
Paired with the rest of your plan
For many patients, peptide therapy is one piece of a larger picture that includes medical weight loss, hormone optimization, or both. Your provider builds the whole plan together.
What Our Patients Are Saying
What Fleming Island patients say
4.9★ From 1,400+ verified Google reviews across both Fleming Island locations.
"Kara is incredibly patient, understanding, and knowledgeable. I never felt pressured or rushed to do or buy anything extra. Super professional and clean atmosphere. Will be back again and again."
"Can’t say enough great things about this place! Everyone is so nice!… All are so knowledgeable and really tailor treatments to the person. I’ve been seeing them for 2 years and I’ve been happy with every visit."
"The Pura Vida facility is always very pleasant and professional… She always explains every procedure in detail and gives great recommendations. Always very satisfied with all the services I receive there!"
Prefer to Talk First?
Questions before you book? Call us.
Talk through whether peptide therapy fits your plan with our Fleming Island wellness team before you schedule.
Proven Excellence
Trusted across Clay County
Peptide therapy is available at our Island Lane Medical Spa, serving Orange Park, Middleburg, and greater Jacksonville.
1,400+
Five-Star Reviews
More Google reviews than any other medspa in the region.
4.9★
Average Rating
Verified on Google across both Fleming Island locations.
2
Fleming Island Locations
Serving Clay County, Orange Park & greater Jacksonville.
Meet Your Care Team
Clinician-led, from labs to follow-up
Kara Wilfong leads our wellness and hormone team, backed by our nurse practitioners and physician assistant. You see the same care team at every visit.
Brittany Smith
MSN, APRN, FNP-C
Fleming IslandA certified Family Nurse Practitioner specializing in advanced aesthetic medicine, with six years in trauma and progressive care before aesthetics.
Emily Arnold
Physician Assistant-Certified
Fleming IslandA board-certified physician assistant specializing in aesthetic medicine, with a Master of Physician Assistant Studies from Augusta University.
Portrait coming soon
Brooke Taylor
Medical Assistant
Fleming IslandSupports the clinical team through every appointment so your provider can deliver attentive, unhurried care.
Patient Care Team
Scroll to meet the full team
Frequently Asked Questions
Peptide Therapy Questions, Answered
What does peptide therapy actually do?
Peptide therapy uses short chains of amino acids that act as signaling molecules, directing a specific system in your body to do something it already knows how to do, rather than introducing a foreign substance that takes over. At Pura Vida, our program is built around Sermorelin, a growth-hormone-releasing peptide that supports your body’s own natural production instead of replacing it outright. The goal is measured support for energy, recovery, and healthy aging, and every plan starts with your labs rather than a preset protocol.
Is peptide therapy the same thing as Ozempic or other weight-loss peptides?
No. Ozempic (semaglutide) is a GLP-1 peptide medication prescribed for weight loss and blood sugar control, while the peptide program at Pura Vida is built around Sermorelin, a different class of peptide that supports growth-hormone release for energy, recovery, and healthy aging rather than appetite or weight. Both are peptide medicines, but they work through different pathways toward different goals. If weight loss is your main goal, our medical weight loss program is the better starting point, and your provider can tell you honestly whether the two belong together in your plan.
Which peptides does Pura Vida use, and is it safe?
Our confirmed, supervised peptide is Sermorelin. If you have heard other names people ask about, just bring them up at your consultation and we will tell you plainly what is and is not part of your program. Sermorelin is generally well tolerated, with mild injection-site redness and, less often, temporary flushing or headache being the most common effects, and your provider monitors your labs and response throughout so the plan stays appropriate for you.
What does peptide therapy cost?
Peptide therapy is priced individually based on your labs and your plan, and the exact cost is confirmed at your consultation once your provider knows what your program actually involves. We do not publish a flat rate, since a Sermorelin plan built for occasional energy support looks different from one built alongside medical weight loss or hormone optimization.
Is peptide therapy worth it, and who is it a good fit for?
Peptide therapy is worth considering if you have noticed a real, sustained dip in energy, recovery, or sleep quality and want a physician-supervised, lab-guided approach rather than a self-directed one, though results build gradually as your body responds rather than overnight. It is a natural fit for the many Fleming Island patients in their 40s and 50s who are prevention-minded and want to stay capable long-term, and it pairs well with our medical weight loss or hormone optimization programs when your goals touch more than one system. It is not the right choice if you want a dramatic, immediate change or are pregnant or breastfeeding.
Can I combine peptide therapy with hormone or weight-loss treatment?
Yes, and many patients do: because our Sermorelin program is guided by labs from the start, it layers naturally with hormone optimization or our medical weight loss program when your goals touch more than one system, such as energy, recovery, and body composition together. Your provider sequences the plan so the pieces support rather than duplicate each other, and will tell you honestly when peptide therapy alone is enough or when it is not the right addition at all.
Ready When You Are
Let’s see if peptide therapy fits your plan
Request an appointment and we’ll review your labs, talk honestly about what Sermorelin can and cannot do, and build a plan around your actual goal, not a trend.
Not ready to book? Send us a question instead.