How Models Get Ready for NYFW With Lasers, Facials and Injections

By Sara Spruch-Feiner • 02/07/18 9:15am

Ah, New York Fashion Week. It’s the perfect time for a model sighting, especially since they descend upon on the streets of New York in droves, clad in Alexander Wang leather jackets, quilted Chanel handbags and perfectly distressed vintage jeans. Sure, it’s easy to look at these preternaturally tall, lithe ladies and think, “Why can’t I wake up like that?” But here’s a secret: neither did they!

Dyer describes the sensation as a “gentle prickly and warming sensation.”

Clear & Brilliant

What it is is: Clear & Brilliant is a low-level laser treatment that models and stars return to time and time again when they need to look great, fast. “This treatment improves the overall look and quality of the skin, leaving it super glowy, dewy and illuminated. The heat from the laser helps improve fine lines, smooths skin texture, shrinks pores and stimulates collagen,” says Laura Dyer, MSHS, PA-C.

“The heat from the laser…

helps improve fine lines, smooths skin texture, shrinks pores and stimulates collagen,” says Laura Dyer, MSHS, PA-C.

Dyer confirmed that this is the best treatment for those looking to immediately brighten and smooth the skin’s appearance. “This laser helps skin to appear naturally photoshopped and perfect. Makeup goes on super smooth, photos look flawless, pores are minimized and skin appears to be glowing and fresh.” Sign us up. Treatments start at $500.

What to expect: Prior to your appointment, you don’t have to change a thing. Once you arrive at your dermatology office, your face will be slathered in numbing cream for about 15 minutes. The actual treatment is a mere seven minutes long, Dyer describes the sensation as a “gentle prickly and warming sensation.” Expect to be pink for four to six hours—it shouldn’t last for more than 24 hours. But if you simply must be somewhere, that’s fine too, you can put on makeup right after. You’ll notice improvement for about two to three months afterward.

Aquagold

“Aquagold allows us to microdose combinations…

What it is: Microneedling, as you might already know, is controversial in the beauty world. However, Aquagold is a painless alternative that infuses customized skin cocktails through just 20 microscopic needles made of 24K gold. Each of the hollow needles is smaller in diameter than a piece of hair, allowing the cocktail to penetrate the skin’s surface. What’s in these custom cocktails? A mix of hyaluronic acid, Botox, vitamin complexes and PRP.

“Aquagold allows us to microdose combinations of these results-driven products directly into the skin,” Dyer explains, “which helps to reduce pore size, even out skin tone, minimize fine lines, and improve acne scarring.” Its myriad of benefits includes helping the under eye area, pores on the nose, and horizontal neck lines. “Those with dry skin really like the increase in hydration to their skin as well,” Dyer says. Depending on your custom cocktail, treatments start at $750.

What to expect: This quick and simple treatment starts with a numbing cream applied to the entire face. Once the face is numb, the procedure doesn’t hurt—Dyer describes the feeling as more “annoying” than anything else—a mild, prickly sensation. The result? Glowy, plumped and vibrant skin for two to three months afterward.

“Your fat cells crystallize, freeze and die during the treatment,” Dyer explains.

What it is: The first (and only) FDA cleared, non-surgical fat reduction treatment. Coolsculpting uses patented cooling (well, freezing!) technology to permanently reduce those areas of fat that don’t budge, even with diet and exercise. And guess what? Supermodels have them too. There’s no surgery, no needles and, amazingly, no downtime. During Coolsculpting, “fat cells are exposed to precision cooling for a specific amount of time (35 minutes) causing 20 to 25 percent of your fat cells to crystallize, freeze and die during the treatment,” Dyer explains. The cost of procedure starts at $750 per cycle and up, depending on the size of the area treated.

What to expect: Coolsculpting doesn’t hurt—per se—but it does feel weird. The first three to five minutes feel like your skin is freezing (almost like cryo), but after that, it gets so cold you just go numb and can even have your laptop and answer emails or watch tv, while you wait for your 35 minutes to end. After the treatment you can expect to have a bit of redness for a few hours, some mild numbness for several days, some very mild tenderness and occasionally very mild swelling. After the treatment, there are zero restrictions so a patient can return immediately to all normal activities. “They can go back to work, back to the gym or anything else they would normally do,” Dyer explains. Some changes can be seen as soon as three to four weeks but give it three to four months to realize your final results.

Laura Dyer, MSHS, PA-C on the Latest Treatments in Anti-Aging and More

Trusted dermatologists and plastic surgeons based in New York, Los Angeles, and London weigh in on the latest beliefs and the most effective advanced-technology procedures and injectables.

By Sunhee Grinnell

Vanity Fair: CoolSculpting—what are the true pros and cons?

Laura Dyer: CoolSculpting is the first and only F.D.A.-cleared device for the non-surgical, permanent reduction of fat. It uses a patented cooling technology called Cryolipolysis, which causes fat cells to solidify, freeze, and die during the procedure. It safely and consistently removes 20 to 25 percent of a patient’s diet-and-exercise-resistant fat after each treatment, with no needles, no surgery, and no downtime. The true pros are that it works, it’s safe, and it’s consistently effective. There is no downtime. Plus, since the new generation of applicators last year, the treatment time is now only 35 minutes instead of the full 60 minutes. With the newer, gentler-shaped applicator, one can expect much less bruising, swelling, or tenderness after the procedure. Cons, if any, would be that some patients may need more than just one treatment.

V.F.: Any other fat-reducing procedures that you can recommend?

Laura Dyer: There are a number of treatments out there, such as SculpSure, that have recently come out. However, no treatment has been as safe, well-tolerated, and consistently effective as CoolSculpting. With over four million CoolSculpting treatments done globally over the past eight years, there is lots of data and science to back this up. The same is not true for any of the other technologies, and only time and data will tell if they are, in fact, as safe and effective and CoolSculpting.

V.F.: Tell us what’s different between traditional CoolSculpting and CoolPetit Advantage?

Laura Dyer: The CoolPetit Advantage applicator is a new-generation applicator that allows for a shorter treatment time and less side effects, but compared to the CoolAdvantage applicators, the CoolPetit is a bit smaller, allowing us to treat smaller diet-and-exercise-resistant bulges, and it is F.D.A.-cleared to treat arms.

V.F.: Instead of Botox and fillers, what about one’s own fat injections? Too many risks, because, unlike the typical injections, it’s not reversible?

Laura Dyer: There are several disadvantages with fat injections. First of all, when injecting fat, a provider has to overfill to about 100 percent of the desired correction. This is because 50 percent of what is injected will not take and will die. Which 50 percent will die is not always an exact science. It is hard to finesse and treat delicate areas and create good symmetry with fat, knowing you have to overfill and knowing that fat globules are much larger and less precise than a smooth hyaluronic-acid product. Fat injections can be great to create a new body, shape such a Brazilian butt lift, however, aren't always a great option for filling a patient’s face. Unlike Botox and the H.A.-based fillers that have F.D.A. clearance and that we are currently using now, that can last from one to two years depending on the filler. And because these fillers are fully reversible with an antidote called Vitrase, as a provider we have very good control over what we are injecting, and we know what to expect in regards to results, precision, and longevity of the product. With the new fillers on the market, such as Voluma, Vollure, and Volbella, that last up to two years, 18 months, and 12 months, respectively, there is really no need to undergo the risks, recovery, uncertainty, and downsides of fat injections for treating delicate areas of the face.

Dyer is the Physician Assistant at Dr. Amy Wechsler Dermatology

45 East 85th Street, New York, NY 10028

(212) 396-2500

The 411 on the "Coolaser" Skin Treatment Celebs Swear By

January 17, 2018 by Catherine Conelly

Jenna Dewan Tatum came out singing the praises of Coolaser, and naturally, everyone wants to know what it is, what it does, and how to get it. Much love to JDT (her skin is a force to be reckoned with), but this laser treatment was also popular long before Tatum got on board. In fact, it basically has its own Instagram account, and celebrities have been crediting their flawless skin to it for quite some time.

I reached out to Laura Dyer, who's renowned for her work in clinical and aesthetic skin care, to go deeper.

So what is it? In short, it's a skin-resurfacing treatment that uses a fractional laser. I reached out to Laura Dyer, a physician's assistant and clinician who's renowned for her work in clinical and aesthetic skin care, to go deeper. It just so happens that's exactly what a fractional laser does.

Unlike nonlaser treatments such as a chemical peel or microdermabrasion, a fractional laser targets the deeper layers your skin, essentially encouraging it to create new skin. "It's actually poking tons of tiny little microscopic holes into the tissues, which allows for a much faster healing time [than traditional laser treatments]," says Dyer. It can treat everything from acne scars, stretch marks, and birth marks to brown spots and wrinkles.

However, start Googling derms near you who offer Coolaser and you'll be bummed to discover that it's only available at one office in the country. It's safe to say that its exclusivity probably lends to its popularity. Luckily, Dyer let me in on a little secret. Coolaser isn't the only fractional laser treatment out there. "Every single dermatologist and most plastic surgeons have one in their office," she says. When you pay for Coolaser specifically, you're paying for the name. It's all branding.

Just ask your dermatologist about Fraxel or mention a fractional CO2 laser treatment, and they'll be able to hook you up — though "hooking you up" is probably the wrong term, considering it will still run you between $1,000 and $1,500 per treatment. Still interested? Here's how the treatment typically works.

Numbing cream is the first step. "The laser itself, whether it's Fraxel or Coolaser, they all hurt," says Dyer. Remember, they go pretty deep. Once the laser starts to work its magic, numbing cream in full effect, you're looking at about an hour-long treatment process. "It feels warm. It can feel prickly — like a pretty major sunburn during the treatment — and then you may feel like you have a minor sunburn for one to two hours after the treatment."

It can work wonders for heavy scarring, wrinkles, and pigmentation issues like brown spots. However, you will be rocking a pink face for a couple days and it can take anywhere between two to five days of social downtime before you're back to normal. There's redness. There's peeling. And it's best to avoid makeup. You'll want at least five days off work — sometimes more, sometimes less — depending on the level of treatment. So put your feet up, queue up your latest Netflix favorite, and get ready to binge.

Avoiding sun exposure is a must. In fact, Dyer says to continue avoiding the sun for four weeks after the initial five days of recovery. For that reason, wintertime is generally the best time to schedule your visit. You may see some residual pinkness in the weeks following the treatment, but for the most part, "totally worth it" will probably be at the top of your vocab list.

Doctors’ Tips for Getting Red-Carpet-Ready from New York

Eight East Coast solutions for when you have so much to do and so little time

by SunHee Grinnell February 14, 2017 10:09 am

Doctors’ Tips: Getting Red-Carpet-Ready from New York

We asked the following cosmetic-dermatology gurus based in New York what one could do as a quick fix, with zero downtime and 10 days left to the Oscars. Here’s what they had to say:

Dr. Amy Wechsler, M.D. —Dr. Amy Wechsler Dermatology, at 3 East 69th Street

Clear + Brilliant is the go-to treatment to get your skin red-carpet-ready. It leaves your skin glowing and illuminated while plumping fine lines and wrinkles, and also evens out skin tone and texture with zero downtime.

“Volbella (by Allergan, the makers of Botox) is the newest (injectable) treatment to achieve the ultimate, natural-looking, fuller lips that will make your pout camera-ready, which everyone is now craving.”

— Laura Dyer, MSHS, PA-C —Dr. Amy Wechsler Dermatology, at 3 East 69th Street

Dr. Gervaise Gerstner, M.D. —Gervaise Gertsner, M.D. Dermatology, at 730 Park Avenue

Micro Channelling/Micro Needling stimulates the release of epidermal growth factors while infusing stem-cell serum into the skin, resulting in the softening of fine lines, wrinkles, and scars. Recommended two days prior to Oscar; then, one day prior, try Vintner’s Daughter Active Botanical Serum for face. Gently press into skin to nourish the dermis.