Get your Face Camera-Ready for Fashion Week

Countless hours are spent preparing fashions for the walk down the runway or across the red carpet.   What’s not covered by fabric often makes just as big a statement as the clothes themselves.  Cameras don’t miss anything—including your skin.  While models in general have  god-given beauty, there are several quick and effective treatments to help enhance anyone’s look as they prepare for Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week.  Dr. David Shafer, Manhattan-based, board-certified celebrity plastic surgeon discusses non-invasive treatments that will have you ready for the runway and the paparazzi.

Dermal Fillers

Cheek definition can transform a square or oblong faces.  Accentuating the underlying cheekbones with dermal fillers such as Juvederm®, Restylane®, Belotero® or Radiesse® is a quick and effective method of enhancing cheek, jaw line, chin and even your nose definition.

Performed in a single office visit under local anesthesia, dermal filler injections are often viewed as a temporary injectable implant.  Modern-day dermal fillers are injected through the skin and are made of natural substances that are normally found in the body.   The Hyaluronic Acid or HA fillers smooth moderate wrinkles, replace missing volume, and add enhanced definition instantly.  The product is then naturally metabolized over the next 6 to 12 months leaving no permanent change.

The hydroxyapatite-based dermal filler Radiesse® is great for cheek and chin augmentation, lasts a little longer, but cannot be melted away.  Other products such as Sculptra Aesthetic® last a few years and are excellent for generalized volume, but require two to three treatments spread out over several months to achieve the full effect.

HA dermal fillers (Juvederm®, Restylane®, Belotero®) have completely replaced collagen when it comes to lip enhancements.  While collagen injections often lead to over filled or a swollen look to the lips, the HA fillers can be injected in minute quantities and through smaller needles to leave a more natural feel and noninjected look.

Dermal fillers work through adding volume but can also be used to help subtly lift loose areas of the face.  This is best seen with injections under the eyebrow.  As we age or just due to normal anatomy, the eyebrow may look tired or have lack of shape.  Injecting small quantities of dermal filler along the supraorbital ridge under the eyebrow can enhance the shape of the eyebrow, lift the skin and help achieve a more relaxed and awake look to the upper face.  When combined with Botox Cosmetic® to the crow’s feet around the lateral eye, the lifting effect can be dramatic.

Botox Cosmetic®

The days of “over done” Botox are history.  While the mechanism of Botulinum toxin found in Botox Cosmetic®, Dypsort®, Xeomin® and Myobloc® is to paralyze or soften muscle action, the art of injecting Botox is to achieve a youthful harmony of muscle action in the face.  Through the use of micro-Botox and highly specific injections, the treatments can transform the face by substantially reducing dynamic wrinkles, softening static lines and balance animation of the face to achieve a refreshed and relaxed look.   Results generally take 3 to 5 days to appear and last for 3 to 5 months with each treatment.

The most common area for injecting Botox Cosmetic® is between the eyebrows to soften the “11’s” formed when frowning, in the forehead to reduce the transverse wrinkles, and around the eyes to soften the crow’s feet with smiling and squinting.  However, the sophisticated injector can use a combination of Botox Cosmetic® to not only soften muscle action but to form a new balance which enhances the height, width and shape of the eyebrows.  When Botox Cosmetic® is combined with dermal fillers in the upper face, the results can be dramatic.

Chemical Peels

While dermal fillers and Botox Cosmetic® work from under the skin, the surface of the skin can be just as important when maximizing your look.  There are a variety of chemical peels that can help to quickly transform your skin and help reveal your inner beauty.  Ranging from mild “lunchtime” peels (Glycolic Acid & Salicylic Acid) to moderate (VIPeel® ) to deeper (TCA or Phenol).  Combined with the proper pre- and postprocedure skin care regimen, a chemical peel achieves a deep exfoliation, tightening of fine lines and wrinkles, stimulation of collagen and improving the skin’s appearance with a brighter, healthier glow.  A moderate peel such as the VIPeel®, combines some of the milder peel ingredients such as Salicylic Acid and Retinol with the stronger ingredients in the deeper peels such as TCA and Phenol.  The VIPeel system balances the ingredients to achieve a deeper peel with less recovery and downtime.

Depending on the peel, recovery can be just a few hours for mild peels to a week or more for the deeper peels.  Care must also be taken to prevent hyperpigmentation and over-drying of the skin, so it is important to follow the pre- and postprocedure protocols.   For lasting effects, chemical peels can be combined with medical facials and also with daily treatments with prescription medications such as Retin-A® to help stimulate collagen, thin the out layer of the skin and thicken the deeper layers of the skin to help reduce and prevent wrinkles.

 Pre-Fashion Week Timeline

 Botox Cosmetic®, dermal fillers and chemical peels can all be performed on the same visit or separate visits to your plastic surgeon.  Though the safety profile is excellent, it is important to always keep in mind the small chance of bruising and or swelling after the treatments.  While you can return to work the day after any of these treatments, you do not want to wait until the day before your special event to have your treatments.  It is recommended to have your treatments at least three weeks prior to any important event to give time for any swelling to resolve from the dermal fillers.

Dr. David Shafer is a New York City‒double board certified plastic surgeon, a diplomate of the American Board of Plastic Surgery, a member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, and a fellow of the American College of Surgeons. Dr. Shafer is trained in all aspects of plastic and reconstructive surgery, but specializes in aesthetic surgery. With an eye for achieving natural looking results, Dr. Shafer has repeatedly been voted TOP DOC for Botox, Liposuction, Tummy Tuck, and Facelift among many other categories.

W Magazine featured Dr. Shafer as a “Beauty Talent soon to be on your speed-dial” and he was recently seen in Men’s Health discussing liposuction.  Dr. Shafer’s passion for innovation, technology, and improving the overall patient experience, has led him to create the world’s first ever plastic surgery and medical tourism iPhone Apps. He also recently launched the world’s first Vectra XT 3D Imaging System, allowing patients to view a 3D simulated breast augmentation, liposuction, mommy makeover, facelift, rhinoplasty, and virtually any procedure on their own body prior to their surgery  Dr. Shafer see consultations in his Midtown office and performs surgery in his Upper East Side surgical suite. 

Consultations can be arranged by calling 212-888-7770, or  emailing info@ShaferPlasticSurgery.com or visiting www.ShaferPlasticSurgery.com.

 —Dr. David Shafer