Four main procedures fall under the category of medical dermatology: lasers, fillers, injectables and cosmeceuticals. Dr. Todd Minars, who joined his father’s dermatology practice, Minars Dermatology, in Hollywood, Florida in 2002, talks here about what these different terms all mean.
The broadest definition of cosmetic dermatology is the study of procedures and products that will make you look better, or make your skin look better. It is a specialized branch of dermatology that is concerned with maintaining, improving or restoring your appearance, and can apply to everything from the face to the neck to the feet – and everything in between.
Several main categories, or types of procedures, fall under the category of cosmetic dermatology, and my main interest as far as cosmetic dermatology is concerned would be the first three. The four are:
- Lasers: When it comes to lasers, the biggest procedure is probably hair removal. It’s the most popular as everyone has hair, and a lot of people have hair they don’t want. Another popular laser technique is what we call laser resurfacing, or laser peels, which are used to treat sun damage or wrinkles. Then we also have lasers that target specific things, such as getting rid of spider veins, attacking redness and age spots, and treating acne scars. Those are all things which fall under the guise of cosmetic laser dermatology.
- Injectables: Relaxers make up the first main category, such as BOTOX and Dysport. They are mainly used for the upper half of the face, for what we call dynamic wrinkles such as frown and smile lines which are caused from movement. BOTOX is probably still the most popular today, which we administer in our office.
- Fillers: Fillers are used for the lower half of the face, treating lines caused by volume loss. Examples would be your nasolabial folds, lines which go from your nose to the corners of your mouth, or your marionette lines, lines which appear from your lips down to the chin. Major players in the filler category are Restylane and Juvederm, but they are always coming out with new stuff in the fillers category, there are new fillers coming out almost every month. Next year we may have five more for all we know.
- Cosmeceuticals: These are largely something in between a cosmetic and a pharmaceutical, like Provage, La Mer and Vectin, all of which are anti-aging creams. A lot are sold over the counter and some are available only by prescription.
Cosmetic dermatology does not concern itself with life-threatening diseases such as skin cancer, but it can be important for those who have issues with the way they look. Visit only a board-certified dermatologist and you can’t go wrong.
For example, a lot of people try to give BOTOX these days; some people tell me their dentist even does it. But it’s better to have it done by a dermatologist. Being trained as a dermatologist you are taught to understand the anatomy of the face, and you often have to cut out things from the face such as skin cancer, so you are familiar with that.
Dermatologists are already trained to do other injectables, so BOTOX is sort of a natural extension of that. In fact, it was actually a dermatologist who discovered the cosmetic use for BOTOX, which illustrates how familiar we are with what we do.
The information in the article is not intended to substitute for the medical expertise and advice of your healthcare provider. We encourage you to discuss any decisions about treatment or care with an appropriate healthcare provider.
