It’s not uncommon for people to approach cosmetic treatments based on what they’ve seen work well on a celebrity. A patient will point to Jennifer Lopez’s brows or Kylie Jenner’s lips and order it like it’s on a menu.
But treatments such as a browlift or lip augmentation can better benefit you when they’re in the hands of someone who understands how your face can be best enhanced.
Rochester, NY dermatologist Lesley Loss, MD is focused on personalizing treatments to achieve the best outcome for her patients, and to avoid the “same face” problem. The popular aesthetic, also called Instagram Face, is one you’ve seen before: high cheekbones, pouty mouth, cat eye.
Highlighting Unique Features
Rather than copy-pasting features onto a patient regardless of the underlying structure, Dr. Loss approaches cosmetic treatment based on the patient first.
“I like to approach each patient individually,” Dr. Loss says. “I find it very helpful if the patient has photos of themselves when they were younger to help determine which treatments can bring them back to where they used to be.”
By using reference photos of the patient instead of a celebrity, Dr. Loss can effectively treat the signs of aging and achieve a rewinding of the clock that doesn’t look unnatural.
“My favorite outcomes are the minor tweaks, where people feel improvement in their appearance, but nobody can tell they had something done,” Dr. Loss explains. “Lip filler is a prime example—I love doing lips because there are ways of achieving restored volume without it looking overfilled.”
Stimulating Collagen
Dr. Loss uses biostimulatory injectables, which stimulates new tissue growth in the deeper layers of the skin instead of injecting them with volume filler directly. This means it can take from 6-8 weeks post-injection to see the full result, which lasts up to two years.
Her goal is to improve a patient’s appearance without obvious signs of recent work. “It is also worth noting that good treatment with injectables and lasers should be subtle and hard to identify what the patient had done,” Dr. Loss says.
Meeting Expectations
According to Dr. Loss, the best way to achieve results like this is through active listening.
“Active listening is the most important component to delivering natural results that are difficult to detect,” she explains. “I try to hear what the patient is looking for and deliver a result that is both aligned with their desires, but also not going to leave my ‘signature’ so others know I performed the treatment.”
The goal is always to allow patients to feel refreshed and help them age gracefully while preserving their individuality. She spends time coming to understand a patient’s wants, educating patients on what the treatments are capable of, and to plan the best course of treatments to achieve a look that seamlessly rejuvenates the face.
“It is important that we have a mutual understanding of what the treatments can and cannot do,” Dr. Loss says. “I find that if we can reach this understanding, we are both pleased with the outcome!”
