Shopping
When you're an expert on every treatment on the market, what do you choose for your own face and body?
Written by Michelle Thomas | Published on December 12, 2014
Cheryl Burgess, 56
Medical directordermatologist
Center for Dermatology and Dermatologic Surgery, in DC
Reducing Sun Damage
In addition to using anti-aging products such as an antioxidant-loaded sunscreen and oral sun-protection supplements such as Heliocare, Burgess uses a retinol—she likes Avène’s Rétrinal—at night to help even out her complexion.
Targeting Wrinkles
“I have had dermal fillers in areas where my natural facial fat is wasting away with age and neuromodulators—Botox, Dysport, or Xeomin—in my frown lines to prevent etched-in lines or creasing of my forehead,” says Burgess, who is careful about the application: “It is very important for me to appear natural in my expression when I am appearing on my weekly news segment on NBC4.”
Tighter Skin
Burgess gets Vanquish and Pellevé treatments to keep the skin taut on her face, neck, and abdomen. Both nonsurgical procedures use radiofrequency waves to heat the skin, resulting in fat-zapping and skin-tightening.
Attacking Cellulite
Burgess relies on her Vibra Therapy device—a machine that uses full-body vibration to tone and firm muscles—daily to reduce the appearance of cellulite.
Softer Lips
To combat dry, chapped lips, Burgess injects small drops of Juvéderm into her lips to keep them moisturized. “Juvéderm is a hyaluronic-acid filler that draws water to the sites of injection,” she says. “Therefore, it rejuvenates the lips without enlarging them.”
Philip S. Schoenfeld, 52
Facial plastic surgeon RenuDr. Schoenfeld
Smoother Skin
“I have excellent estheticians who work for me at Renu—they are constantly on me about skin care,” says Schoenfeld. “I have microdermabrasions performed with the SilkPeel machine. It is relaxing, and my skin feels great afterwards.” He follows up with Neocutis eye cream to help soften fine lines caused by sun damage, Obagi Medical Hydrate facial moisturizer, and Elta MD sunscreen.
Shots to the Brow
Schoenfeld routinely injects Botox or a similar wrinkle reducer, Xeomin, to his glabella—the area between the eyebrows—to eliminate vertical frown lines. “I am not concerned as much about the wrinkling as I am about the emotion those lines convey,” he says. “My family would ask what was wrong while I was thinking, and I didn’t understand their question. Then I looked at those frown lines and knew that I had to do something.”
No More Love Handles
Schoenfeld decided to test out Slim-Lipo—a body-sculpting technology that uses lasers in a less invasive surgical liposuction technique—before he invested in it for his office. “I played sports in college and work out routinely,” he says. Still, “I had these small love handles since I was in my teens and figured, ‘Why not?’ It was extremely effective and a simple recovery. I was back at work the next day.”
Samantha Toerge, 37
Dermatologist Chevy Chase Dermatology Center
Lip Service
Toerge uses Restylane, an injectable filler, in her cheeks and lips: “I’ve used small amounts to replace volume in my cheeks where I’ve lost fat pads as I’ve aged. I’ve also used Restylane to add volume to my lower lip. The most important part is to maintain the natural proportions, which is a one-third-to-two-thirds ratio for the upper-to-lower lip. When this isn’t obeyed, there’s an unnatural look.” The injection is with a small needle. “There’s risk of swelling and a bruise for about a week, but this can be covered with makeup.”
Shots to the Brow
“I have a hyper-dynamic forehead,” says Toerge, who relies on a temporary muscle paralyzer—Botox, Dysport, or Xeomin—to prevent the “etching of lines” in that area. “I also use this between my eyebrows and around my eyes to decrease movement-associated lines.” The injections are done with a small needle, and she says there’s “minimal to no downtime.”
Getting the Red Out
“I have rosacea, which periodically flares,” says Toerge. “In addition to using topical creams, I use a Vbeam pulsed-dye laser to reduce redness and eradicate broken blood vessels. I also use this laser to get rid of small vessels on my legs. This produces a bruise that lasts about one week. The laser feels like a flash of light and a rubber-band snap.”
Smoother Skin
For a nice glow, Toerge occasionally gets a chemical peel: “Usually the peeling starts about 48 hours after the procedure and lasts about a week, but this is dependent on the type of peel.” She usually goes for either a mild salicylic acid if she’s having acne breakouts or a modified trichloroacetic acid peel when she’s hoping to minimize fine lines.
Hair No More
To rid herself of leg hair, Toerge underwent multiple sessions of laser hair removal. “It is great to not have to shave my legs,” she says.
This article appears in the December 2014 issue of Washingtonian.
