The Academy Awards are nearly upon us, and every attendee wants to be his/her best foot -- and face -- forward. Toofab caught up with Dr. Gene Rubinstein, M.D., F.A.A.D., American Board Certified Dermatologist of the Dermatology & Laser Centre of Studio City to talk about the treatments stars go through to look picture perfect on the big day.
Find out what the most popular procedures are and why Angelina Jolie is very polarizing in the world of cosmetic surgery.
toofab: What are the common procedures stars like to do before hitting the red carpet?
Dr. Rubinstein: The most common procedures before red carpet appearances are Botox, wrinkle fillers and skin brightening/plumping treatments such as oxygen facials.
toofab: How far in advance do they need to get these procedures? What is the recovery time?
Dr. Rubinstein: For Botox and fillers, we prefer 2-3 weeks prior to big events because it allows time for any swelling and possible bruising to subside and the product to settle in nicely and look natural.
toofab: What's the No. 1 procedure female celebs ask for?
Dr. Rubinstein: Botox, Restylane and Juvederm are most popular. But PhotoFacials and chemical peels are a close second. Depending on the age of the celebrity, we recommend Photofacial to be the first step in any rejuvenation program. Removing old sun damage and evening out the skin tone is very important for today's high definition cameras.
toofab: What's the No. 1 procedure male celebs as for?
Dr. Rubinstein: Men prefer to look natural. Most men in their 30s ask for Botox. Later in life, Restylane in the nasolabial folds is most popular. [I've] developed a very natural looking technique to achieve the elimination of lines, while keeping the male celebs looking natural. This is most important to the men. We see a lot of male patients in the music industry. Hard living often leaves prematurely aged skin, hollowness of the cheeks and acne scars. These can all be addressed with skillful injections of fillers such as Restylane and Sculptra, which replaces facial volume.
Celebs such as Brad Pitt have been rumored to have had Sculptra to keep the naturally looking youthful appearance and facial volume*. We also repair acne scars with Fraxel which smoothes out the skin, but also has a very natural result.
toofab: They say the mark of a good plastic surgeon is that changes are very subtle. How can you tell someone has had bad cosmetic surgery?
Dr. Rubinstein: From the female patients, anyone who overdoes their lips with permanent fillers and lip implants looks fake and overdone. That's not the style anymore. The facelifts of today have become much more natural looking. The older celebrities even look better because as they aged and their skin stretched, the touch up procedures are more natural today.
toofab: What procedures are the “it” procedures and what procedures do you think will be hot in the coming year?
Dr. Rubinstein: I think Sculptra, a biostimulant which helps replace volume loss, is the most recent advancement in dermatology that I find to be one which will have staying power. Fractional laser resurfacing such as Fraxel and Active FX (encore, Lumenis, Inc.) are also excellent ways to keep skin looking young. Today, it's all about prevention. Even procedures such as Botox and fillers help prevent wrinkles from forming and etching themselves in the skin. Its difficult to reverse damage once its done.
toofab: What's the most-requested celebrity body part?
Dr. Rubinstein: People either want Angelina Jolie's lips, or they say that they don't. They definitely do not want large, fake looking lips. As for what they do want, everyone wants to look natural. It's a huge stigma in Hollywood today. Nobody wants to look like they had something done, but everyone has!
For even more information about the procedures mentioned in this article, be sure to check out Dr. Rubinstein website here.
*Editor's note: toofab has not verified that Brad Pitt has undergone Sculptra or any cosmetic procedure.
