Dermatologist Noëlle Sherber and plastic surgeon Ariel Rad share top treatments and procedures for erasing facial fatigue this summer.
Doctors Noëlle Sherber and Ariel Rad. Photo by Tony Powell.
Congress is in recess, the social season has come to a grinding halt and families are headed to the shore. But doctors Noëlle Sherber and Ariel Rad, the duo behind boutique dermatology and plastic surgery practice Sherber + Rad will be busy at the office all summer long. That’s because an increasing number of savvy Washingtonians, from government officials to media personalities, are using their “vacation” time to get small tweaks from the genial and knowledgeable husband and wife team. Among the most popular treatments and procedures: a gentle laser, a soft filler and a lower eyelid lift with fat transfer from your abdomen. The results? A well-rested look that will make people think you just had a really, really good vacation.
PERMÉA LASER: In the summer months, Sherber recommends treatment on the face, neck and décolleté with Perméa, a gentle laser that helps get rid of sun damage by encouraging skin cell turnover and stimulating collagen production. “It’s called Perméa because it enhances the permeability of skin afterwards,” she says, “like aerating the lawn.” She takes advantage of that permeability by infusing the skin with antioxidants, which help fight DNA damage. The laser treatment takes only a few minutes and feels a little like hot pin pricks. Your face will be flushed for a couple of hours afterwards and may be dry and sandpapery until the skin begins to turn over, in about five to seven days. (From $500)
VOLLURE FILLER: The newest filler to be approved by the FDA for treatment of nasolabial folds (think laugh or marionette lines around the nose and mouth), is Juvenderm’s Vollure. It’s been called “the filler of the future” not only because results last 18 months, but because it is softer and more flexible than previous injectibles, making it nearly undetectable. Sherber uses a light hand when injecting Vollure, using only a small quantity “to take the edge off,” she says.“It’s about softening shadows so that people feel like they have a little bit of uplighting.” Minor bruising at the injection site can be easily covered by makeup. Tenderness may last a couple of days. ($950/syringe)
BLEPHAROPLASTY WITH FACIAL FAT TRANSFER: When it comes to surgical procedures, Rad says “People want to focus on targeted improvements … specific areas that can convey to another person that they’re looking a little tired, for example under-eye bags.” Lower eye lid blepharoplasty is the removal of those under-eye bags. Rad performs the procedure by going inside the eyelid so that no external scars are visible. Removing the bags can leave a hollow space under the eyes, so Rad takes fat from the abdomen and, after purifying it, injects it into the hollow under the eye like a filler. The surgery is performed under anesthesia in a hospital and takes about two hours. Patients experience a moderate amount of swelling and a little bit of bruising, but downtime is only about a week. (From $7,500)
This story appeared in the Summer 2017 issue of Washington Life Magazine.
