Are Botox and fillers on the way out? Hollywood's hottest cosmetic procedure doesn't involve any surgery, injections, or pain. toofab caught up with celebrity dermatologist Dr. Harold Lancer in Beverly Hills (where else?) to talk about the newest trend: the Venus Freeze.
"It's incredibly popular because it's painless and it works," Dr. Lancer says.
So how does it work? There's actually no freezing involved. Radio waves are transmitted through a handpiece to do controlled heating of tissue.
"Whether it's the knees, elbows, the belly area, the butt area, the neck area, the face, the eyebrow area -- when skin is heated thoroughly with the radio wave, it releases proteins that stimulate a signal in fibroblast cells that makes new collagen and elastic tissue," Dr. Lancer explained.
The result? Firmer skin anywhere on the body you want.
"The new trend in the cosmetic arena is not so much toxins like Botox. It's not so much fillers like Restylane and Juveederm. The consumer wants a more holistic approach of lifting tissue," he continued.
At $400-600 per treatment, the Venus Freeze is less expensive than many other procedures. It's also safe because there's no risk of infection. Like any beauty treatment, it does require maintenance.
Dr. Lancer recommends getting them once a week for 4-6 weeks, and then once every couple of months for best effect. Most of his patients start the program in their late 20s and early 30s, with the neck and jawline being the most popular area.
Dr. Lancer's office does ten Venus Freeze appointments daily. The day before the Golden Globes, they were booked from 6:30am to 6:30pm. Now that we've put the spotlight on the treatment, expect the waiting list to get even longer!
For more on Dr. Lancer, his skin care line and services, click here.