UCLA’s Cosmetic Dermatology program offers the newest, most advanced treatment options to help restore a healthier, youthful appearance. Our nationally known, skilled dermatologists specialize in a variety of procedures and services to improve and enhance your skin.
We use minimally invasive techniques to help you achieve your goals for the cosmetic management of your skin. Our board-certified specialists work together with you to tailor a plan to address your specific needs and concerns. Among the areas that we evaluate and treat are:
Throughout our lives, we contract and relax our facial muscles thousands of times a day as we smile, laugh, and frown. Over time, these muscle movements can lead to wrinkles and lines on our face.
FDA-approved botulinum toxins (Botox®) safely and effectively diminish the movement of these muscles so that the wrinkles and lines become much softer or disappear altogether. Our cosmetic dermatologists use advanced techniques so that you achieve a beautiful, youthful appearance without looking unnatural or "frozen."
Aging, sunlight and skin conditions such as acne or rosacea can all lead to changes in the texture and appearance of the skin’s upper layers. A chemical peel involves applying a chemical solution to the skin that removes portions of the upper layers. Healthy skin underneath replaces the damaged layers and reveals a more youthful and natural skin tone and texture.
The type of peel used depends on individual goals and skin type. Your cosmetic dermatologist will discuss this selection in detail during a consultation with you. Chemical peels can improve:
As we age, our facial volume decreases. This loss of volume leads to excess loose skin, creating deep lines, folds and wrinkles on our face, around the eyes, nose and lips.
Our cosmetic dermatologists use the following soft tissue fillers to restore lost tissue volume and recreate a youthful, natural appearance:
These naturally occurring substances can also be injected into depressed scars to soften their appearance. Depending on the specific soft tissue filler we use and each patient’s unique condition, the treatment benefits could last from 3 to 10 months.
The aging process can cause roughness, textural changes and discolorations of the top layer of the skin, known as the epidermis. Our cosmetic dermatologists treat these conditions with microdermabrasion, a procedure using small crystals to gently exfoliate this top layer of skin.
Cosmetic results include a smooth, rested, and youthful appearance. Microdermabrasion can also be used to help improve skin conditions such as:
Many people develop small "spider" veins on their legs as a result of genetic factors, prolonged standing and other causes. Patients may find these veins unsightly and embarrassing. Sclerotherapy offers a safe and effective treatment for spider veins.
Our cosmetic dermatologists inject a small amount of hypertonic saline, a specialized form of concentrated salt water, into the veins to make them shrink or disappear altogether. Sclerotherapy works best on small, superficial veins of the legs. Depending on your individual condition, you may need a series of treatments.
Aging, sunlight, and skin conditions can lead to conditions such as brown spots and roughness in the upper layers of the skin. Laser skin resurfacing uses a specific laser to remove or peel the top layers of the skin. The healthy underlying skin replaces the damaged layers and reveals more youthful, natural skin tone and texture.
At the UCLA Dermatology and Laser Center, our nationally recognized leaders in the field specialize in using novel laser technologies to resurface your skin to improve overall tone, texture, discoloration, scarring, fine lines and wrinkles.
At UCLA Cosmetic Dermatology, our specialists use fractionated laser treatment, or fractional photothermolysis, to treat problems in the upper layer of skin. Traditional lasers use a single beam of light to treat the entire skin. Fractional photothermolysis uses thousands of tiny columns of light to treat small areas of the skin.
Patients may see noticeable improvement in skin tone, texture, discoloration, scarring, fine lines and wrinkles after each treatment. Most patients require a series of 3 to 6 treatments for both short- and long-term effects. This procedure can safely treat many skin types with minimal downtime and side effects.
Photofacial treatments use intense pulsed light (IPL) or broadband light (BBL) sources to rejuvenate the skin. The IPL or BBL device emits multiple wavelengths of light to target signs of sun damage during a single treatment session. Photofacial rejuvenation can simultaneously treat these symptoms:
For best results, we often use light source rejuvenation in combination with other treatments:
Dilated veins can develop on any area of the body, but they are particularly common on the face and legs. At UCLA Dermatology, we use lasers heat and target the hemoglobin inside the affected blood vessels. The heat causes the blood vessels to shrink and become less visible.
We can treat different veins with different types of lasers, depending on the size and depth of the blood vessels. Many patients notice improvement in the vessel after one to a few treatment sessions.
One of the most common dermatologic procedures we perform is laser tattoo removal. At the UCLA Dermatology and Laser Center, we realize how important it is to use the correct laser and settings to produce the best outcome.
Lasers produce a specific wavelength of light that is absorbed by the tattoo ink. As the ink absorbs the energy from the laser, the ink breaks apart into smaller pieces. Over a series of treatments, the tattoo fades as your body absorbs the small pieces of ink. Results vary among patients based on the extent and colors of the tattoo, density of ink and location on the body.
Physicians at the UCLA Dermatology and Laser Center use lasers and light source treatment to treat a range of cosmetic conditions, including:
For more information on any of our cosmetic dermatology treatments or to request a consultation with one of our cosmetic dermatologists, please call (310) 206-SKIN (7546).
