Cosmetic Dermatology

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.

Contact Us

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). Consultation visits with our skilled dermatologists are offered at a minimal consultation fee to discuss your treatment goals. This fee is non-refundable and is due when you check in for your visit.

Cosmetic Dermatology Services at UCLA

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:

• Skin care, including:
  • Botulinum toxin (Botox®/Dysport®)
  • Chemical peels
  • Cosmetic soft tissue fillers
  • Microneedling
  • Sclerotherapy
  • Laser skin resurfacing
  • Fractionated laser treatment
  • Photofacial and light source rejuvenation
  • Laser vein treatments
• Laser and light source procedures

Botulinum Toxin (Botox®/Dysport®)

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."

Chemical Peels

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:

• Roughness
• Brown discoloration
• Sun damage
• Scarring
• Fine lines
• Wrinkles

Cosmetic Soft Tissue Fillers

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:

• Juvederm®
• Restylane®
• Belotero®
• Radiesse®

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.

Microneedling

This procedure is most commonly used to improve the appearance of acne scarring, signs of aging on the face such as fine lines or wrinkles and skin texture, and to treat stretch marks and keloid scars.

Microneedling is a non-invasive procedure with minimal downtime that uses fine needles to puncture the skin and create a controlled skin injury in order to rejuvenate and repair the skin. These micro-injuries stimulate the body’s natural healing process, and the renewed production of collagen and elastin produce smoother, plumper-looking skin.

Sclerotherapy

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.

Laser Skin Resurfacing

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.

Fractionated Laser Treatment

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 and Light Source Rejuvenation

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:

• Brown spots
• Redness
• Rosacea
• Fine lines
• Pore size

For best results, we often use light source rejuvenation in combination with other treatments:

• Laser therapy
• Botulinum toxin therapy
• Cosmetic fillers

Laser Vein 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.

Laser and Light Procedures

Physicians at the UCLA Dermatology and Laser Center use lasers and light source treatment to treat a range of cosmetic conditions, including:

• Dilated blood vessels
• Veins
• Vascular malformations
• Unwanted tattoos
• Fine lines
• Skin texture
• Brown spots
• Skin elasticity