Under the Knife! Celebrity Cosmetic Surgeon Dr. Jason Emer Reveals Which Procedure Is Most In-Demand
What procedures are the most common among the rich and famous?
That’s a good question, but there is really no discrepancy between the rich and famous versus the average person, it’s just more or less whether or not they can afford it. Most of the innovative treatments I offer are suitable for anyone looking to preserve their youth; men and women of all ages and demographics. That said, it comes down to budget, as the most effective treatments are pricey. On the lower end, lighter treatments like SaltFacial, Botox, and micro-needling with PRP (also known as a Vampire Facial) are effective and affordable and can run $250 to $1500 per session.
Many of my high-profile clients who want big results with minimal downtime choose newer treatments which incorporate stem cells, stronger lasers, heat and energy to tighten skin by penetrating the deep dermis. During awards season, for example, there was a huge demand for Fractora, Morpheus and Thermage – these treatments yield phenomenal, long-lasting results and can run $3000 – $4000 per treatment, typically done once a year, but those who can afford it are doing it every month or two, that’s the secret.
In some cases, my patients request specialized infusion facial treatments in the privacy of their own home, so we’ll do a quick SaltFacial or DermalInfusion Silk Peel on them before a red carpet event to keep their skin clear, fresh and radiant. We’re also doing a lot of fine fillers that are soft and subtle, (examples would be Belotero and Restylane Refyne) to fill out the lip border and fine lines to keep skin looking hydrated and healthy, always avoiding that overdone look. It’s all about encompassing a treatment plan of micro-augmentations to address all the aspects of aging including texture of the skin, volume-loss, sagging, hyper-pigmentation, tone and movement. Everyone loves the instant gratification of a great result, but keeping up with preventative treatments is key.
You took on patients with HIV and the results were rewarding for both you and the patients. I found that to be very admirable because it says so much about you — not only as a doctor, but as a human being. Can you tell me more about that?
So about 13 years ago, when I started in New York, there were very few people who were treating HIV patients. I actually ran a clinic downtown. I had patients who were doing general dermatology but they had facial wasting, they had acne scars and nobody was really treating them. the filler companies at that time were not really doing things for free, so I kind of wrote the filler companies and actually, almost all of them started a project where they gave free product for residency programs and the Sculptra company (Galderma) … gave me a bunch of vials to treat my HIV patients if they made under $30,000 a year. So I started this clinic on Saturdays and it went from like, a couple patients to like, 50 patients to over a hundred patients. And actually, at the time, after six years of being here, it became a cosmetic clinic for the residents for cheaper costs for other things. So it became a clinic that if you wanted filler, the residents would do it for less of a cost, so we did it for training. But it was very rewarding. I had patients who were in car accidents and got HIV, everyone always thinks it’s from being gay or doing drugs, but this person got it from a blood transfusion. The husband and wife both couldn’t get jobs, they did two Sculptra treatments and their lives changed because it filled out their faces and they got jobs. People always thought, ‘They’re on drugs,” but they were not. That’s how I ended up doing a lot of cosmetics. I started doing fillers and lasers for those patients. Every time I called companies they would bring me devices. And now I have a very significant following of patients, specifically in West Hollywood, who have no problem coming to me for treatment because they feel safe and comfortable.
