Top doctor fills us in on ‘New New’ Face: Fredric Brandt used his own face to develop no-surgery approach
Dr. Fredric Brandt defies all assumptions of what a person should look like at 60.
Despite the giveaway of a wispy head of golden-white hair, you’d think he wasn’t a minute past 30. His skin is as plump as a baby’s and is stripped clean of any markings. No wrinkles, no sun spots, no pigmentation.
I met the designer-clad dermatologist in a private suite at Toronto’s Four Seasons Hotel and his youth-defying complexion befits his infectious energy and is a prime example of what he is most celebrated for: restoring the youthful shape of a face without plastic surgery.
Dubbed the New New Face, this look champions a heart-shaped face with defined jawline and plumped-up cheekbones, rendering the old-fashioned facelift redundant.
It’s a Hollywood look exemplified by Brandt’s most famous client, Madonna, along with model Stephanie Seymour and actresses Demi Moore and Michelle Pfeiffer.
He was the first to introduce green tea into skincare, and to offer at-home products that mimic the doctor’s office, such as his pore- purifying Vacuum Cleaner serum and skin-sloughing Microdermabrasion Exfoliating Face Cream.
Brandt’s office is the world’s largest user of Botox and his A-list patients wait months to spend mere minutes with him.
But he isn’t a miracle worker. Brandt uses science to restore the volume we lose as we age with a series of techniques he perfected and tested on himself using filler, Botox and collagen injections.
When it comes to plastic surgery, there has been a distinct backlash on looking “overdone.” We’re seeing it in the celebrity faces of today, thanks to Brandt.
Q: It’s been well- documented that you experiment with fillers on yourself. What do you use?
A: I have no secrets about that. I’m a big fan of Restylane and Perlane. Those are hyaluronic acid-based fillers.
I have my own method where I use these fillers to restore the youthful contours of the face. So on myself I use the fillers to build up my cheekbones and fill in the undereye areas and the hollows and then also to restore my jawline.
I don’t want to have a facelift so I use all these fillers to do what a facelift can’t do.
Q: Do you use fillers or lasers on your hands ? They’re unbelievable smooth and spot-free for your age.
A: I don’t do anything. I put my products on but that’s about it.
Q: You don’t even have sunspots.
A: I’m very diligent about sun and sunscreen. That’s the one mistake people make – they don’t wear sunscreen every day. You have to realize that even through a window you get UVA or longwave ultraviolet damage, even in your car. A lot of people have more spots and wrinkles on the left side of the face from driving, so that’s why it’s so important to wear sunblock.
Q: Are you an anti-surgery advocate?
A: I’m not anti-surgery. I think that surgery does have its place but I think a lot of the changes that occur when we age are more volume- related and pulling doesn’t always work.
I’m all about restoring your face to what it looked like when you were younger. Sometimes if you pull too much you’re taking away the youthful contours of the face, so by filling in the face we’re able to restructure it and add back those contours that convey youth and beauty.
Q: Is this your New New Face technique?
A: Yes. So it’s all about restoring contours and getting even surfaces to the skin and having the light reflect evenly from the skin, and that’s using my techniques I’ve developed with this combination of Botox and fillers.
Q: What are the most common request from men?
A: We are getting more men coming in for these non-invasive procedures, especially Botox injections. We do it in the forehead. Not just for lines and wrinkles but to lift the brow so people don’t look tired. We also use it to lift the tip of the nose which sags as you get older.
Q: In your practice, have requests changed with the emergence of the New New Face phenomenon?
A: Well, a lot of people still come in not knowing what they need, so that’s my job to show them what they need to have done.
One thing we are seeing is people younger and younger coming in to learn how to prevent changes in their face.
People in their late 20s are coming in to learn how they can prevent wrinkles. They’re not necessarily having anything done but seeing what they can do to stave off the effects of aging.
Q: Do you think starting cosmetic enhancements at a young age is detrimental?
A: I think it depends on your biological age and not your chronological age. Some people can be 40 and not have a line on their face so they don’t need anything done and then there are people who are 29 or 30 and have fair skin and have baked in the sun and really need an intervention.
Q: In terms of technology, what’s new for the coming year?
A: There is a new home fractional laser that’s going to come out. I’ve been testing it and it’s quite safe. The biggest problem is that people don’t spend the time to do it at home.
November 19, 2009 by Malena Harbers, who is a staff writer for Hello! Canada.
