There's a lot of buzz out there about non-invasive cosmetic procedures like laser treatments, so finding a highly skilled, experienced, and well-educated dermatologist who is part of a cutting-edge practice to walk you through everything is key. Luckily, that's exactly what Margarita Lolis, M.D. – a board-certified and fellowship-trained dermatologist and Mohs surgeon – does. She's part of the Skin Laser & Surgery Specialists of NY & NJ's Hackensack practice and has gained a reputation for having an approachable nature and tailoring her services to meet patients’ needs. She's a proponent of coupling non-invasive procedures with early intervention in order to restore and maintain a youthful appearance and she's a pro in scar removal, body contouring, laser lipo, and a slew of other procedures, so I had to check her out for myself.
I'm a busy working mom with a lot to get done every day (my chaotic calendar probably looks a lot like yours), so taking proper care of my skin rarely makes it high on my priority list. But as I've gotten older, I've realized it's time to change that. The trouble is, I had no idea what my skin needed or where to begin. The fact that Dr. Lolis clearly knows her stuff was a big selling point since I had a million questions.
Every staff member I encountered at the office was friendly and extremely knowledgeable. Many even shared info on treatments they received themselves and all of them spoke very highly of Dr. Lolis. First up, they looked at my face with a "skin imaging" machine, which uses UV light to take photos of my face to help spot trouble areas like brown spots, wrinkles, and large pores. After that, Dr. Lolis and I discussed my concerns and she took her time going over some of treatments she felt were best suited for my skin. Thankfully, I don't have any major skin problems yet (and if I keep up regular visits hopefully I won't!) but with an increase in dark spots (thanks to all that teen sunbathing), we decided to do a Fraxel laser resurfacing treatment and Platelet Rich Plasma Therapy, otherwise known as the Vampire Facial (if it sounds familiar, you may remember when Kim Kardashian made headlines for getting one). It turned out to be just the double whammy my skin needed.
Since Fraxel works below the skin's surface from the top down – addressing imperfections like fine lines, wrinkles, scarring, and age spots – it stimulates your skin's natural collagen, rejuvenating skin cells below the surface to help minimize the effects of sun damage and smooth the creases that cause wrinkles. Before the treatments began, they numbed my face with a topical cream and then drew my blood for the vampire facial while waiting for the cream to kick in. The laser treatment was quick, and though Dr. Lolis used the laser on my entire face, it didn't hurt at all. But you're probably more interested in the spooky-sounding facial. Turns out that was no big deal either. After drawing my blood, they placed it into a machine that spins it at high speed to separate the lighter plasma from the rest of its contents. The isolated platelet-rich plasma (known as healing platelets) were then injected on specific areas of my face, releasing enzymes that promote healing and increase collagen production. Again, it didn't hurt at all. Other than waiting for the numbing cream to wear off, there was hardly any downtime from either of the treatments. I picked up my kids from school shortly after my appointment and even had a meeting the next morning. Bottom line: My skin felt great and so did I.
Skin Laser & Surgery Specialists of NY & NJ
Official Website
Hackensack Medical Plaza 20 Prospect Ave., Suite 702, Hackensack
(201) 441-9890
Sara Deutsch is the Head of Marketing for Bergen Mama and lives in River Vale with her husband and two daughters.
