03.03.2011

Playing with Needles

On Sunday evening, gay men across the city tuned in to the Oscars red carpet pre-show. Gasps and Oh girrrrl!’s echoed across Manhattan as our favorite stars of the screen emerged from there limos and SUVs, donned in their “finest” couture. While many of our outbursts responded to questionable wardrobe choices by Nicole, Cate and Penelope, quite a few of our shocked shrieks were sparked by the faces of those walking the carpet. We understand the pressure to look flawless, but we also understand that everything is better in moderation. Here at The Showt, we consider each of our discriminating members a celebrity in his or her own right, and we’d hate you to go down the path of poor Melanie Griffith or Rupert Everett, so we’re going to let you in on a little secret…Sadick Dermatology.

Dr. Neil Sadick and his team operate New York’s most respected dermatology practice for those politicians, entertainers and socialites in-the-know. Specializing in cutting edge procedures using lasers, injectables and liposuction, this practice is the best kept secret of some of New York’s most attractive and youthful faces. Forget about facelifts, cat eyes and implants, Sadick Dermatology is setting the bar for a new level of natural beauty.

And because we want you to look flawless, members of The Showt are now exclusively entitled to receive a free consultation ($350 value) and 20% off your first laser or filler treatment at Sadick Dermatology until May 31, 2011.

www.sadickdermatology.com
www.sadickdermatologygroup.com

We recently had the privilege of sitting down with Adam Dinkes, Chief Operating Officer of Sadick Dermatology to discuss what makes the Upper East Side practice truly one of a kind.

Tell us a bit more about your role at Sadick Dermatology.
I’ve been with Dr. Sadick and Sadick Dermatology for the last seven years, and in that time we’ve grown the practice into the premiere dermatology practice in New York and one of the top in the country. We have six doctors and offer hours of 8am-8pm every week day and Saturdays 8:30am-5pm. I am one of only a few people in my role. There are not a lot of Chief Operating Officers or businessmen behind most practices. I’ve been instrumental in getting Dr. Sadick aligned with Christian Dior, helping him to become the global medical adviser for Christian Dior. My role is unique in terms of being a business man and understanding what the beauty world is turning into, but our model and business structure will become more popular in the next five to ten years.

What makes Sadick Dermatology different from other practices in the city?
The practice is significantly different from other dermatology practices in the city, primarily because we have a clinical research facility on site. Dr. Sadick has, for the last 25 years, been a visionary in the field of dermatology whether it’s identifying lasers years before they were used in dermatology or indentifying new treatments for hair loss like Propecia—Dr. Sadick has always been ahead of the curve. The practice is built on the future of dermatology, offering treatments that are not yet readily available. We always offer the latest and greatest innovations out there and we also do clinical trials on them many of which are for the FDA. Dr. Sadick is certainly a pioneer in the field of dermatology.

What is your most popular treatment?
There are a number of very popular treatments these days. Fraxel treatments are great, which are used for textural improvements in the skin as well as pigmentation issues. It’s a great anti-aging treatment with a very low downtime. Another thing that’s very popular is Thermage to tighten the skin. For people who don’t want to have that “pulled” look or a facelift, we can tighten skin not only on the face but anywhere on the body. You can lift your eyes or your face easily. We’ve even had one particular celebrity who didn’t like her knees and wanted the skin tightened up. Another came in because she was wearing a sleeveless dress to the opening of a movie and she wanted her tricep area tightened up. The skin tightening is great for men particularly, because men have to be so careful with plastic surgery. For example if a guy has his eyes done, it usually looks ridiculous. If a guy has a facelift, he looks just like a woman. In order to stay masculine, these technologies will give you great skin and tighten you up but not make you look “done,” and I think that’s very important for maintaining masculinity. We can even tighten up the flanks (love handles) or the abs.

What are your newest and most exciting treatments?
One new machine we are excited about is called Zeltiq, which is a nonsurgical fat removal system in which you target an area of fat for one-hour treatments. Over the course of six weeks the fats cells die in that area. It’s a way for us to contour the body without going into the body with liposuction.

We understand you have product line launching Spring 2011. Can you tell us more about that?
The product line will be called “Park Avenue Prescription” and launched under Sadick Dermatology Group. For the last 25 years, Dr. Sadick has been compounding his own pharmaceutical skincare products that are at prescription strength in the office. He’s developed many programs and many of the beauty editors and many celebrities in New York have been on his programs for years. So it’s basically something that we’ve already had in our office, but only given to our exclusive clientele. Six months ago, Sephora approached us about creating a new line for them that would be simple, easy and comprehensive in terms of its ability to tackle all the issues of anti-aging. They also wanted something that was reasonably priced. So we took the program that Dr. Sadick has developed over the last 25 years and packaged it in non-prescription strength. The benefit is that it’s a very easy program to use and it works on all skin types, no matter what stage of aging you’re at. It is available pre-launch at www.sadickdermatologygroup.com and in Sephora stores nationwide in July.

Do you think that gay men are turning to procedures faster than ever before?
The practice has always had a steady male client base, not specifically gay. It’s been mainly high profile men in New York ranging from CEOs to television personalities to actors. Anyone who needs to look good at any age. Anyone in “the know” knows who we are and have been coming to the office for quite some time. They look great, but you just wouldn’t know that they’ve had procedures done, which is what our specialty is.

When is too early to start in-office procedures and injectables?
You’re never too young to start taking care of your skin. Starting a routine of facial and low-level laser treatments in your twenties makes complete sense. Age thirty is a great time to start with Botox or Dysport to prevent the lines from forming. I don’t think you need to get carried away if you take good care of your skin and have a good program. If you do these things, you’ll age more gracefully which is best for men. It’s all about maintenance.

Are men getting injectables as widely as women?
Absolutely. There are some great products out there like Sculptra which can be used for your cheeks. If you’ve got a lean guy that’s very athletic…usually men will lose the fat in their face first and their belly last. Re-volumizing your face and giving that natural glow is something we can do without making it look like you’ve had anything done.

What is the correct etiquette when talking about procedures? Is it something your clients keep to themselves?
In general women are more secretive about their procedures, but it’s really about what’s not being said. Often, a woman will say simply that she “has a great dermatologist.” On the other hand, younger gay guys often will tell all their friends very openly what procedures they had done. Because some of the treatments are so amazing, there is a level of excitement to it. An example of this is liposuction, which is the main surgical procedure we do here. We all go to the gym nonstop. But if you have a pooch or belly that you can’t get completely rid of, you can come in and finally get a six pack.

How does dermatology and surgery change the image of a man looking better with age? Does this change what is considered handsome?
Enrique Inglesias is a great example. He looks amazing and has aged well over the years. He doesn’t look young for his age, just good. It’s about the new natural. Someone like Rupert Everett on the other hand, is an example of why NOT to go ahead with surgery. You have to be careful not to change the way you look. The point is to look like yourself, but better. It’s about aging better, NOT turning back time.