The Future Of Beauty: “CoolSculpting, Kybella & Hydrafacials” With Dr. Michele S. Green
find something that brings you joy and happiness. Make everyday count! Appreciate every moment of everyday and take from those moments everything you can as you may never be able to have that experience it again. I enjoy my time with my two beautiful daughters and listening to my patients’ amazing life stories.
As a part of our series about how technology will be changing the beauty industry over the next five years I had the pleasure of interviewing Cosmetic Dermatologist Dr. Michele S. Green
Michele S. Green, MD is a world-renowned cosmetic dermatologist with a private practice in the Upper East Side of NYC. She is recognized by New York Magazine and Castle Connolly as one of the Best Doctors in New York and offers state-of-the-art cosmetic dermatology. Both international and NYC based patients rely on her services because she specializes in minimally invasive cosmetic treatments that use a combination of lasers such as Thermage, chemical peels, fat reducing procedures such as CoolSculpting, along with facial injections. Her focus is on improving your appearance in a way that creates a simple, artistic, natural-looking result. Dr. Green has also worked with many famous celebrities and has received numerous awards including awards for Best of Manhattan, America’s Most Compassionate Doctors, and has been named one of New York’s Super Doctors.
Dr. Green is devoted to providing a world-class experience for each and every one of her dermatology patients in a comfortable and relaxed setting. Dr. Green designed her unique MGSKINLABS product line to complement her facial rejuvenating procedures such as Clear & Brilliant, and Fraxel, which she performs daily in her office. Dr. Green is an expert in Asian and Mediterranean skin and offers the latest technology designed for darker skin tones. The personal connection she builds with patients helps her to provide a superior level of analysis and care to create beautiful skin. She knows that her patients want subtle, non-invasive treatments that reveal their natural beauty. She is eager to discuss how these treatments can help you achieve a flawless complexion. Ultimately, her biggest goal is to help all patients feel comfortable in their own skin.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit more about you. Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
I never anticipated becoming a Dermatologist. In fact, I was pretty convinced that I was going to be a radiologist. However, a friend of mine was interested in doing Dermatology and asked me to take a two week elective in medical school with her. I was shocked at how much I loved Dermatology. What I loved most about it was that it was a “happy field” where you could make people better and improve the quality of their lives in a single visit. It also combined seeing patients of all age groups and working with many disciplines in medicine from medicine to pediatrics, to endocrinology and gynecology.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
Early on when I was a resident in Dermatology I learned how important it was to examine and listen to your patient. I remember being consulted on a patient in the hospital who had a fever and a “rash.” I went early in the morning to see the new consults before I started my day. I was very worried when I saw this young girl because she had a growing abscess in her leg which looked very ominous. I could not reach any of the other physicians who were in charge of her. I found out later that they were all in Grand Rounds which lasted for three hours and no one had realized the immediate danger of her condition. In the meantime I called the head of the infectious disease lab to come down and help me culture and test this patient to come to a diagnosis. It turned out that she had “flesh eating disease” and if I had waited for guidance she might have died. I learned early on to trust my own instincts when it came to caring for my patients.
Are you able to identify a “tipping point” in your career when you started to see success? Did you start doing anything different? Are there takeaways or lessons that others can learn from that?
When I graduated from my residency program at Mount Sinai, I was asked by Cosmair to consult in product testing, clinical studies, legal reviews, and public relations opportunities. I had always considered myself a “serious” doctor, but working in the cosmetic industry made me love the cosmetic industry and cosmetic dermatology. Working on new products for Redken, L’Oréal, and Lancôme made me realize how complex the “beauty business” was and was the impetus for my starting my own line of cosmetic products for my patients.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person to whom you are grateful who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
I have to thank my mother. She always wanted me to become a dermatologist. When I was a teenager a dermatologist had mistakenly diagnosed her with Lupus and with that all of the horrific medical implications of the disease. After several months of improper treatment my mother consulted another dermatologist who figured out quickly that she really only had a fungal skin condition and treated her with the correct medications. After seeing how important the right medical treatment was, I became fascinated with Dermatology.
Ok super. Let’s now shift to the main part of our discussion. The beauty industry today has access to technology that was inconceivable only a short time ago. Can you tell us about the “cutting edge” (pardon the pun) technologies that you are working with or introducing? How do you think that will help people?
Every day new lasers and new injectables are introduced. I was one of the first physicians to use Botox and Juvederm injections and cannot believe how it has expanded to be the most popular cosmetic treatments done today. Kybella for your “double chin” and CoolSculpting for fat bulges have revolutionized non-invasive body contouring. Newer lasers to treat acne scars and wrinkles are coming out all of the time. Hydrafacials have taken over as a simple and painless way to extract blackheads.
Keeping “Black Mirror” and the “Law of Unintended Consequences” in mind, can you see any potential drawbacks about this technology that people should think more deeply about?
The new technology has been amazing. The only drawback is that some patients think that everything can be “fixed” with cosmetic facial injections or lasers and not everything can.
Can you share 3 things that most excite you about the “beauty-tech” industry?
I am very excited about all of the new neurotoxins that are being introduced including some newer long lasting ones coming out soon. I am also super excited about the RF technology to treat acne scars. I have many patients with acne scars who have suffered for years and I am excited at all of the new ways to help treat my patients with lasers and cosmetic injections. Kybella and CoolSculpting have also been game changers in that previously patients had to have liposuction to remove unwanted fat, and now there are effective non-invasive treatments that have a proven track record of success.
Can you share 3 things that most concern you about the industry? If you had the ability to implement 3 ways to reform or improve the industry, what would you suggest?
What concerns me mostly about the beauty industry is how much of it is unregulated. There are minimal requirements in New York for individuals to perform cosmetic injections, and use lasers and CoolSculpting devices. More regulation needs to be put in place so that board certified physicians in the dermatology speciality are the ones allowed to use these devices.
You are an expert about beauty. Can you share 5 ideas that anyone can use “to feel beautiful”? (Please share a story or example for each.)
1. Healthy and beautiful skin has a profound impact on one’s self esteem. After working for L’Oréal for many years I developed my own line of skincare products in order to bring quality skincare to my patients. One of my favorite products is my MG Skin Labs Vitamin C Serum; I use it twice a day. Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant and helps reduce pigmentation and redness and wrinkles.
2. Eat a healthy diet rich in omega-3s and foods containing antioxidants. A well-balanced diet containing the right amount of healthy nutrients will help cellular turnover and increase collagen production giving you radiant and smoother looking skin. It will also protect your skin from UV damage, and premature aging. It is important to drink lots of water as well. Water is good for our bodies and essential to having great skin.
3. Take a walk! Exercise is important, as little as 30 minutes a day can be beneficial to your physical and emotional health. Exercising releases good endorphins putting you in a better mood and ready to face the day! I enjoy swimming — it is my “go to” exercise.
4. Protect yourself from the sun. Changing your everyday lifestyle when outdoors can also be beneficial to improving the overall appearance of your skin. Wearing sunglasses when outdoors in addition to sunscreen can prevent skin cancer in the eyes, sun damage to the eyes, and wrinkles around the eyes. I never go outdoors without applying my sunscreen, wearing a hat, and wearing my sunglasses. I learned from a young age, from my mother’s sun worshiping, the importance of sunscreen and sun protection. Since my mother did not stay away from the sun, she suffered with skin cancer and premature sun damage. Prevention is the key to preventing skin cancer. Please see your dermatologist on an annual basis for a skin cancer screening.
5. Our hair is considered a sign of beauty for men and women. Keeping your hair and scalp healthy is important. Taking oral hair vitamins like Nutrafol and Viviscal, can rejuvenate damaged hair and maintain healthy tresses. My grandmother had very thin hair and suffered from female patterned baldness. Because of her hair loss, I have always been interested in helping women with female patterned baldness and problems with hair loss.
6. Lastly, find something that brings you joy and happiness. Make everyday count! Appreciate every moment of everyday and take from those moments everything you can as you may never be able to have that experience it again. I enjoy my time with my two beautiful daughters and listening to my patients’ amazing life stories.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
Try to mentor someone younger who needs your help or guidance. I have been lucky enough to have had some tremendous teachers and professors in my life who have guided me and helped me become a success. I think it is very important to help the next generation realize their goals.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
‘’There is always a way.” What I mean by that is that no matter how difficult things may seem or impossible a problem is to solve, there is always a way. Sometimes you may not see the answer at first but you have to have faith in yourself in that no problem can’t be solved and there is ‘always a way.” I have tried to instill this life lesson in my children and teach them not to give up.
How can our readers follow you online?
Yes, you can follow me on my website: https://www.michelegreenmd.com/,
On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drmichelegreenmd/, and on Instagram @michelegreenmd
Thank you so much for joining us. This was very inspirational.
The Future Of Beauty: “CoolSculpting, Kybella & Hydrafacials” With Dr. Michele S Green was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.