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Let's face it: no one wants an overly-pulled, blatant nip and tuck. It's 2021 and cosmetic enhancements don't have to be so obvious, nor do we want them to be. That's why it's essential to turn to an expert. Dr. Lara Devgan is one of America's preeminent plastic surgeons, who helps people achieve a "magical paradox" that she describes as "looking the same… but better." Isn't that what most of us are looking for?
Even if you aren't one of her clients, you can still benefit from her expertise. She has applied that understanding of nuance and subtlety to her skincare line Dr. Lara Devgan Scientific Beauty. Dr. Devgan is not able to comment on any patient care matters, but Kim Kardashian, Jennifer Aniston, and Bella Hadid have posted photos of her skincare products.
Recently, we spoke to Dr. Devgan about running her medical practice in New York City, her personal (and professional) beauty mantra, and, of course, some skincare tips.
E!: Talk to me about your practice in NYC and why you created a skincare line.
LD: Well, as you know I'm a plastic surgeon, based in New York City and in my day-to-day work and my medical practice, I want to be able to deliver my patients, effective medical grade, easy and beautiful solutions, and so this line was really born out of that desire to marry science and beauty.
So, you know, in my practice I do everything from skin treatments like lasers and peels to minimally invasive treatments like Botox and fillers and even full plastic surgical procedures like facelifts and breast augmentations. But I think one missing piece of the puzzle for many people is an effective skincare routine. And I think of at-home skincare products as almost like the equivalent of a daily self-care moment that can help you not only have beautiful glowing skin but also have healthier skin that reflects your, you know, confidence and allows you to put your best face forward.
E!: One of your mantras is 'subtle is the new dramatic.' Can you tell me more about that and how it may relate to some misconceptions about plastic surgery or just the beauty industry in general?
LD: Absolutely, I think that plastic surgery has been treated in the media, in a way that is exaggerated and doesn't really reflect the beautiful nuanced work that is possible. And when I started my private practice in plastic surgery, my goal was to normalize subtle and beautiful results. I think there are so many people out there who want to change one little thing or make some small adjustments or optimize the way they look, but they're truly afraid of looking like a different person. So I would say that the main focus of my work is trying to tread the delicate line between identity and beauty. How do we keep someone looking like themselves, but a little bit better? And that's why I think the subtle is the new dramatic.
Dr. Lara Devgan Scientific Beauty Microdermabrasion Scrub
If you're concerned about dullness, uneven skin texture, and the appearance of pores, use this microdermabrasion scrub. It's a non-abrasive exfoliant that addresses those skin concerns, leaving you with a radiant and soft complexion.
E!: Do you think you're able to get something dramatic like a nose job and still maintain your actual face?
LD: 100%. This very niche thin slice of plastic surgery was born out of some of my higher profile and celebrity clientele who wanted to keep booking the same gigs and not have to redo their headshots and all of that but they still wanted to look better.
E!: What question are you asked the most often by clients, and I'm curious as to what your celebrity clients ask for as well.
LD: The thing I think everybody's biggest concern is, "Is it going to look fake?" And I think that's the number one biggest misconception about plastic surgery. I think people want to know what I see, so the most frequently asked question I have in my day-to-day life is 'What would you do? What's your impression?'
Choosing a plastic surgeon is almost like choosing an artist that you're commissioning to make a very beautiful and very high stakes painting for you, and you know you want it to be great. You want it to be amazing. You want it to reflect your tastes and preferences, but you also want a little bit of the artistic and aesthetic judgment of the person that you're professionally, seeking out.
Dr. Lara Devgan Scientific Beauty Hyaluronic Serum
If your skin could use a boost of hydration, try the Dr. Lara Devgan Scientific Beauty Hyaluronic Serum. It's effective to increase skin firmness and support natural elastin.
E!: I want to talk to you about your skincare because you have several products and they're amazing. What are some common skincare ingredients that we should try to avoid, and then I also want to talk to you about ingredients that we should add in our routine.
LD: I think, generally speaking, you want to try to avoid ingredients that have a lot of unnecessary additives and preservatives. But generally speaking, everybody's skin type is a little bit different so there are some ingredients that work better for some people and others that work better for others.
I think the most essential components of a skincare regimen, are a mixed molecular weight hyaluronic acid serum, like ours, Vitamin C+B+E Ferulic Serum. and a retinol bakuchiol. Those three categories, hyaluronic, vitamin C and retinol are truly skin changing, and can really transform a complexion.
I think it's very important to mention that people should be using zinc and titanium based SPF products. And then you can also think about how to help maintain the skin so a physical exfoliant like a microdermabrasion scrub or a chemical exfoliant like alpha and beta hydroxy acid pads can be really nice as well. I love our peptide-based eye cream and niacinamide.
E!: What are your storage tips on how to get the optimal use out of your Vitamin C serum? It can often oxidize too quickly.
LD: Our Vitamin C serum is formed stable at normal room temperature so I would keep it out of extreme heat, or extreme freezing. Some people like to use a mini skincare fridge which is, you know, fun, and can create a little spa feeling but it's not required. The most important thing with a vitamin C serum is to make sure that it's in an opaque or translucent bottle so light is not entering the bottle, and also that you're closing it tightly so that it doesn't oxidize.
Dr. Lara Devgan Scientific Beauty Vitamin C+B+E Ferulic Serum
This lightweight serum reduces the appearance of dark spots and wrinkles, soothes the skin, and provides protection from UV rays.
E!: I want to obviously talk to you about your platinum lip plumper that I'm obsessed with, what was your reaction when you first saw that it was trending on TikTok?
LD: It was so funny I'm still crying. As you know, it's a clear liquid gloss that's fortified with niacin mix molecular weight Hyaluronic acid and ceramides. It's the most feel good little moment of the day to apply Platinum Lip Plump because it gives you all of the emotions of a syringe of lip filler done in the form of a clear liquid gloss. It's been an amazing product for us. Jennifer Aniston wore it on the cover of InStyle, and that was kind of this amazing moment for us.
Dr. Lara Devgan Scientific Beauty Platinum Lip Plump SPF 30
You will get fuller, more hydrated lips every time you apply this lip plumper. It's formulated with hyaluronic acid, which diminishes the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and it has SPF protection.
E!: And then your second cult-favorite is the Platinum Long Lash Serum. Would you say that you could also use this product if you've had a lash lift or lash extensions? Talk to me about how that product works.
LD: So, yes, you can use Platinum Lash with those other things as well. So Platinum Long Lash Serum is our cult favorite eyelash serum. It is based in peptides pro vitamin B derivatives and plant and plant-based phyto peptides. It works by creating and nourishing a healthy growth environment for long beautiful lashes.
Dr. Lara Devgan Scientific Beauty Platinum Long Lash Serum
This lash serum is a cult favorite because it extends the eyelash life cycle and support growth for visibly longer, denser lashes.
E!: What is the most common procedure that you are doing with your celebrities patients?
LD: So I have this concept of facial optimization that I've popularized and kind of really authored. Facial optimization is basically why I'm seeing every celebrity client. Facial optimization is a combination of surgical and non-surgical procedures that are designed to preserve your natural beauty and facial identity, but kind of enhance it a little bit.
I'll give you some more specific examples. From a non surgical standpoint, I use injectables to create a more contoured appearing face to improve the shape and angle of the nose to create more vertical height of the lip, and to also improve the balance of the profile. And then I can use surgical techniques to augment that by, for example, I do a lot of blepharoplasty surgery, which is eyelid surgery.
Everybody who's trying to stay looking the same age from 20 to 60 is intervening in many small ways over time in order to in order to do that. From a surgery standpoint, it can be things like segmental liposuction, buccal fat pad excision, lip lift, eyelid surgery, facelift, neck lift, and then obviously I can't mention names but many, many of the most photographed fashion breasts, like, very, very super small and beautiful breast implants.
Dr. Lara Devgan Scientific Beauty Peptide Eye Cream
You can reduce wrinkles while you firm and brighten the skin around the eye area if you use this eye cream twice a day. All it takes is a pea-size amount to address loss of firmness and elasticity and dark circles.
E!: In 2014 You wrote a piece in honor of International Women's Day, and you touched upon you know the struggles of being a young female doctor who was also a minority. Obviously there's still work to do but I'm curious, has your perspective changed in the last seven years?
LD: I think that we're making progress, every day, and I take my work very seriously, and what I hope to do is inspire other young people, regardless of their background, to pursue their dream and enter into fields that may not necessarily represent them today, because you never know what will happen in the future.
It's important for people to try to always do their best work. Always stay true to their principles. And then always think about expanding their horizons like don't let my advice to young people who are kind of thinking about this very challenging year everyone's been through and kind of a difficult charged social and political time is, you know, boundaries were made to be broken. And we're changing and improving every single day. And I feel very optimistic. I think they're, they're all we all have battles that we face, and fight every single day. But, I think the future is bright.
If you're looking for more skincare finds, check out this game-changing device that Sutton Stracke used on Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.
—Reporting by Amanda Williams