At Brooklyn’s beloved Long Island Bar, the best cocktail isn’t on the menu—you have to order “the grapefruit one” to get their martini tinged with orange bitters and the essence of a grapefruit twist. Likewise, it helps to be in the know to ask for the good stuff at your dermatologist’s office—something different from the same injectables everyone else is receiving. Consider these offerings a bespoke cocktail for good skin, allowing the doctor to fine-tune hard-to-treat issues like acne scarring and pore size better and with less downtime than lasers. With that in mind, here are some of the best off-menu mixes for superb skin. Get your request ready.
The Collagen Booster
On its own, Radiesse is a firmer filler made with calcium hydroxylapatite, the same material that partly makes up our bones; it’s typically used to contour the cheekbones or jawline. But mixed with saline or lidocaine, Radiesse becomes a unique tool to combat crepiness. When the filler is diluted, it’s biostimulatory, according to Dendy Engelman, MD, a dermatologist at Shafer Clinic, based in New York City. “It causes creation of new collagen and elastin fibers,” Engelman explains. It does this by stimulating neocollagenesis, the same process in the body that’s involved in wound repair. And “watered-down” Radiesse doesn’t just work for the face—it can also be used on your arms, hands, neck, and even knees. Since Radiesse boosts collagen, it helps address wrinkles in these specific areas better than a cream or a more invasive option like surgery
The Skin Smoother
Kiran Mian, MD, a dermatologist at Hudson Dermatology and Laser Surgery in New York City, dilutes Sculptra like a mixologist would dilute Campari and sweet vermouth for an Americano. When used as a biostimulatory injectable, the filler can add volume by encouraging collagen production. It can also precisely target pocked acne scars, which are notoriously hard to get rid of, and other delicate areas like the neck and décolleté. Mian’s favorite way to use diluted Sculptra is through laser-assisted delivery, which first creates microscopic channels to allow the filler to better penetrate scarred areas.
The Pore Eraser
We tend to think of Botox as the ultimate immobilizer. But when hyperdiluted with saline, it can help skin look like it’s fresh from a facial. According to David Kim, MD, a dermatologist at Idriss Dermatology in New York City, this injectable potion shrinks pore size by softening your pore’s arrector pili muscle—the muscle that makes your hair stand on end or enlarges pores when you sweat. Hyperdiluted Botox can also minimize redness and give skin a glass-like quality. “When you inject Botox in the superficial layer of the skin, the smooth muscles and the outer layer of the blood vessels can’t dilate as freely,” Kim says. “That’s why you don’t flush as much.” Skin-boosting effects kick in quickly; results can last for three to four months.
A version of this story appears in the September 2024 issue of ELLE.
Katie Berohn is the Beauty Assistant at Good Housekeeping, Woman’s Day and Prevention magazines, all part of the Hearst Lifestyle Group. She graduated from the University of Colorado, Boulder, with a major in journalism and minor in technology, arts, and media, and earned her Master’s Degree at NYU’s Graduate Program of Magazine Journalism. In addition, Katie has held editorial internships at Denver Life Magazine, Yoga Journal, and Cosmopolitan, a digital editorial internship at New York Magazine’s The Cut, a social good fellowship at Mashable, and has freelanced for HelloGiggles. _When she’s not obsessing over the latest skincare launch or continuing her endless search for the perfect shade of red nail polish, Katie can be found in a hot yoga class, trying everything on the menu at New York’s newest restaurant, or hanging out at a trendy wine bar with her friends.