The Influencers

Allure Magazine, February 2005

"They are, quite simply, the rock stars of the beauty and fashion worlds. While they may not employ burly bodyguards, these six visionaries have more than their fair share of A-list groupies (Jennifer, Julianne, and Sarah Jessica to name a few). Now they're sharing their greatest hits—and biggest inspirations...

Richard Fitzpatrick, Dermatologist
"Richard Fitzpatrick has been involved in the development of seven different lasers since he first picked one up in 1979—and he has the scars to prove it. "You can tell a real laser surgeon because they have marks all over their hands from zapping themselves," he says. But Fitzpatrick, who also founded the SkinMedica line and developed the cult skin-care product TNS Recovery Complex, is no longer alone: More than 1 million laser treatments were performed in 2003 to eradicate unwanted hair, vaporize broken capillaries, lighten sun spots, and firm sagging skin.

"'Richard is the king of lasers,' says Washington, D.C., dermatologist Tina Alster (who is herself often hailed as the queen). 'Companies go to him first to try out new technology and tell them how to improve it for clinical use.' A decade ago, it was Fitzpatrick who pioneered laser resurfacing, which can reduce deep wrinkles while evening skin tone. 'That was my baby,' he says. 'It really captured everyone's imagination.' Most innovations in the field since then, such as Thermage (a radio-frequency device that stimulates collagen) or the new Titan laser (which aims to do the same with less pain), are spin-offs of the original skin-tightening theory. The San Diego dermatologist is now testing the Fraxel laser, which doctors hope will achieve the dramatic wrinkle-smoothing effects of traditional lasers that burn off the skin's top layer, without the extreme redness, oozing, and long recovery. 'It's very exciting,' Fitzpatrick says. 'It makes a big impact on sun damage, improves fine lines and the texture of the skin, and has a pretty good effect on deep lines.'

"As Fitzpatrick sees it, the next big developments will be home lasers, starting with hair removal and expanding into forms of energy beyond light. He is now collaborating with a company using ultrasound to firm the skin. Our question for the good doctor: Will we one day be able to achieve face-lift-caliber results without the knife? 'I think in the not-too-distant future we'll be there,' Fitzpatrick says. 'Every time it appears as if we've gone as far as we can with lasers, someone comes up with a new idea and we go further.'"

Excerpted from article by Jenny Bailly.