Nicole DeVincentis - Li & Me in NYC

Interview with the talented, beautiful and funnier than all get out, Nicole DeVincentis. Nicole is a highly specialized Dermatology PA in NYC.

What should be in a woman’s daily routine for anti-aging?

The mainstay from a dermatology perspective remains: an antioxidant treatment in the am, followed by a physical based sunscreen, and a retinol in the evening, unless the patient is pregnant or trying to become pregnant. I would add to that an amazing cleanser that is good for your skin type, and a super rich moisturizer for neck and decollete and hands —-and all products should be medical grade!! And to sleep on your back.

Tell us about your practice?

My practice at all locations, is in a very intimate boutique setting. I spend a lot of time with my patients, educating and consulting with them and really just getting to know them. Foremost it is a medical office, but the experience is very calming and relaxed and allows me to offer the most personalized attention. I do a lot of consulting for the medical aesthetic community here in NYC, so I have visited hundreds of offices over the years, and the last thing I want my patients to experience is having to deal with 10 different people before I enter the room, and being numbed or cleansed, or photographed by someone else, etc. My goal is always to offer a patient encounter that is as personalized as possible!

What’s your experience?

I have been practicing since 1997, and doing strictly facial aesthetics since 2006, with a background in Dermatology. I spent 5 years as a full time trainer and consultant for Merz North America teaching facial aesthetics to mostly dermatology and plastic surgery practices here in NY, and that has given me invaluable insights and dramatically added to my skill set in this field.

Who comes to see you? Age range? Patient range?

I have all ages from teenagers through some pretty dazzling looking 80 year olds. I always like to remind readers that this aesthetic thing really isn’t all about aging issues. There are plenty of patients that just want the bump in their nose softened, or have what we call a “Gummy” smile (which is when you smile and you see the upper gums), or hollows under the yes—all of these issues which they have had their whole life. The millennial group in particular are really the first generation en masse who have gotten it right! They are so knowledgeable and understand the power of prevention, and are all about aging as gracefully as possible. Botox for example, which is very popular in that population, is really about prevention, and not allowing lines to progress. Stopping them in time. I am thrilled that this group of young patients understand that and realize that it is much easier to prevent then to correct!

What do you do when a patient wants something you don’t feel they need or agree with?

My style is about educating and sharing my expert opinion regardless of what people come in asking for. I take many pictures from different angles and then my patient and I review them together. For example, many patients will come in complaining of nasolabial folds(the folds from sides of nose to mouth) and ask for that area to be filled. When I explain that that crease is caused by descent of the fat pad in the cheeks, and show them their oblique view in photos, and they see that flatness of the cheeks and heaviness at the bottom of the face, they typically understand and agree we should treat the cause of the problem rather then the symptom. I am also an injector who will say enough or No! Lips can only be so big, and patients lose memory of what their baseline was which is why pictures are so critical for patients.

How do you manage a busy career and being a mother to a young busy little cutie?

Wow. This is the million dollar question! I think its all about work life balance and loving what you do for a living so that when you are away from your children you are enjoying things. I became a Mother at 40 so I had plenty of time to figure out what I loved to do, and I had learned the importance of what we now call “self care”. Learning how to not feel selfish or guilty because you need time to yourself to be the best you, so you can be the best parent is really important.

When should someone start fillers and/or Botox?

There is no answer to this because it is an incredibly personal thing and for for some people it may be never. I am all about empowerment. I enjoy so much of what I do because treatments make people feel better about their appearance, and that is a real game changer for some people. It makes them walk a different way in the world. I tell all my patients:” If there is something on your mind occupying valuable mental space and/or causing stress, that I can improve or change with a syringe and/or botox, by all means lets do it!” Skin care, on the other hand, needs to start as young as possible for everyone.