Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility Top Dermatologists Explain The Difference Between Medical vs. Cosmetic Dermatology - Millburn

You visit dermatologists for different reasons. It could be because of a rash, an unusual-looking mole, or skin discoloration. Or perhaps, you’re interested in fillers and other injectables. But who do you make an appointment with? It will depend on your needs, whether you need medical or cosmetic care. And if you’re serious about skincare, you should be familiar with both aspects of dermatology. 

Cosmetic And Medical Dermatology – What’s the Difference? 

The field of dermatology is divided into two branches – medical and cosmetic. Cosmetic dermatology caters to patients looking to maintain their youthful appearance by reversing the signs of aging or wanting to make aesthetic changes or improvements to their skin. Medical Dermatology focuses on addressing medical conditions affecting the health and appearance of skin in patients. While cosmetic dermatologists put the spotlight on “desire,” medical dermatologists target the “disease” aspect of dermatology and solely treat skin ailments to reduce health risks.

Cosmetic Dermatology Treatments

Cosmetic dermatology may include treatments such as: 

It’s purely aesthetic and based on want rather than need. It’s a popular specialty too, and the statistics prove it. According to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, cosmetic physicians in the United States performed more than 17.7 million surgical and minimally invasive cosmetic procedures in 2018 (a 2% increase from 2017), and there were 15.9 million minimally invasive cosmetic procedures performed in 2018 (up 2%). With the increasing availability of emerging technology along with cutting-edge techniques and devices that provide safe and effective aesthetic treatments, it’s no wonder why there is a growing demand for it. 

Medical Dermatology Treatments

These are the common issues addressed by a medical dermatologist:

Millburn Laser Center’s Multi-Purpose Treatments

At Millburn Laser Center, we want our patients to feel comfortable visiting us, knowing we can address any skin issue. All our board-certified dermatologists in Millburn, NJ can diagnose medical and cosmetic conditions, and perform all consultations, procedures, and treatments themselves. All our patients enjoy the benefits from the availability of our innovative cosmetic and medical dermatology procedures while receiving superior personal evaluation and care. In addition, we offer 25 different lasers to address any cosmetic skin concerns you may have. 

  • Fraxel Dual – a skin resurfacing laser that uses two wavelengths, allowing us to treat superficially (for pigmentation) and the deeper layer of the skin to target skin texture, delivering an effective skin rejuvenating and anti-aging treatment. Fraxel lasers can treat conditions such as fine lines, textural irregularities, acne, and surgical scars, age spots, pigmentation, and actinic keratosis.
  • VBeam Laser – a pulsed dye laser that utilizes a focused wavelength of light to target the hemoglobin in blood vessels, producing thermal damage to the blood vessel walls without harming surrounding skin. This laser can treat facial redness, rosacea, facial and spider veins, port wine stains, red scars, keloids, cherry angiomas, acne scars, stretch marks, and vascular lesions.
  • Alex Trivantage – uniquely delivers laser energy that is converted into gentle pressure waves, effectively initiating the skin’s natural healing response without heating or damaging the skin. With the increased production of elastin and collagen, healthy, youthful skin is restored. Alex Trivantage can safely and effectively treat acne and surgical scars, melasma, birthmarks, stretch marks, benign pigmented lesions, and tattoos (all ink colors).
  • Chemical Peels – the acid in the chemical peel will gently exfoliate the outer layer of your skin, instigating a natural wound-healing response that will trigger collagen and elastin production. Over time, your skin will remodel itself, creating new skin from the inside out. Skin becomes firmer and tighter with less visible pores. Depending on the strength, chemical peels can treat fine lines and wrinkles, brown spots, melasma, acne scars, benign lesions (actinic keratoses), deeper wrinkles, and creases.
  • Microneedling – uses a dozen or more tiny needles to create micro pinpricks on your skin, initiating your body’s natural healing process and collagen production. Microneedling treatments can range from gold-plated needles that deliver serums to the skin, to radiofrequency (RF) energy to accelerate wound healing. As the skin rebuilds itself, various skin issues will be resolved, including fine lines and wrinkles, sagging skin, brown spots, melasma, creases, spider veins, acne scars, and large pores.

Get Beautiful and Healthy Skin in Millburn, NJ

Whether you’d like to rejuvenate your skin with an anti-aging treatment or address your acne and pigmentation concerns, Millburn Laser Center can help with its state-of-the-art, safe, and effective therapies –all tailored to your individual aesthetic and medical goals. To learn more about our treatments or to schedule a consultation at our Millburn, New Jersey office today.