Dr. Cameron Rokhsar is a total rockstar, no pun intended. Have you seen his list of credentials or, better yet, his involvement in developing several laser systems? In his career, Dr. Rokhsar has conducted pivotal research projects to develop protocols for laser systems such as fraxel, ulthera, thermitight, and the C02 laser, taught thousands of physicians worldwide about using the Fraxel laser, and has even been credited with the invention of the nonsurgical nose job. As he continues to make strides in his field, Haute Beauty sat down with the expert to learn what fuels his fire and, most importantly, what's next.
What is the future of your field?
The future of dermatology and laser surgery is super exciting. The ranks of dermatologist are getting filled with the best and brightest in medicine…Dermatology remains the most competitive specialty to obtain a residency spot, often requiring medical school candidates to be in the top 5 percent of their class. Today we are able to address patient's many issues that could have only been solved surgically through our nonsurgical procedures or minimally involved procedures pioneered by dermatologic surgeons. Minimally invasive tumescent liposuction with microcannulas enables us to have patients be back to normal activities in no time. Fillers combined with lasers enable us to achieve surgery like results in many instances without minimal risk and downtime to our patients. In the field of lasers and energy-based devices we can address many things now including wrinkles, acne scars, birthmarks, sweating, fat, to name a few. These trends will only continue to replace surgical procedures.
The biggest misconception about my field...
The biggest misconception about my field is that we just treat rashes and pimples. Dermatology has come a long way from those days. I have extensive surgical training as a dermatologist and perform many of the procedures my colleagues in plastic surgery perform. Our field has branched into medical and surgical dermatology. Although I was trained in general dermatology, I did additional training in the field of surgical dermatology. This is referred to as a fellowship. I am board-certified not only in dermatology but also in dermatologic surgery.
My most requested procedures:
My most requested procedures are the non-surgical nose job, the nonsurgical eyelift, laser resurfacing both ablative (CO2) and non-ablative (Fraxel), minimally invasive facelifts, and minimally invasive liposuction. I am also a board-certified skin cancer surgeon (mohs surgeon).
What surgical advancements are you most excited about?
I am most excited about all the procedures that can achieve results close to surgery in a non-surgical manner. For instance, I can get mini facelift results (a surgical procedure) now with a minimally invasive procedure called ThermiTight where there is no cutting. I perform all my liposuction procedures under local anesthesia, which makes recovery much simpler. I can achieve surgical eye lift results with my CO2 laser. I can achieve dramatic improvement of the shape of the nose, by contouring the nose with my nonsurgical nose job.
What are you best known for?
I am considered an expert in laser resurfacing. I trained with the late Richard Fitzpatrick, who is considered the father of lasers in dermatology and is credited with the invention of the CO2 laser resurfacing. I was also involved with the development of the Fraxel laser, which has become the number one laser resurfacing procedure in the world. I am also an expert injector with fillers. Many dermatologists in New York use me as their go-to doctor to do their filler and laser procedures including performing the procedures on themselves or their family members. I am an expert injector when it comes to filling of challenging anatomic areas like the nose and the eyelids.
What is your most memorable patient reaction?
My most memorable patient experience is when a set of twins came to me to get a non-surgical nose job. I performed the procedure for both of them. They loved their noses so much that they insisted we do an Instagram video on their journey, which we did. This was one of my most watched videos, as you can see below!
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What sets your practice apart?
We are considered a full-service laser center employing over 40 lasers between my two offices in Manhattan and Garden City. Anything that can be done with laser we can do. including laser treatment of acne scars, wrinkles, pigmented birthmarks, moles, vascular birthmarks, portwine stains, skin tightening through ThermiTight and ulthera, heat destruction of sweat gland (miradry) and laser liposuction.
What I love most about my profession:
It’s all about the human connection and making a difference in people’s lives. Whether, it’s the hug from a happy cosmetic patient or the gratitude for catching a deadly melanoma in someone and then resecting it or a complicated reconstruction of facial skin cancer; it’s all so gratifying. I also teach residents, which I find very rewarding. The proper education of the next generation of doctors is very important to me and the field of medicine.
Career-defining procedure?
It must be the nonsurgical nose job. I introduced it to the world on Good Morning America and performed it live on the Rachel Ray Show and many other news channels. I also spent months on the road flying through various parts of the world to teach doctors how to use the Fraxel laser. I introduced Fraxel to Asia, Europe, South America, and Australia.
Anything else you are proud of?
I am very proud to serve on the advisory board of the little bay face foundation with a mission to treat kids with facial deformities at no cost to the patient or the parent. We fly kids from around the world and treat them through a multidisciplinary approach with a team of plastic surgeons, ophthalmologists, ENTS and dermatologists. I serve as the lead dermatologist for the group. There is nothing more gratifying than putting a smile on the face of these kids and their parents.