With Halloween just around the corner, we asked cosmetic procedure experts who their favorite horror movie characters are, and what makeovers they would perform to help them reveal their true inner and outer beauty.
Pennywise the Clown
Pennywise is a real beauty product snob – you’ll never catch him using pharmacy-bought concealer, lipstick, or hair dye. And have you seen his perfectly shaped eyebrows? Fierce! This guy knows his stuff. It’s just too bad he lost most of his hair hundreds of years ago.
Beauty fix: hair transplantation
Hair transplantation is a surgical procedure which moves hair follicles from one part of the body to another. The grafts are usually taken from the back of the head, where the follicles are more resistant to balding, and brought to the front. “Modern hair transplant techniques mimic the hair’s natural flow and orientation,” says Philadelphia hair restoration surgeon Jennifer Tran. That messy, straight-outta-bed hair style kids are wearing these days? Totally doable, Pennywise!
Freddy Krueger
Freddy Kruger wins points for accessorizing his casual chic look with a color-coordinated green fedora that matches his sweater stripes, skin-tight leather pants, knee-high black boots, and a bespoke glove armed with razor claws. Unfortunately, the third degree burns on his face are what most people remember him for.
Beauty fix: scar therapy
Although no scar can be “erased” permanently, in some cases Z-Plasty and skin grafting can help reduce the appearance of scars and restore function to severely affected areas. Z-plasty repositions damaged flaps so that they follow the natural lines and creases of the skin, while skin grafting uses sections of tissue from healthy, undamaged areas. Assuming that Freddy’s burns don’t cover his entire body, this might be the best option for him.
Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Dr. Babak Dadvand also suggests laser resurfacing treatments to smooth out the appearance of Freddy’s face, and possibly fat grafting for the more damaged areas.
Wolf Man
Sorry Wolf Man, the bearded lumbersexual look is out. The modern-day dandy look is what’s in now, and manscaping is a huge part of it.
Beauty fix: laser hair removal
Laser hair removal techniques have progressed in leaps and bounds over recent years. Using new, powerful machines, hair follicles can be targeted with highly concentrated pulses of light, which are attracted to the hair pigment while leaving the surrounding skin undamaged. This is an ideal treatment for patients like Wolf Man with dark, coarse hair and a fair complexion. However, multiple laser treatments would be required – ideally once every full moon for several months – to provide the best results.
Frankenstein’s Monster
“Frankenstein could use a brow lift and upper eyelid ptosis repair,” says Dr. Babak Dadvand. “These procedures would help minimize the heaviness around his eyes and help give him a more relaxed appearance.” New York plastic surgeon Dr. Monica Tadros agrees. “Ptosis of the eyelid happens when the muscle just can’t pull the eye up enough to see the iris,” says Dr. Tadros. “Some people refer to this as always having half mast ‘bedroom eyes’.”
Beauty fix: brow lift, eyelid surgery
Eyelid ptosis repair would help Frankenstein fix that fatigued, I-just-came-back-from-the-dead look. “A standard blepharoplasty would do Frankenstein more harm than good, because he has heavy eyebrows and no droopy extra skin to remove! In fact, taking out this needed skin would have the opposite effect, pulling the eyebrows down instead of the eyelids up,” explains Dr. Tadros. Performed in conjunction with a brow lift, this would truly open up his eyes and give his face a more fresh, youthful appearance.
Hellraiser’s Pinhead
Seriously, who is this guy’s aesthetician? Bob Vila? Someone needs to tell him that you can’t stimulate collagen growth with a nail gun.
Beauty fix: microneedling
Microneedling is a minimally invasive treatment that uses tiny needles to create micro-injuries on the skin, sending signals to the brain to produce collagen and elastin in the epidermis. This helps improve skin texture, reduce scars, and tighten pores, explains New Jersey Certified Aesthetic Nurse Specialist Melissa Giordano. Microneedling can be done using a device called a dermaroller, which looks a little like prickly little lint remover, or a microneedling pen, which comes with a disposable tip containing 12 microscopic needles.
Leatherface
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’s Leatherface wears masks made of human skin harvested from hitchhikers and wayward motorists. Why? Because he’s trying to achieve his aesthetic goals.
Beauty fix: the facelift
Listen, Leatherface – your DIY / arts and craft approach to facial rejuvenation will only get you so far. A real facelift is what you need to reduce visible signs of aging. Here’s how it’s done: incisions are made in the hairline at the temples, around the ear, and in the lower scalp. The skin is then raised, tissue and muscle underneath are tightened, and unnecessary fat and skin is removed. Texas has some the most respected and highly-trained facelift surgeons in the country. Do yourself a favor and book a consultation!
Regan Teresa MacNeil
Regan’s skin care regimen starts with an exorcism, and ends at the medical spa.
Beauty fix: microdermabrasion
There’s no amount of prayer that’ll completely heal Regan’s festering wounds and restore a healthy, youthful radiance to her skin. Microdermabrasion will do miracles, though: after exfoliating crystals have been used to remove the outer layer of the skin, a holy water topical infusion can be applied to stimulate new collagen growth and help prevent further outbreaks.
Nosferatu
This Dracula wannabe is known for his pale skin, sharp fangs, and pointed ears – all issues that can be addressed through cosmetic procedures.
Beauty fix: otoplasty, odontoplasty, and PRP injections
Ears reshaping – also known as otoplasty – consists in improving the shape, position or proportion of the ears’ cartilaginous framework. Incisions are usually made on the back of the ear, and non-removable sutures are used to secure the cartilage in place. “The art of otoplasty is more than just pinning the ears back,” says Dr. Tadros. “During otoplasty, oddly shaped ears can be recontoured and oversized or pointy ears can be made smaller. In the case of Nosferatu, trimming his pointy ears, rounding them forward and pinning them back might just give this legendary vampire a change of heart.”
Tooth recontouring, or odontoplasty, would allow Nosferatu to change the shape and length of his fangs. During this process, the surface enamel is removed with the help of a sanding disc or fine diamond bur.
As for Nosferatu’s pale complexion and sunken cheeks, Dr. Dadvand suggests platelet rich plasma (PRP) injections, also known as the vampire facelift (seriously, it’s a thing). “PRP injections add volume, treat fine lines and wrinkles, and brighten your complexion to give it a healthy glow,” says Dr. Dadvand.
