MEET THE BAXT FAMILY OF DOCTORS
We have all heard of a family practice, but what about a family that practices together? Since 2000, board-certified dermatologist Rebecca Baxt has worked with her parents—mother, Dr. Saida Baxt, also a board-certified dermatologist, and father, Dr. Woody Baxt, a board-certified plastic surgeon—at Baxt Cosmedical in Paramus, New Jersey: a facility that has provided state-of-the-art care for patients throughout the tri-state area for over 35 years. One of the first group practices to combine the expertise of dermatologists and a plastic surgeon, Baxt Cosmedical houses a vast array of high technology equipment and the first certified ambulatory office-based Surgi-Center in the state of New Jersey.
In 2012, Dr. Rebecca Baxt opened an office on Madison Avenue in New York City. She also is an Assistant Clinical Professor Dermatology at NYU and has obtained an MBA from the Wharton School of Management in Health Care Administration.
It’s not often that we hear of three members of a family working in one medical practice. What is the advantage of this for your patients?
Having two separate generations of physicians brings to the practice both experience and innovation. Our office is our home away from home and we have made it a warm and friendly place and our patients feel comfortable having our family treat their family. We often see multigenerational families including adults, grandparents, and children, and we really enjoy getting to know our patients, seeing them over time, and sharing the big life events together.
What are the most commonly requested non-invasive cosmetic treatments?
Botox, fillers, laser resurfacing, photorejuvenation, skin tightening, and fat reduction. The worlds of dermatology and plastic surgery are shifting rapidly into more non-invasive treatments. We are doing everything from permanent fat production and facial skin tightening to cellulite reduction. Over the last 10 years we have heavily researched and continued to watch the technology as it evolves and have been leaders in introducing laser, ultrasound, and radiofrequency technologies. Each of these work in different areas and it is the judgment of the physician as to which one would work best for that particular patient. With our younger patients in their 40s and 50s beginning programs of either radiofrequency or ultrasound facial skin tightening along with fillers, it is not a stretch to imagine a time when we will look back at the facelift as a historic operation.
What sort of surgical procedures can you perform in your SurgiCenter?
We are proud to have introduced the plastic surgery center to the state of New Jersey. As our techniques and our anesthesia evolves, more of our procedures are performed here—everything from rhinoplasty and face lifts to liposuctions and eyelid lifts. Many of our procedures are performed under “twilight sleep†anesthesia administered by a board-certified anesthesiologist. Patients are usually home in their own bed within an hour or two of completing the procedure. It has been our tradition to call every patient the evening of their operation and with the long-lasting local anesthetic it is gratifying to know that most people are completely comfortable throughout the day of their operation.
What new facial rejuvenation procedures do your see being available in the future?
The future is here in terms of non-invasive skin tightening and lifting using both ultrasound and radiofrequency, and in some patients the use of the Smartlipo laser. New lights and non-invasive lasers will continue to be developed and hopefully improve on our current great technology. As long as these are begun early enough, we feel very comfortable telling some patients that they will never consider a old-fashioned facelift during their lifetime.
Are there any new acne treatments that you can recommend?
Many! Isolaz acne treatments are intense pulsed light to kill bacteria and suction to unclog pores. It works great for many patients, especially those who don’t like high dose oral antibiotics or Acutane therapy. Also PDT, or photodynamic therapy, works really well for acne. There are always new creams coming to the market and we can hope for new discoveries.
How has the field of cosmetic surgery changed in the last 10 years?
The field of cosmetic surgery has evolved extremely rapidly in the last 10 years as we have gone to less invasive procedures and now replacing many of our surgical operations with completely noninvasive techniques. With the introduction of ultrasound, radiofrequency, and Smartlipo we do significantly fewer major invasive operations. It is very easy to picture a day not far off where many of the operations we do today will be considered quaint historical footnotes.
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