Cosmetic dermatology
Cosmetic work without the hype
A short menu, done well: injectables, laser, and peels performed personally by a board-certified dermatologist. Prices are published below, results are described the way medicine describes them — as things that vary — and every plan starts with a consult, not a sales conversation.
Run like medicine, because it is medicine
- Dr. Marcus Villanueva performs every treatment. No delegated injecting, no rotating strangers — a board-certified dermatologist, each visit.
- Consult first, always. Every cosmetic plan starts with a physician consult ($75, credited toward any treatment you book). Cosmetic care is self-pay — insurance is never billed — and no one here works on commission.
- Conservative is the default. We would rather you return for a little more than walk out with too much. Results vary with anatomy, skin, and time — anyone who says otherwise is advertising.
- “No” is on the menu. If a treatment will not achieve what you are picturing — or the picture itself worries us — we say so at the consult. That conversation costs $75, not $850.
Treatments & published prices
The menu, with real numbers
Ranges below are what patients actually pay. Where the price depends on dose or area, your consult ends with an exact written quote before anything is scheduled. Cosmetic care is self-pay — insurance is never billed.
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Botulinum toxin (frown lines, forehead, crow's feet)
$13 / unit — typical visit $260–$650
15-minute visit · results in 3–14 days · lasts about 3–4 months
Softens the lines made by muscle movement. Dosed conservatively by a physician, mapped to your anatomy — the goal is a rested face that still moves.
Honestly: It wears off. Plan on maintenance 3–4 times a year, and expect subtle — not frozen — as the default here.
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Hyaluronic-acid filler (lips, cheeks, deeper folds)
$700–$850 / syringe
30–45 minutes · results immediate, settled by 2 weeks · lasts 6–18 months by area
Restores volume with a reversible gel. Physician-injected, one syringe at a time — most first visits need one or two, not five.
Honestly: Results vary with anatomy and product. Swelling and bruising for a few days are normal. If we think filler will not achieve what you are picturing, we will say so at the consult — that happens regularly.
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Vascular laser (rosacea redness, visible vessels)
$300–$450 / session — most need 2–4
20–30 minutes · spaced 4–6 weeks apart
Targeted light collapses the small vessels behind fixed redness. The one cosmetic treatment we most often recommend for medical reasons.
Honestly: Redness control, not redness deletion — new vessels can form over years, and maintenance sessions are common.
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IPL photofacial (sun spots, uneven tone)
$350–$450 / session — a series of 3 is typical
30 minutes · spaced a month apart · best in fall–winter
Broad-spectrum light lifts scattered sun spots and evens tone. Spots darken, then flake off over a week.
Honestly: Works best on lighter skin tones; for deeper tones we usually recommend different approaches — we will match the tool to your skin, not the other way around.
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Non-ablative laser resurfacing (texture, acne scars)
$600–$900 / session — plan on 3–5 for scarring
45 minutes · a few days of redness · spaced 4–6 weeks
Stimulates collagen remodeling under the surface to soften acne scarring and fine texture without open downtime.
Honestly: Improvement is real but gradual and partial — think 30–60% softer over a series, not erased. We will show you honest expectations at the consult, not a best-case gallery.
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Medical-grade chemical peels
$180–$350 / peel
30 minutes · 3–7 days of flaking by depth
Physician-selected peels for tone, texture, and acne-prone skin — stronger than a facial, matched to your skin type.
Honestly: One peel refreshes; a series changes skin. Deeper is not automatically better, and we will steer you to the lightest peel that does the job.
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Laser hair removal
$95–$150 / session (small area) — 6+ sessions typical
15–45 minutes by area · spaced 6–10 weeks
Long-term hair reduction with devices safe across skin tones, supervised by physicians.
Honestly: 'Removal' is the industry's word, not medicine's — expect major long-term reduction, with occasional touch-ups, and poor results on white, grey, or very fine hair.
Things you will not find here
A shorter menu is a feature. These absences are deliberate:
- Before/after galleries. Curated best cases set expectations medicine can’t keep — we show honest expected ranges at your consult instead.
- Memberships, packages you must pre-buy, or “today-only” pricing. The price is the price, every day.
- Commission. Nobody at Aster earns more if you book more.
- This-year’s-device treatments without evidence behind them. When the data arrives, so might the device.
- Treating anyone under 18 cosmetically, or anyone we believe is being pressured into a chair.
Appointments
Start with the $75 conversation.
A cosmetic consult is 30 minutes with the dermatologist who would treat you: what is realistic, what it costs exactly, and — when it's the honest answer — what to skip. The fee credits toward any treatment you book.