Watch Latin American Music Awards
Unlike most doctors — with the exception of the ones with TV shows — Beverly Hills cosmetic dermatologist Simon Ourian is famous, like 1.2 million Instagram followers famous. Some of the Internet popularity likely is due to his client list, which includes Lady Gaga (“She’s awesome”) and Iggy Azalea, as well as Kim Kardashian and her entire family. “Kim is the one who told me I should have an Instagram,” says Ourian, who in addition to perfecting Mrs. West’s skin is the man responsible for Kylie Jenner’s pout.
Ourian, who was born in Iran, didn’t set out to be a cosmetic surgeon. “I wanted to be a painter or sculptor, but then I realized no one was interested in buying stuff like that,” says the 49-year-old father of three. After getting a nose job in his late teens, he struck up a friendship with his doctor, legendary Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Frank Kramer. “He told me that his passion was art and that he still painted and sculpted,” says Ourian, whose love of art then became his favorite hobby. After medical school and post-graduate work at Harvard, Ourian started his own practice, Epione Medical Corporation, in 1998; with more than 25 medical staffers, it’s one of the largest boutique aesthetic clinics in the nation.
When not sculpting with clay — his favorite medium, save for human flesh — Ourian uses dermal fillers like Juvéderm and Restylane to reshape his clients’ faces. “Musicians come in and they’re most often holding up their album covers and saying this is how they need to look, even if it’s from a decade ago,” he says. “There’s a tremendous amount of pressure
to have a youthful appearance and appeal to a young crowd.”
Aside from album cover inspiration, Ourian’s most requested procedures are cheek contouring ($1,900-$4,900), lip contouring ($1,900-$3,900) and butt lifts ($15,000-$40,000), a procedure frequently featured on his Instagram. “If somebody has enough fat in their belly or thighs, we can take it and put it on the buttocks,” he says. Do Hollywood clients have any excess fat? Ourian confirms it’s rare; in which case, he says, “we just use fillers.”
Dr. Ourian’s Tips for Getting VMA-Ready
1) “If there are any areas — arms, belly, love handles — that no matter how much weight you lose, you still have a bulge, now’s the time to address them. Try LipoFreeze [$2,900-$4,900] or ultrasound [$2,900-$5,900] to get rid of fat locally. If you have any major sun damage, wrinkles or skin that needs tightening, Coolaser [$4,900-$7,900] can take care of that.”
2) “Go for your fillers and Botox [$300 and up] on your face and neck, where it may take a couple weeks for any swelling or bruising to subside.”
3) “Get plenty of rest. Schedule a laser facial [$2,900-$5,900]. Get a lot of water into your system and sleep with a humidifier next to your bed.”
This article originally appeared in the Sept. 3 issue of Billboard.