When you enter the Park Avenue offices of Dr. Neil Sadick, you may feel like you're on a Hollywood set, what an Oscar-winning art director thinks a Beverly Hills plastic surgeon's futuristic office should look like. But make no mistake: Very serious medicine takes place here.

The Juva Center offers something for everyone when it comes to laser and cosmetic surgery, aesthetic skin care, and general dermatology, and the packed waiting room attests to the solicitous care and exceptional skill of the entire staff. Whether it's head-to-toe skin treatments, micro-dermabrasion, laser procedures to obliterate brown spots and little blood-vessel "tributaries," or injectibles to do away with varicose veins -- or even more extensive surgery, like face lifts or tummy tucks -- the Center's team is equipped to expertly handle it. Dr. Michael C. Bruck will tell you that the demand for state-of-the-art, specialized cosmetic procedures is burgeoning...but a more interesting statistic buried in that generality is that, among men, cosmetic procedures are definitely on the rise. Dr. Bruck estimates that nearly 20% of his patients are men, and the most common procedure they come for is to shed those endearing, but unwelcome love handles: "You can never just spot-reduce an area at the gym. You can build an area, but not effectively 'remove' it." And so liposuction is the best bet. More fascinating, however, is the number of men who come in for Botox -- for their hands! "A handshake says so much about us," he comments, and further adds that men whose hands perspire opt for Botox to alleviate it. He also observes that the "brow-and-forehead" complex is another target for men, and he says that Botox is again the solution for those furrows. The Center also sees many men who come to have excessive hair removed. In other words, no reasonable cosmetic problem cannot be solved here -- regardless of your sex. Juva Skin & Laser Center and Health & Wellness Center, 60 E. 56th St. btw. Madison & Park Aves., 212-688-5882; www.juvaskin.com (This article originally appeared in the 1/06 issue of Manhattan Living.)

"The first signs of aging," warns Harvard-educated, board-certified Dr. Haideh Hirmand, "are around the eyes." Dr. Hirmand, who is a clinical assistant professor of surgery at Weill Medical College of Cornell University and on staff at New York-Presbyterian and Manhattan Eye, Ear & Throat Hospitals, says she wasn't happy about using a needle when working with patients seeking a filler for the tired-looking, hollowed-out or darkened circles under the eyes (otherwise known as tear troughs). So she set about creating a way to deliver a filler like Restylane in a more efficient and safe manner. What she developed was a tiny canula with a blunt tip that allows her a better delivery system for getting deeply into that delicate area -- without cutting, with less bruising, and with superior performance. What does this mean for you? A great non-surgical ego-booster for around $1,000 (and up) -- and a perfect gift to yourself that'll get rid of the "harried holiday hollows" that two frantic months of shopping, schlepping, and stress may have wrought! 105 E. 73rd St. btw. Park & Lexington Aves., 212-744-4400; www.drhirmand.com (This article originally appeared in the 11/05 issue of Manhattan Living.)

Well, we interrupted our barrage of spring stuff that we started last week (appropriately enough, on the first day of spring) to tell you about a few sample sales and so on, but we’re back to putting spring in our step, especially after yesterday’s 70-degree weather. So here’s one post that is Strictly Ballroom -- or rather, we mean Strictly Beauty:

Juva MediSpa (60 E. 56th St., 212-421-9501; www.juvaskin.com) is sponsoring a series of info-evenings, called JuvaChats, focused on topics that can help you feel spring-like yourself. (Or as our friends say, will help you feel and look like “the Y word”  -- as in youthful).  Of course, some of those tools might just be things like Botox, Restylane, or Radiesse…and others might simply be a good night’s sleep. Drs. Bruce Katz (no relation -- he’s the highly esteemed medical director at Juva) and Michael Bruck (the Center’s plastic surgeon) will impart the latest info and thinking on everything you need to know to get ready for bathing-suit weather.

On Apr. 10, the topic will be "Look Sizzlingly Good This Summer," dealing with age spots, spider veins, cellulite, and the like. On May 8, the evening’s topic will be "Update on Fillers, Botox, and Lasers" -- learn how they not only make you look better, but they also can rejuvenate your skin. Dermatologist Katz writes and lectures prodigiously, and is an acknowledged expert in the field who will touch on the very newest weapon in his profession’s arsenal: Artefill, which will soon get FDA approval.

The lectures are free and from 6 to 8pm both evenings. Pre-registration is mandatory: call 212-688-5882 to register. Hors d’oeuvres and light refreshments will be served and participants will all receive a Juva gift.