By SAMANTHA ETTUS
26-OCT-05

With so much emphasis on how we look, there has never been a better time to be a beauty doctor. It used to be that the term doctor conjured up thoughts of the family physician - but no longer. Think beauty doctor, the sort that turns wrinkles into perfectly smooth skating rinks, transforms yellow teeth to snowball white, and makes stretch marks disappear. While there are too many celebrity doctors to list, let's take a peek at three that are winning an increasing bevy of followers as they become household names; Dr. Fredric Brandt, Dr. Howard Murad, and Dr. Jonathan Levine.

Howard Murad
Best known for his role in reducing stretch marks and making skin beautiful from the inside out, Murad has been dubbed the "Deepak Chopra of skin care" by Los Angeles Magazine. And, though he boasts a booming celebrity clientele, he does not use Botox on any of his clients, making him an anomaly in the world of Hollywood doctors and dermatologists in general. Murad was a practicing dermatologist for many years before launching his own skin care line. Like the other two doctors profiled here, he has always managed to stay ahead of the curve, launching a groundbreaking medically serviced day spa in 1987 and his proprietary line of products the following year. His first book was published two years ago, and since then he has released two more including the bestseller, The Cellulite Solution. Murad's success has come from his consistency – his brand is based on innovation and research, primarily aimed at eliminating cellulite and treating skin with a change in diet. His trademarked tagline is "Where Skincare Meets Healthcare" and all of his endeavors remain true to that mission. In addition to his smart product extensions, it is his strong beliefs and consistency that solidify him as a leader in his field.

Howard Murad's Celebrity A$$$ets

Fredric Brandt
Brandt's philosophy couldn't be more different than Murad's, their only similarity is that they both focus on skin care. Whereas Murad is all about the diet with a heavy concentration on reducing cellulite, Brandt centers almost exclusively on anti-wrinkle solutions. Having started his practice working on natural cancer treatments, Brandt's focus as a cosmetic dermatologist has now turned entirely towards cosmetic anti-wrinkle treatments and prevention. He is ardently anti-sun and has been dubbed "The King of Botox" for his fervent use of and belief in it. Brandt continues to service up to 40 clients a day out of his New York and Miami offices and is best known for his revolutionary skin care line. His two books further his Botox focused ideology, and the use of treatments to make the skin "age-less." Brandt practices what he preaches; he looks as though he hasn't seen sun since the 80s, he self-injects Botox, and succeeds at looking far younger than his years. From his own appearance to his products and books, Brandt has a winning story and he sticks to it.

Fredric Brandt's Celebrity A$$$ets

Jonathan Levine
Levine has brilliantly tapped into and identified a new market; smile beauty. Perhaps taking the fastest trajectory of any beauty doctor, Levine founded his thriving company, GoSmile, only three years ago, after over 20 years as a cosmetic dentist to the stars in New York. Since its inception, GoSmile has become the premiere destination for customers seeking high end teeth whitening solutions. Levine has the potential to do what Howard Schultz did for coffee or Frederic Fekkai did for haircare. While we used to settle for coffee at the corner deli, we now happily shell out four dollars for a Starbucks latte and, while we used to buy Pantene, we now go to our department stores in search of Fekkai's aspirational hair products. Now Levine has us saying no to Crest whitestrips and yes to GoSmile's high end smile solutions. Having just been added to the advisory board of Men's Fitness and with his first book on the way, Levine is on a speedy trajectory to the top. He is currently leading an awareness movement on the correlation between heart disease and gum disease and a portion of proceeds from his newest holiday line go to Operation Smile, a not-for-profit doing reconstructive surgery on indigent people. Levine doesn't just talk about brand synergies - he lives them, and pioneering the smile beauty market makes his potential limitless.

Jonathan Levine's Celebrity A$$$$ets

Remember: the most dependable road to the top is to treat your brand as your greatest asset.

(Samantha Ettus is the author of "The Experts' Guide to 100 Things Everyone Should Know How to Do" (Random House). Contact her at Samantha@celebrityassets.com.)