If you’re considering incorporating retinol into your skincare routine, here’s everything you need to know. Retinol has long been praised as one of the most effective ingredients for increasing collagen production, reducing fine lines, fighting acne and improving skin discoloration. In my 25 years of professional experience treating thousands of complexions, I’ve seen retinol work miracles, including on my own acneic skin. Despite their popularity, retinol and other vitamin A derivatives (known as retinoids) are often confused and misused. Everyone from the dermatologist to self-proclaimed sk ..read more

While hyaluronic acid has certainly made its way as one of the top ingredients in today's skin care market, you might want to ask yourself, “What is this all about and do I need it?” or “What should I look for in a really outstanding hyaluronic acid serum?”.  What is it?  Hyaluronic Acid (HA) goes by many names—including Sodium Hyaluronate or Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid. Hyaluronic Acid is a naturally-occurring polymer in the human body. The majority of Hyaluronic Acid occurs in the dermis (the deepest layers of the skin) and in the epidermis (the outermost 5 layers of the skin). H ..read more

  Toners, Astringents, essences … What are these liquid potions and how badly do we need them? Well, let’s get into it. If you asked me (an esthetician) the difference between them is that a toner is full of hydrating, soothing ingredients, Astringents help purge oily and acne prone skin, and essence is basically a nonsensical marketing term invented to confuse you.  So why do you need it? let’s be real, I wouldn’t call it the #1 most crucial product on your vanity, but I love these liquids for prepping your skin and delivering fast results. If you have dry, dehydrated or sensitive ..read more

Imagine an absolutely stunning living room filled with priceless furniture, one of a kind art, and vintage finds. Blocking out the harsh direct light that would otherwise fade and discolor those priceless pieces are very ordinary, very dark drapes. Are you following me here? The living room is your skin, the one-of-one furniture and treasures are your serums and moisturizers and those drapes, well, they’re sunscreen. Just like those ugly drapes, sunblock is absolutely necessary but not that great at anything other than protection from harmful rays. Yes, we must use it or we will end up wit ..read more

Derived from Vitamin A, Accutane is a potent little pill often prescribed by physicians to treat all sorts of acne and breakouts. If you’ve been on it before, you know that Accutane is a serious drug with equally serious side effects. If this is your first time and you’re reading this, you’re already ahead of some of the worst and most obvious side effects. Accutane is known for being incredibly drying - oftentimes depleting the skin of all sorts of moisture, causing a rash, chapped dry lips, dry nose (both inside and out) and a whole lot of itching. Now that you’ve braced yourself for the wo ..read more

    For the past 25 years I have had hundreds of clients with light, moderate to severe acne come in to receive treatment. About 70% of them were successfully cured of their acne by me, but sometimes just a simple change to skin care routine would do. While sometimes a combination of products like prescription tretinoin and Spironolactone would do the trick for some clients, a synergetic combination of acids like BHA and AHA plus retinol works for others. Every once in a while, none of the above treatments work and after a few months of deceiving results and acne that would return wi ..read more

  While this can be a loaded question, I will try to give you some guidelines that can help your skin weather any storm, pun intended. If your skin care is currently on point, this means that you are exfoliating regularly, treating your skin to the right amounts of hydration, and using sun protection when necessary - amazing! This means that most likely, won’t need to change very much. Your skin is probably healthy and resilient to environmental changes. However, if you happen to be inconsistent with your skin care, here are some general rules to follow especially as we approach spring ..read more

Sustainability is the new buzzword in beauty, skincare, fashion and pretty much all areas of our lives. Of course it’s a huge topic, because it is a huge problem. Within the skincare and beauty industry, there’s hundreds of thousands of jars, bottles and compacts polluting landfills with seemingly no solution in sight. You may be surprised to hear this, but so-called “clean” beauty brands are also contributing to the growing pile of landfill, and it’s unfortunate that their marketing targets those who are actually interested in making a difference.    While a lot of new and old brand ..read more

Let me guess, you and your friends took a trip to your local Sephora and told the sales associate about your skin concerns. She walked you guys over to the brightest and boldest gondola covered in lights and model photography and told you “this brand is a best-seller, anything you pick out will be good” and left you to figure it out. You have no reason to doubt her, I mean, she’s a professional and you’ve definitely seen this brand on Instagram before, so you fill up your little basket with a ton of products and expectations. After about a month of your “cult-favorite” skincare routine, you’ve ..read more

The buzz around peptides is strong and for good reason. Peptides are powerful short chains of amino acids that are basically building blocks of proteins like collagen, elastin, and keratin. All naturally occurring and existing within the skin, these materials are crucial at upholding skin tightness, elasticity and plumpness. Through age, environmental factors and exposure to free radicals, these naturally occurring proteins break away, depriving the skin of its youthful luster. Thanks to science and people who give a damn about their skin, the skincare industry has seen a boom of peptide power ..read more