A Female Dermatologist Walks Into The Mall
As a female dermatologist, Dr Kormeili is girly girl. She is into make up, shoe, and collecting perfumes. This weekend, Dr. Kormeili walked into her favorite department store to smell and collect a few more perfumes for her collection.
She was suddenly attacked by the ladies of the cosmetic counter! She was asked to try on various creams that promised to revolutionize her life from correcting wrinkles, and age spots, to adding glow and confidence. If only rubbing on creams could increase confidence.
The truth is that the cosmetic world is a huge multi-billion dollar industry. The cosmetic industry makes so many promises. Cellulite, stretch marks, wrinkles, acne, blemishes, psoriasis and so many more conditions that are supposed to be magically fixed with an application of a magic formula.
Female Dermatologist Separates Fact From Fiction
The truth is that there are many reasons for acne, from hormones to bacteria. Sometimes acne is not going to respond to a cream because it is not a skin problem, but an underlying hormonal problem.
Some wrinkles can be improved with skin hydration. But if wrinkles are a result of frowning too much, well, short of stopping the frown, those lines will not go away. So, no, the creams are not as good as Botox.
Additionally, no reliable company has ever shown good clinical data to suggest that stretch marks will magically disappear with a cream. This is because there is a defect in collagen and elastin in those stretch marks that is hard to rebuild into normal skin with just a cream. You can see this if you look under a microscope.
Lastly, there is no cream or procedure that is really effective for cellulite. The latest research on cellulite shows that there is a deep anatomical change in the supporting structure of the skin that influences cellulite formation. So it makes sense that a cream won’t be able to penetrate that deep to cause an anatomical change in the deep tissue.
Products Recommended By A Female Dermatologist
1. First things first. A great SPF that is zinc and titanium based must be used every morning.
2. Second a gentle moisturizer that doesn’t clog pores and has ceramide lipids in its formulation.
3. For skin discoloration, Dr. Kormeili recommends glycolics that help gently exfoliate away superficial discoloration.
4. Dr. Kormeili recommends retinoid creams (from Vitamin A family) for wrinkles.
5. For acne Benzoyl peroxide, glycolic and or salicylic acid formulations are a great start.
6. Tar and greasy oily formulations work best at getting rid of the thick scale in people struggling with psoriasis.
You may also want to check out this product review in which Dr. Kormeili lists a few of her favorite products, from which sunscreen to which moisturizing.
These products are all over the counter, and relatively inexpensively.
Of course, we have also prescription items and more sophisticated products that have growth factor, deep pigment removals, DNA repair, and scar healing.
Dr. Kormeili’s patients love that they get first hand product knowledge from their favorite female dermatologist. For more complex individualized products just ask us! Contact us to schedule a consultation with Dr. Kormeili for more personalized skin care tips and products.