Dermatologists have been creating their own skin care concoctions for their private patients for years, but now there’s a trend towards creating consumer-friendly skin care lines for consumers outside of their patients. Since “skin doctors” really know a thing or two about skin, and about what their patients need and want, these “doctor” skin care lines are often very unique.
Dr. Loretta Ciraldo
During fashion week, I had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Loretta Ciraldo, a respected Board Certified Dermatologist with a practice in Fort. Lauderdale, Florida. She who was in town to introduce Editors to her “Dr. Loretta” line of anti-aging skincare.
The first thing I asked the Doctor was about her skin care philosophy. She said: “I believe you need to put your freshest face forward every day. The key though is to realize it’s products more than procedures that help your skin stay youthful, vibrant and resilient – I believe that the benefits of good skincare, practiced on a daily basis, and keep our skin clear and our appearance younger, in every decade of our lives .”
Dr Ciraldo (aka.” Dr. Loretta”) began her dermatology career in the 1970s, working in a dermatology research laboratory at Harvard Medical School. There, she worked with a Dr. Fitzpatrick on helping to develop what today is still the “ gold-standard of skin typing” among dermatologists, the *Fitzpatrick Skin Type Classification.
Clearly, Dr. Loretta understand skin types and what issues different kinds of skin, require. For nearly two decades, Dr. Loretta formulated skincare for her own patients, and acted as a consultant for other skincare lines. Her book, 6 Weeks to Sensational Skin, published by Rodale Press, takes readers through a 6-week “boot camp” to improve the overall health and appearance of skin, and has been dubbed…”the ultimate girlfriend’s guide to beauty.” But now you don’t have to be a personal patient of Dr. Loretta’s to get her impressively large line of skincare products simply called Dr. Loretta skincare. She has a web site www.drloretta.com where you can see all the products she offers.
Although we primarily discussed her anti-aging skincare, Dr Loretta has five different regimens: •Anti-Aging; •Even Skin Tone; •Oily/Acne Prone Skin; •Rosecea Prone or Red Skin Tones’ and •Eyes, Lips and Hands. All of these are serious, medical-grade treatments, made with stronger, clinically tested ingredients. The downside of this if there is one, is that if you are not a personal patient, you need some assistance in figuring out which of these products you want to create a personalized regimen. For some, it might be a bit confusing because the regimens may cross lines with their benefits: Cleansers, Exfoliators, Serums, Moisturizers, Acne Prevention and Management, SPF Products, Masks, Eyes, Lips, and Hands, Lessens Redness. According to Dr. Loretta, it’s ok to “borrow” from other lines, but you start with the cleanser and that determines your main skin regimen.
Some of Dr. Loretta’s best sellers are: C Spray- $26.00; Tea-rrific Mattifying Serum- $55.00; Face Erase – $19.00; Duo Cleanse- $19.00; Essential Boost- $55.00; Youthful Radiance – $50.00 $30.00; Youth Fill – $45.00; Age Change- $65.00; Intensely Firm- $85.00; and Youthful Revival- $65.00 $45.00.
One stand-out product that will please everyone, especially during the warmer months when breakthrough shine is most prevalent, is Dr. Loretta’s Tea-rrific Mattifying Serum. This is a lightweight, mattifying serum in a 1 oz. sleek pump, bottle that does a lot. According to Dr. Loretta’s web site, this one product: reduces breakouts, relieves skin redness, minimizes brown spots and dark circles (thanks to a high amount of Vitamin K),; minimizes wrinkles, and helps to prevent sun damage (no specific SPF is listed so be sure to add a moisturizer or sun screen with at least SPF 30). Dr. Loretta’s Tea-rriffic has antioxidant green tea with no parabens, SLS, TEA or fragrance. It’s soothing even on sensitive skin (and that includes those with rosacea, acne-prone, sunburn and shaving irritations). The serum isn’t sticky or smelly, and while it is providing anti-aging and calming benefits, the green tea helps to control breakouts. At $55.00 it isn’t cheap, but it purports to do so much! A mattifying serum is great for men too, since they can’t hide under foundation and powders.
Another good for all skin types and genders product from Dr. Loretta’s Age Change collection, that has just been introduced, is Dr. Loretta’s Age Change Eye ($50.00 0.5 fl. oz) that she calls the “next generation rejuvenator.” This completely clear gel’s claim to fame is that it is the first eye gel to combat eye area damage from airborne, nitrogen-producing toxins such as car exhausts, smoke stacks, and third hand smoke. Like most of Dr. Loretta’s products, this is a multi-tasker that hydrates thanks to a gel base containing tara tree, fights wrinkles with anti-wrinkle peptides to slow collagen breakdown, de-puffs with Acetyl Tetrapeptide 5:, brightens dark circles with potent skin brighteners, and provides broad spectrum antioxidant protection to help the skin around your eye area look healthy and youthful. You can see that the products pack a lot of punch in many areas! I can’t honestly tell if it reduces damage from exposure to smoke and pollution, as advertised, but my under-eye area felt tighter and smoother, nearly immediately. if you’re a smoker or a barfly or club-goer, or you just live in a polluted area, or a big City, it can’t hurt to dab a bit of this on your eye area before going to bed and getting up in the morning.
I tried some specific products Dr. Loretta personally recommended , based on my specific skin care issues. All seem to be good. However, I like on in particular, because I believe absolutely no one should leave the house without SPF 30 (or above). Dr. Loretta’s Triple Play SPF 30 ($36.00 2 fl.,oz). is a tinted sunscreen SPF 30 that calms, firms and protects skin. It arrives in a travel-friendly, flip-top tube, offering a chemical-free, water resistant (up to 80 minutes in water), broad-spectrum sunscreen. It contains peptides and antioxidants to help combat the signs of aging, along with 7.5% zinc oxide and 2.4% titanium dioxide to ward off the sun’s damaging rays. While this creamy, multi-tasking sunscreen protects with a decent amount of SPF, and I like the semi-matte finish, the tint is really most flattering to those with very light complexions. If your skin is medium to dark, it is going to look like you have a dusting of powder or ash on your face. I looked pale, even though my skin is fairly light, but after applying the Triple Play I added some bronzer to give my skin a little more color.
The Bottom Line: What I really like about Dr. Loretta’s product are that once you figure out which ones will suit you best, they are truly user-friendly. The pumps sport different colors for different regimens, so you can see at a glance if it’s anti-aging, or to even skin tone, anti-acne, or something else. Men will love these too, because they’re simple to use, and many are multi-taskers. The products are clear, fragrance-free, good for sensitive skin. But that being said, I can’t guaratee you that this skin care or any skin care is going to work a miracle. Selecting the right products for your skin, using them as directed, using them regularly, keeping your expectations reasonable and your patience in check is the best way to get the results you want. Clearly a lot of thought has been put into these products by a doctor who cares about her patients and the other consumers of her skincare. You’re paying for high quality, serious skincare and you get it. There’s plenty of science behind this brand, and it shows. Check out all the products, read Dr. Loretta’s blog, see her videos at: http://www.drloretta.com/
*The Fitzpatrick Scale (aka. Fitzpatrick skin typing test or Fitzpatrick phototyping scale) is a numerical classification for the color of skin that defines the response of different types of skin to ultra violet light. It measures several components: Genetic Disposition, Reaction to Sun Exposure and Tanning Habits. Here is the breakdown of the Fitzpatrick Scale: Type I (scores 0-7) White; very fair; freckles; typical albino skin. Always burns, never tans; Type II (scores 8-16) White; fair. Usually burns, tans with difficulty; Type III (scores 17-25) Beige; very common. Sometimes mild burn, gradually tans to a light brown; Type IV (scores 25-30) Beige with a brown tint; typical Mediterranean Caucasian skin. Rarely burns, tans with ease to a moderate brown; Type V (scores over 30) Dark brown. Very rarely burns, tans very easily; Type VI Black. Never burns, tans very easily, deeply pigmented.
