Hello skin care enthusiasts! This website is dedicated to you. My hope is that within its pages, you will find answers to your most important dermatology questions. On this site, there will be healthy recipes using “skin-gredients”, or foods that have been shown to promote glowing, beautiful skin. There will also be evidence-based product recommendations, so you can rest assured the ingredients you are putting on your skin are backed by science. Finally, posts on managing common dermatologic conditions will provide you with the knowledge and information you need to take optimal care of your hair, skin, and nails.
A little about me:
- I have been a nurse practitioner for over 15 years.
After graduating from Georgetown University and the University of California, San Francisco, I worked in women’s health, primary care, and currently, dermatology, which is the field I am most passionate about.
- I still struggle with acne.
My interest in skin care is not entirely academic. It is also deeply personal. I suffered from terrible acne as a teenager and later, as an adult. I can remember my first visit to the dermatologist at age 15, where I was given a Retin-A prescription with no instructions on how to use it or its side effects. Shortly after starting this medication, I experienced severe blistering sunburns of my face that took weeks to heal. It took many years to determine which ingredients and medications were best for my acne-prone skin, but eventually, my breakouts improved. Today, I work hard to help my patients achieve clear, beautiful skin. While every patient is different, there are many recommendations that can help most people improve their acne. I plan to discuss these tips in detail.
- I am the mother to a beautiful little girl.
My 5-year-old daughter brings so much joy to my life. Of all the jobs I have had, raising her has been the most rewarding.
- I love to feed people.
Cooking is definitely one of my favorite hobbies, particularly when it comes to creating recipes that are both healthy and delicious. In nursing school, we were taught about Maslow’s hierarchy of needs—a 5-stage pyramid model that effectively states you must satisfy lower level deficit needs before progressing on to meet higher level growth needs. At the bottom of the pyramid are basic necessities like food, water, and sleep. If you do not ensure these essential needs are met, there is little hope for you to achieve the highest needs of the pyramid, such as reaching your potential or fulfilling your life’s purpose. The concept is so simple, and it can be applied to many different disciplines. If we are not putting healthy ingredients into our bodies and taking care of our basic needs, we will not achieve our ultimate health and life goals. Of course, I occasionally like to indulge in a little baking. Here is the giant cupcake I made for my daughter’s 4th birthday.
- I practice yoga and mindfulness.
The field of psychodermatology is not novel, but it has received renewed interest lately in the scientific literature. Simply put, there is ample evidence that the course of many skin disorders is affected by stress and psychological events. It is pivotal that we tend to our mental health if we want beautiful skin. Mindfulness and yoga are excellent strategies to relieve stress. I try to incorporate them into my daily routine as often as possible.
- I am obsessed with traditions.
I find it comforting to repeat celebratory activities year after year. It helps to increase my awareness of the passage of time while truly appreciating the precious gifts I have in my life, like my family. One of my favorite traditions is driving to a bucolic Christmas-tree farm with my family every year on the weekend after Thanksgiving. We take our time to select our favorite tree, chop it down, and then relax while sipping hot cocoa.
I also LOVE Halloween; especially the opportunity to dress up together as a family. The year we dressed up as “The Wizard of Oz” was my favorite, especially since we have our very own “Toto” dog in the family. I dread the time my daughter will be too old to dress up with us!
