What I Actually Do as a Dermatologist (With Access to Everything) including Skincare and Procedures
They say an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. This is true with skincare…prevention is cheaper, easier, less painful and almost always looks better.
As a double-board certified procedural dermatologist, I have access to the best technology, lasers, injectables and skincare available. But even with all that at my fingertips, I’m still strategic about what I use—to age well, not oddly.
Here's what I do in a year, the steps I believe are worth the cost, downtime, even pain because of their predictable, natural results.
My Daily Habits: Skincare is the Foundation
Before you even think about lasers or injectables, your daily habits have to be dialed in. This is where true skin health is maintained. I made a skincare line because I wanted something better for my patients, but truthfully also for myself—I needed products that were incredibly effective—using proven ingredients at the percentages shown to help the skin—but also safe, meaning free of concerning ingredients from hormone disruptors to skin irritants, and truly sustainable in ingredients, packaging and testing. It has been a hard, slow process but I’ve done it and DAMN, they are good and I feel good using them.
My Morning Routine
- Antioxidant Serum: Doctor Rogers Day Preventive Treatment to my face, neck, chest and a rice grain amount around my eyes. This has three powerful antioxidants to fight the damage caused by the sun and pollution. The bis(cyano butylacetate) anthracenediylidene prevents the formation of free radicals in the first place, the vitamin C collects free radicals before they damage the skin and the acetyl zingerone corrects damage that occurs if the free radicals sneak through. This before, during and after protection makes it magical for preventing a sunburn as well as correcting one!
- Moisturizer: Doctor Rogers Face Cream to my face, neck, chest and eyes.
- Sunscreen: I’m currently rotating between Dermaquest and Pavise, both excellent mineral UVA/UVB blockers that wear well.
My Evening Routine
- Face Wash: Doctor Rogers Face Wash removes the day in a single cleanse and safe to use around the eyes with only 8 biodegradable ingredients. It is quick, easy, effective and safe!
- Cell Turnover Product: Doctor Rogers Night Repair Treatment to face, neck, chest and a rice grain amount around my eyes. This is a well-tolerated retinol alternative with bakuchiol, glycolic acid and gluconalactone that promotes cell turnover, builds collagen, plumps skin and corrects sun damage.
- Moisturizer: Doctor Rogers Face Cream for face, neck, chest and eyes. I have dry skin and really layer it on before bed to support my skin as it repairs itself while I sleep. It is packed with proven skin supportive ingredients—squalane, niacinamide, glycerine, centella asiatica and adenosine to give your skin the help it deserves.
- Doctor Rogers Healing Balm as a final layer for the delicate skin around the eyes and lips that need all the moisturizing they can get.
These are the steps that can benefit your skin and focus on finding the products for each of these categories that work well for you. It does not need to be Doctor Rogers but I do challenge you to find products (at any price point) that work better, particularly for aging or sensitive skin that can tell the difference between quality and fluff.
If the UV index is 2 or higher and I will be in the sun I wear sunscreen, a hat, sunglasses and long sleeves. Always.
I also try to use red light therapy at home (I like Celluma and Omnilux) to support collagen production and reduce inflammation. But I’ll be honest—this is the first thing to go when I’m short on time.
In-Office Procedures: What I Actually Do
Neuromodulators (Botox, Dysport, Daxxify, Xeomin, Jeuveau) for Dynamic Wrinkles
My go-to is Daxxify every four months. I like it slightly better than Botox because of how well it opens up the eye. I like to let it fully wear off before re-treating—there are things I prefer about my face both with and without it, so I like the rhythm of contrast and want to make sure my muscles do not over atrophy as I age.
Areas I treat:
- Glabella (between my brows)
- Crow’s feet (around the eyes)
- Chin
- Neck
I’m very conservative with forehead injections, often skipping it entirely. Why? A bit of movement there keeps my eyebrows up and eyes more open —especially important as a woman over 40.
Emface for Volume Loss and Sagging Skin
This is one of my favorite devices for non-surgical lifting. It combines HIFES (High-Intensity Focused Electrical Stimulation) with radiofrequency (RF) to build muscle and stimulate collagen. Areas that can be treated: Forehead, under eyes, cheeks and submental area (under the chin).
Clinical studies show that after a series of four weekly cheek treatments, patients gain 1cc of cheek volume and 1.5cc of lift in the jowl area per side. Now that I am done with my series, I do it three times a year for maintenance.
Sculptra (Poly-L-lactic acid) for Volume Loss and Skin Texture
I love Sculptra for natural collagen stimulation. I currently do 1 vial annually in my chest to maintain skin quality. I have used it on my face, but Emface is working well enough that I haven’t needed it in the past three years, but that time will come.
PRP around Eyes for Crepey Skin
I have naturally thin, crepey skin around my eyes. To improve tone, fine lines and dark circles, I did a series of three PRP treatments, spaced one month apart. It made a noticeable difference. Now I do one PRP treatment a year to maintain results.
IPL (Intense Pulsed Light) for Sun Spots and Broken Blood Vessels
At the end of summer, if I notice brown spots or redness on my face, neck, chest, hands or arms I do IPL to clean it up. It’s quick, easy, and has minimal downtime. This is not recommended for people with melasma.
If I am more worried about brown spots and texture I will do a Clear and Brilliant or Ultraclear single pass to just buff off the skin, again with minimal downtime.
For thicker brown spots like macular seborrheic keratoses, I spot-treat with liquid nitrogen or the Ultraclear resurfacing laser but the recovery is significantly longer with these treatments.
Ablative Laser Resurfacing (Every 4–5 Years)
Every few years, I go big with a deep resurfacing laser treatment—previously CO₂, but my last was with the Ultraclear Erbium.
I treat face, neck and chest and expect a 1 week downtime for the face but two for the neck and chest. But that's just the recovery, it takes 3–4 months to see full results as collagen rebuilds. During that time, my skin is drier and more sensitive, another reason why I love my products, they are magical during this recovery phase.
A very important note: Do not adopt the “Go Big or Go Home” motto with lasering. Laser settings that are too strong (especially on the neck) risk scarring. You want to do these procedures with an expert who is able to pick the right settings for you and your skin. Make sure to discuss this with your provider.
Final Thoughts
Three key takeaways:
1. Start with your habits at home. Lifelong great skin isn't made in the treatment room, it is made and maintained at home with quality, proven steps and daily routines that keep us looking good.
2. Having access to everything doesn’t mean do everything. It means be highly selective in products and procedures. When looking for your provider to help you through this aging process, have a conversation but also take a good, hard look at him or her. Do you have similar value on skincare? Do you like the choices she has made for herself? If not, find someone else. This is an expensive and at times painful process so make sure your provider shares your values and aesthetic goals to ensure she can guide you to YOUR best results.
3. And most importantly, remember: Aging is inevitable. My hope is to help us win a few battles along the way, but also accept that we will all lose the war. And never lose sight of how lucky we are to be aging— it is a blessing that is not granted to everyone.
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