The Vine: July 27, 2012
This may be too specific of a question but I thought I’d give it a shot. I would love some advice from your readers about a good dermatologist in the Philadelphia area. I last went to one about three years ago and she was terrible: barely looked at me, made me feel uncomfortable, and actually seemed like she didn’t want to look at the mole I’m concerned about on my very-upper thigh. So now my wonderful boyfriend has made it clear I need to get over my doctor phobia and go get it checked out. Which, I already knew, but having someone say it out loud (and looking at his giant scar from one he had taken off years ago) has reinforced how important it is.
I’ve been slogging through online reviews but am scared for a repeat experience; I would greatly appreciate some opinions from real live Nation fans. I will travel basically anywhere in the greater Philly area. One minor point: I’m a 24-year-old woman so I’d kind of prefer if it’s a woman who has to check out what is practically my butt. But as long as the doctor is competent and makes me feel like I’m in good hands, I’m happy.
Thanks in advance!
C
*****
Hi, Sars.
I need a good face cream. Here are my requirements:
1) Works
2) Does not give me zits
3) Does not contain toxins
4) Doesn’t make my face greasy
I tried Clinique’s Moisture Surge, which works fine, but only for a few hours. Then I tried their Moisture Surge Intense, which is magical but gives me zits. And anyway, I’d like to go a little less mainstream cosmetic and a little more organic. Can you and your readers help?
Thanks,
Melissa
Tags: Ask The Readers health and beauty retail
On the moisturizer question, it’s mainstream (sold in Sephora) but still natural/organic: Korres. Everything I’ve used from them is gold. Wild Rose + Vitamin C Advanced Brightening Sleeping Facial at night and Pomegranate Balancing Gel-Cream Moisture in the day = super glowy happy skin. The latter is probably right on the money for someone who needs more than Moisture Surge but less than Moisture Surge Intense.
Melissa – Have you tried anything from the Simple line? They’re not earthy/organicy, but they’re a lot gentler even than Neutrogena, which is what I’d been using for years, and the light moisturizer is very light and even though I’ve got appalling skin (hooray for gray hair AND zits), it doesn’t give me zit trouble at all. I haven’t tried the rich moisturizer or the day or night cream yet, but so far I’m really impressed with the moisturizer and the facial scrub as well. My skin is a thousand times better than it was a month ago, both in terms of breakouts and in terms of not looking so… ill-used, if you know what I mean. Which it wasn’t! But I must’ve really looked like hell, because a ton of people have commented on the difference. So I’m a bit of an evangelist. And it’s reasonably-priced and easy to get at the pharmacy or Target or whatever.
Melissa, I’m in the same boat as you. I was a devotee of Prescriptives’ Super Flight Cream, which was awwwwwwesome, but they don’t make it anymore, and as soon as I work through the supply I hoarded when the discontinuation was announced, I will have to start all over. Their site lists this stuff, which looks promising, but I’ve not actually tried it yet (see hoarding). Good luck!
Melissa – I have oily, acne-prone, sensitive skin so I have tried a *lot* of products. I find that the more natural skincare lines are less irritating. Since it sounds like you have very dry skin, I don’t think my products will work for you. I do like Kiss My Face, Boscia (maybe a bit too light for you?), Ole Henriksen, and Skyn Iceland (although the last two are a bit pricey). I’ve heard good things about Korres but I’ve only used their lip butter.
Finally, I am currently on my second day of using the Yes to Cucumbers SPF 30 lotion and it has a weird texture but makes my skin really soft.
Melissa,
Have you tried any of the Burt’s Bees creams? They have a carrot based one I’ve been using for years – I actually use the day cream as my nighttime moisturizer because my face is a portable oil field, but if you have drier skin they have both a day and night version. I had a sampler of their cream with Royal Jelly and it was quite nice, too.
Target carries most of their products these days — I think I paid about $15 for my last little jar and they last me about 6 months with nightly application.
@Melissa, if you go to Sephora’s website you can go into their moisturizer section and then refine your search by skincare concerns, ingredient preferences, price, etc. Also, when you make a purchase, you can select samples to receive so you might be able to try other products at the same time.
I can speak to the derm question! I have mild psoriasis and had a wedding-planning-induced patch of alopecia areata a while back, so while not mole issues, I’ve still been around. Lankenau Hospital(in Wynnewood) has two women dermatologists, Drs. Rochelle Weiss and Lynn Klein (they’re listed on the Main Line Health website). I think I only saw Dr. Klein for my psoriasis, but she was extremely nice, made me feel comfortable, and strongly suggested that I come back and get a baseline set of pictures of my skin for comparison in case I got moles in the future. Plus, the office is pretty mellow, the staff were very nice, and I don’t remember it taking forever to get an appointment. For my alopecia, I went to Jefferson and saw Dr. Jason Lee, who was very professional and straightforward and did a great job, though he’s not really the soft and fuzzy type. But remember: Jefferson is a teaching hospital, so after the first visit you might have your doc plus a resident or two. On the plus side, I got an appointment there in no time. Originally, I’d meant to see a doctor at Penn first, but the wait time for an appointment there was over 2 1/2 months, so if you’re in a hurry, that might not be the way to go. I did go to the appointment and the physician was female and quite nice, but she’s since left that group.
For question 2 – Yes to Carrots, available at Target. No bad stuff in the mix and works great on my sensitive skin.
Forgot I wanted to add to my previous comment that I’ve gone over to buying skincare stuff pretty exclusively at Sephora because–as long as you have access to their brick and mortar stores–you can get totally generous samples of anything on the floor to try out and see if it’s going to break you out before you buy. And regardless of whether you shop online or in the store you can return anything you buy there at any point, even if you’ve used half the jar. Perfect for people like me whose skin is super finicky and mercurial.
If your budget runs more to drugstores CVS has the most liberal return policy for beauty products, I think, although Walgreens will take stuff back too; they’ll just hassle you about it more. Ulta will accept returns of used items too. None of those places have Sephora’s sampling policy though.
@Cara and @lg, I was just going to ask if anyone else had tried the Yes to Carrots version.
I’ve had good luck with Yes to Carrots. I use the Yes to Tomatoes version (for combo skin); but there are variations for different skin types. As a bonus, I’ve generally found the scents to be light and pleasant.
C; My sister and I go to Dr. Edward Ryan, Jr. Look him up in Yahoo Local. His office is at Delaware County Memorial Hospital. He is very professional, thorough and kind. I like my doctors with a little more sense of humor, but he is nice and you will not feel uncomfortable around him. When he has checked sensitive areas, he has always brought a nurse in as a witness to protect me and himself.
I hope this helps and I hope your situation stays non-serious!
Good luck!
To Melissa–Have you ever tried oil based cleansing for your skin? I know it sounds bananas, and I was pretty skeptical, but it has worked really well for me. I have VERY sensitive skin, and acne. I used to be on several prescription face creams for the acne, but they would always make my face dry and hurty. And, I would still have breakouts. You’d think it would make your face greasy (what with the rubbing of oil on it) but I have found my face actually less oily.
If you are interested, there is plenty of internet reading to be done about it (there’s a good post on Crunchy Betty), but here is what I do:
– I make a mix of a base oil (I use grapeseed, olive oil also works) with castor oil (which does most of the cleaning), and a few drops of tea tree oil (which helps prevent breakouts.) I had to experiment some with the proportions but because my skin is so sensitive I use about 3/4 grapeseed to 1/4 castor oil. I think more castor oil makes a stronger cleanser.
– At night, I put a nickel sized amount of the oil mix in my palm, spread it over my hands, and then gently massage it into my face for about two minutes. Then, I run very warm water over a wash cloth and hold it up to my face a few times, eventually wiping off the oil, also gently.
– If my skin is feeling dry, I will take a little of the oil mix and dab it on.
– Overall it feels very spa-like (I guess…never having actually been to a spa) and more importantly, is gentle and cleansing. It is a little bit of a cost investment to get the tea tree oil and such but I use the oil really slowly so it lasts for a long time.
Then in the mornings I put on DML’s Daily Facial Moisterizer with broad spectrum 25 SPF–very light and love the sun protection.
Best of luck–hopefully the Nation will yield the perfect fit for you!
Thanks to everyone for all the moisturizer suggestions! Once the comments stop rolling in, I’ll copy and paste the entire page for accurate record-keeping and will then systematically work my way through the options. :) Here’s to crowd-sourcing (and thanks, Sars, for lending me your crowd). Oh, and yes — my skin is super-dry but also prone to acne.
Melissa — I’m a big fan of Khiel’s Ultra Facial Moisturizer. It’s hydrating but not at all greasy, and you can get it with SPF 15. I’ve had only stress-related breakouts since I started using it.
I’ve used Dr Amara Lieberman in Bala Cynwyd; she came very highly recommended to me. I only saw her once (and for a relatively minor issue, yay adult acne), but had no issues and found her thoroughly pleasant and professional.
My husband recently saw someone, a young female doctor in Ardmore that he liked quite a lot. I’m waiting to hear back from him with the name (I’ll update once I have that information).
[I saw Jamie recommended someone at Lankenau. I’ve not used them personally, but for what it is worth, it’s an excellent hospital. I’ve had nothing but good experiences with Lankenau and Main Line Health doctors.]
Hope I’m not too late to recommend my moisturizer–I use Neutrogena’s Oil Free Moisture SPF 15 and it’s great. I have combination skin with a predisposition to zits and I LOVE the Neutrogena.
Fun fact: my derm also told me not to use anything but their Ultra Sheer Dry-touch sunscreen on my face.
For C – I go to Dr. Elizabeth Benstock on Rte 3 in Newtown Square for acne and she’s awesome: friendly but not overly chatty, extremely competent, and good at listening to and addressing even my most minor concerns. Her office staff is also great, although the receptionist can come across as brusque when really she’s just sassy in a Flo-from-Alice kind of way. Since you live in Philadelphia, you know the type. I’ve never had to wait more than 5-10 minutes in either the waiting room or the exam room. I will say that Dr. Benstock only spends as much time with you as she needs to – but she’s never cut me off or ignored any of my questions.
And now I’m hoping that Dr. Benstock wasn’t the dermatologist you had such a bad experience with three years ago. Heh.
Before Dr. Benstock, I went to Dr. Ryan whom mctwin mentioned above, and I wasn’t as happy with him – I got the impression that treating acne was beneath him. Also had close to a half-hour wait to get into an exam room, although I’ve been to him only once so I can’t speak to whether that’s normal or if I just went on a rough day.
C, my dermatologist is Barry Friter in Huntingdon Valley (not too far from Philly proper if you’re able to go that far out): http://tinyurl.com/chhlcdl
He’s a guy but he’s very polite, respectful, knowledgeable, etc. Sometimes he can get backed up so you’re stuck in the waiting room for a while. I’ve seen him for recurring acne that would not freaking go away but my mom and sister see him for various “suspicious-mole” related issues, and he’s always on the ball about that.
Good luck!
I use Burt’s Bees Sensitive Daily Moisturizing Cream and have been very happy with it. Also wonderful, but definitely neither organic nor cheap, is Lorac’s oil-free moisturizer.
Melissa – Have you tried any CeraVe products? My skin tends to be dry and is sensitive to ingredients that are often in acne cremes or any moisturizing lotions/cremes. I started seeing a dermatologist about a year ago for annoying, recurrent adult acne. She recommended (among other treatments) using the CeraVe moisturizing face cleanser, and then using the CeraVe AM and PM moisturizing lotion for morning and night, respectively. The AM lotion also has SPF 30 sunscreen in it. There are also heavier moisturizing cremes in the product line if you need that.
You can find them in drugstores for about $10-$12. I have found it to be gently moisturizing without being sticky or wearing off before I wash my face at night. It doesn’t have all natural or total eco-friendly ingredients, but I find that Burt’s Bees and some other natural products break me out and/or burn my face like crazy. So, YMMV.
P.S. I did try the “oil treatment” for a few months and it was really moisturizing and non-irritating, but did nothing to improve my acne. If you have generally clear skin, but just don’t want something that will make you break out, it might work for you.
Good luck!
I’m 50 and walk a fine line between wrinkles and zits, but not true acne. I do a combination–right out of the shower, I use Olay Regenerist Resurfacing Elixir, which is a viscous liquid that feels smooth and smells nice in a mild way. When that is rubbed in I use L’Occitane Immortelle Precious cream. It’s got a mild green/grass smell that I like a lot. It soaks in and cuts the tight, painful feeling of freshly showered skin. It also works under makeup because it doesn’t cause a grease slick. I use it alone but feel like using the Olay first helps a lot with overall condition. I’m about to start seeing a derm next month, so maybe they will have some recommendations. I went to one for a problem once and they had their own skin care line. I should have asked about samples since texture and fragrance really matter to me.
Olay is of course a CVS item and coupons abound; L’Occitane skin creams are carried at Sephora but maybe even Ulta…don’t know since I have never been to one. The nice thing about buying it at Sephora is that at $58, it will go toward your frequent customer bennies.
I wish the makeup stores had a separate area where you could go if you are an older woman and just deal with the products that work better for aging skin. I just don’t need wild bright colors or glittery products. I don’t like having to slog through them all. So far I like Laura Mercier eye shadows because you can buy the colors in completely matte formulas. There just needs to be more of this! /end rant/
I just use Oil of Olay moisturizer during the day, but at night, I’ve been putting plain coconut oil on my skin. Yes, it’s greasy, and I am not acne-prone, so I don’t know what it would do for you, but it makes my skin really soft. It’s still a little dry in a few patches, but soft. Keep it in the fridge and it will stay solid, then rub a few tiny flakes of it over your skin. It absorbs pretty fast and you’ll smell like dessert for a few minutes, but it’s nice. :)
I use Aveeno Positively Radiant Daily Moisturizer SPF 15 because it’s a fairly light moisturizer that does not feel greasy or heavy on my skin but doesn’t give me the dry peelies either. That said, my face does get hella greasy and I get zits, but that is because my body is an oil factory. So I don’t think that Aveeno contributes to the zits, but it does not prevent them either.
Someone here recommended the Oil Cleansing Method – it might work for some people but I can say from experience that it did not work for me. For a short time my skin looked better, but after a few weeks I developed the *worst* deep, hurty zits on my cheeks, which was an area that had previously always been clear. I stopped using the OCM and it still took months and months for them to go away. So yeah, do not recommend.
I’m 30, and also have acne prone skin (especially on my jawline which is apparently a hormonal version, but I think is more related to my pillow and hair length). Anyways, I’ve done some switching to more natural products (Neutrogena Minerals and Burts Bees) and I hated both of them. I broke out within a day of each and my face never got clean (as evidenced by my toner). I don’t use natural products anymore, since I had bad luck with those. However, I do find a combo of products is most helpful:
Neutrogena Oil-Free Moisturizer SPF15 in the morning (plus Clinique City Sunblock if it’s sunny out).
Clinique Even Better Tone Correcting Moisturizer at night + prescription Differin (generic brand). I got the moisturizer in a Clinique bonus and am not sure if I’d buy it again (it’s $52 regular!!!) but my skin looks great using it I think. Healthy and glowing but not oily
My face washes are Clearasil Daily Clear® Oil-Free Daily Face Wash Sensitive and I just started Oil of Olay Total Effects 7-in-1 scrub. I use one type in the morning and one at night. I prefer the Clearasil at night so that I can use my Oil of Olay oil minimizing toner afterwards (which helps get off the remaining of my makeup). I prefer to not tone after using a scrub. I’ve found that I prefer not to have medicated face wash (despite having acne), or only ONE be medicated.
Anyways, I’ve been using this combo for about six weeks (adding in the Total Effects) and I can easily say this is the best my skin has ever looked, health-wise. I am still getting a zit here or there, but they clear up fairly quickly. Now, if I could just get rid of the pesky blackheads on my nose… does anyone have solutions for that?
I see Dr. Kara Capriotti at Bryn Mawr Skin and Cancer in Rosemont/Bryn Mawr She’s been amazing for the past three years. I’ve had MOHS surgery three times since I started seeing her (Granted, with a plastic surgeon because it was on my face), but she’s also removed a basal cell on my shoulder and left next to no scarring.
She’s very professional and easy to talk to. Also, they have later evening hours (until 8pm) which helps me with my work schedule.
After a lifetime of sensitive acne-prone skin, a few years ago I also began to have outbreaks of rashy, peely eczema on my face.
The only things that worked for me then and have worked since then are natural products with as many whole plant-based ingredients (i.e., not ingredients that get to be called natural because they have some vague connection with something that was once natural) as possible. I also found that turmeric and neem are magical – they are both very effective anti-inflammatory ingredients.
Passport to Organics: their turmeric line and their Neem Magic cream for day, the Radiant cream at night
Pratima Skincare: Neem Purifying Cream and many others on the website
Arcona: I currently use Hydrating Serum and Night Worker in combo with the Passport to Organics stuff
The above are fairly outside of the mainstream. If you want more ‘try before you buy’ options, I agree with others – go with Sephora. You can ask for a sample of anything in the store.
I saw Howard Goldman in the Northeast (Verree Rd.) for a skin check a few years back. In retrospect, I appreciate that he actually biopsied a mole I thought looked wonky without giving me a hard time about it; apparently here in NYC I have to kick and scream and beg for a derm to biopsy my sh*t and not just try and sell me fancy acne cream because I am 27 and “we don’t want you to have a SCAR, dear.” My two melanomas (one Stage 1, one in situ) that I diagnosed myself and their respective scars spit on your fancy acne cream.
I have the worst, most sensitive, dry, itchy skin, but I still get some zits and now I have #%*@! rosacea on top of it. Yes to Carrots and Burt’s Bees Radiance cream both freak it out and I can’t afford anything that costs more than that, so I oil cleanse. My preferred blend is 3/4 olive oil to 1/4 castor oil, though I’m mixing the EVOO half and half with almond oil during the monsoon humidity. My skin doesn’t feel oily (I’d be totally okay with oily, actually, as long as it put a stop to the itching.), and the only time I get a zit is when I’ve been rushed in the mornings and slack off for a couple of days. Even the rosacea is less noticeable – still pink, but usually not bumpy like it gets. I am intrigued by grey’s comment about moisturizers with turmeric, because I’ve been taking it as an anti-inflammatory supplement and I can tell it’s helping.
Off topic, but I’ve been using straight castor oil to moisturize my feet. Works great as long as you remember to have a pair of socks at hand.
@Sarah: I’ll recommend Bruce Robinson again. Aggressive with biopsies and dysplastic nevi, but thoughtfully so; good patient manner; and when I asked for underarm Botox, he told me not to bother and cost himself $600.
Regarding the face cream, if you can get in touch with an Arbonne consultant they usually have samples of their stuff and can help pick out the best product for you. Their products can look pricey on the surface (40 bucks for a bottle o’ moisturizer) but are all-natural, organic, toxin-free, and last for ages. I have a feeling I will need to chuck my current bottle of FC5 day moisturizer because it is old before I finish it all, since you only need a tiny bit.
Also, I’m another person for whom OCM did not work at all and actually made things worse (a real pity, as it sounds like it works wonderfully well for the people for whom it… works for).
I’ve always had a lot of luck with the Dr. Hauschka line of products. http://www.drhauschka.com/ You can order them online through their site and their site can tell you where they are carried locally. If I don’t order online, I pick mine up at my local Whole Foods, where I first discovered them. I admit they are a bit pricier than your basica skin care line off the shelf at Target (Burt’s Bees is an affordable alternative), but it’s worth every penny.
I’m a LUSH girl all the way – not cheap, but not super expensive either (I’m also a cheapskate, so I’m unwilling to spend a lot of money). Some of the clerks are big on upselling, but they’re also really nice about it and will take, “Nope, this is all I need.” The products are natural, they’re liberal with samples and also will demonstrate the product for you in-store.
I am a huge Mario Badescu fan, which I buy directly from their website. They are very liberal with samples — 3 of your choice with any order ever, and if you request a consultation you’ll receive samples of all their recommendations for your specific situation. I’ve had dry skin back to my childhood, to start getting acne on top of it at age 30 really sucked.
I like their Buttermilk Moisturizer for amazingly soft skin with no greasiness. However, I found the key to controlling my skin health wasn’t in the moisturizer at all — it was finding a cleansing routine that prevented acne without drying me out. That miracle balance is due to their Special Cucumber Lotion toner, with the Enzyme Cleansing Gel following close behind. With those two, I can even use a cheaper/lighter-weight drugstore moisturizer and be fine.
I’ve also had good experiences with http://www.kiehls.com/ products.
Yes to Tomatoes actually helps with zits. I use that at night and Yes to Carrots for day because it has SPF. The carrots is very moisturizing and a friend of mine with extremely sensitive skin is able to use it without breaking out from it.
I had a really hard time finding someone who really cared about my skin even though I’m not there for beauty or creams and someone who didn’t skeeve me.
Dr. Glen Crawford at the PA Center for Dermatology on Pine St in Center City (right across from PA Hospital) is my guy. He’s personable, caring, thorough, and runs a very well-managed practice. He’s the guy who diagnosed my skin cancer without scaring me to death. And he’s been great with little things before and since keeping me educated and keeping me on track with skin care and being responsible about being checked.
And there is always a nurse in the room with you.
He’s a little slick looking, but I think that’s the dermatologist’s access to cheap Botox. I recommend him highly. He’s one of my trusted team of health care pros.
I second @Carol Elaine on her LUSH recommendation! They will give you a sample of practically anything in the store (except, I think the solid shampoos and the bath bombs).
I have extremely sensitive, acne prone skin, which gets greasy very easily as well. For specific LUSH products, I cleanse with Herbalism, use their Tea Tree toner, and moisturize with Vanishing Cream. The Vanishing Cream is absurdly expensive, but I use a dollop the size of my pinky nail every day and it lasts forever. I also use their tinted moisturizer (Jackie Oats, because I am super pale) as a make-up primer. Melissa, you might want to also consider switching to a mineral-based make up so as not to undo all the cleansing/creaming good by clogging your pores.
Good luck!
I have nothing of any substance to add here, except to sympathize with @Jamie: wedding-planning-stress-induced alopecia? Aiiiee. I didn’t even know that was a thing. Hope you’re doing okay.
I see you have a handful of Philly dermatologist recs already, but none IN Philly if I didn’t miss it. Dr. Ehrlich on Rittenhouse Square is great. I actually (knock on wood) have very little issue with my skin, so I went to him for a baseline mole check etc. and he took care of some skin tags just because.
My husband has fairer skin and Ehrlich’s done the freeze off precancerous stuff, and he came highly recommended to both of us from my friend who’s gone to him for years. She in fact exhorted me make an early morning appointment purely because he *does* take his time, so later appointments may run late. I did make an early appointment, and he was on time, but I certainly didn’t feel rushed, so I trust her experience.
Hey all, C here. Thanks for the recs! This is a great list to choose from. I feel really relieved to finally get this process started.
I’ll chime in on the face cream thing, too. I have kind of combination skin — gets a tiny bit oily and prone to break out if I put anything on it. I was using only neutrogena makeup remover face wash to clean my skin and doing nothing else to it — cleared my skin up like magic but I noticed it was getting dry, so: my best friend recommended a lotion.
It’s Oil of Olay complete all-day moisturizer with SPF 15, for sensitive skin. I’m not sure if the list of ingredients has anything that you might consider a toxin, but as far as sunscreen goes, it has zinc oxide, which is great because it doesn’t get absorbed into your skin like most chemicals in sunscreen; it acts as a barrier for UV rays.
I’ve been using it for a couple weeks and I haven’t broken out and my skin is really soft.
Good luck and thanks again to everyone for the great suggestions!
C