New York City’s Elyse Love, M.D., is part of a new wave of dermatologists. Equal parts doctor and influencer, she's just as open to sharing skin-care advice and product recommendations via her Instagram Stories as she is at her office—alongside snaps of her workout routine, her husband, and her weekend adventures.
When it comes to skin care, she has a similar balance of work and play. “My skin-care philosophy is that skin care can be simple, effective, and enjoyable,” she tells Glamour. Obviously, her routine is rooted in science, but that doesn’t mean it has to be so clinical. “I think that as a dermatologist, sometimes we’re a little too against having fun with skin care,” she says. “There’s kind of a nice intersection between, You don’t have to do the too many things, and, Uou can also have a pleasurable experience with effective ingredients.”
Just as she recommends to her patients, Love has worked to tailor a routine specific to her concerns and goals, which right now includes hyperpigmentation after years of acne and a round of Accutane. “I’m also just getting into that phase of adulthood where I really want my skin to age well, so I'm thinking about healthy aging,” she says. “My routine is very specific to my skin-care concerns and my skin-care goals.” She’s recently partnered with beauty giant Ulta Beauty, since the retailer reflects her love of products at any price point. “I mix drugstore, prescription medical-grade, consumer-grade products where I feel like I have a great routine, but I also have a routine that I enjoy using and products that I like using.”
Below, Love shares the specifics of what her skin is currently loving. Read on, as she drops her routine.
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My cleansers
In terms of my morning routine, I always start with a gentle cleanser. I use CeraVe. I try to use products that I recommend a thousand times throughout the day, because it does a really good job of cleaning the skin without overly drying the skin. That’s what I start with.
And then at night, if I’m wearing makeup, I like to remove it with a micellar water. La Roche-Posay has a really good one.
My serum
I usually only use one in the morning, especially because if I’m going to work, I’m going to be wearing a mask for a long period of time and I don’t like to layer too many things. I really like the Murad Vitamin C Plus Glycolic Brightening Serum. That’s because you get your antioxidants with the vitamin C, but it also harnesses the vitamin C pigment-fighting properties with the glycolic acid. It’s a nice, all in one very lightweight serum that I use in the morning.
My moisturizers
I tend to follow my vitamin C with the La Roche-Posay Double Repair. I actually use the one with SPF in the morning if I’m going to work, just because I’m really only seeing the sun during my commute. And then if it’s the weekend and I’m going to be out and about, I’ll layer Supergoop sunscreen on top of it.
At night I use either the same moisturizer, or if I’ve been feeling pretty dry, I may use the First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream. It’s a good mix of very hydrating, soothing on the skin, but not too heavy. It’s one of the newer things in my routine that I’ve been really happy with.
My mist
I love the Avène thermal mist. Mostly I’ll use it after makeup if I feel like my makeup’s looking a little too done and I want to look very natural and dewy. I’ll also use it sometimes throughout the day, especially if I’m working from home or I’m spending a lot of time indoors. Just to refresh my face if I feel like it’s very dry.
My retinol
At night I keep it pretty simple. I do use a prescription grade retinoid. I use one that’s called Arazlo. I’m not really a spot-treatment person, but if I get the occasional breakout, I use it as a spot treatment as well.
My eye cream
I’m lazy with it, but I do use an eye cream. It’s the Perricone High Potency Growth Factor Firming and Lifting Eye Serum. I also use the Perricone neck cream; that’s one of my favorites.
My lip balm
I’m a big fan of the EOS line of lip balms; it’s fun and effective.
My in-office treatments
Botox is everyone’s favorite! I’ve been getting Botox since my mid-20s. I usually do an office-grade chemical peel once a year, usually in the fall when the skin gets very congested. And then lately I’ve been really into, because we're talking about healthy aging, things that stimulate collagen production—microneedling, high frequency, Clear + Brilliant—those very-low-downtime procedures. I’m not a huge facial person; it’s mostly kind of diligence skin-care routine and an in-office procedure.
Bella Cacciatore is the beauty writer at Glamour. Follow her on Instagram @bellacacciatore_.
