#DermsHolyGrail: Featuring Dr. Kavita Mariwalla

Name: Kavita Mariwalla, MD, FAAD

Practice setting: Private practice

Skin type: Fitz Type IV / combination

Age: 42

Real job: Mom of 3 little boys

Disclaimer: This is my summer routine which I change up for fall/winter.

AM: Cleanser: SkinFix foaming oil cleanser in the shower. It foams despite being SLS free. I am all about time saving and this cleanser cleans while hydrating my skin. If I am feeling a bit bumpy/dry I use SkinFix microexfoliating cleanser which gives me just the right amount of exfoliation once a week. Plus SkinFix is a female owned and founded company which is something I can get behind.

Extras: SkinCeuticals Phloretin CF. It keeps my skin bright and helps prevent my freckles from getting really dark in the summer.  Most people use CE Ferrulic but if you have combination or even oily skin, I think the Phloretin works better.

Alastin Skin Nectar. I started using this post-microneedling with PRP and became obsessed with the smooth feeling it leaves me with. The peptides in it really keep the bounce in my skin.

Foundation and Sunscreen in 1 step: 1 drop ISDIN skindrops in Bronze to 1 blueberry size of La Roche Posay mineral sunscreen which gives it just the right tint for my skin.  I find the high pigment concentration of skin drops is excellent to properly tint anything I put on my face.  And I find the formulation of the mineral gives me the protection I need without looking chalky (a big problem when you have a darker skin tone and want to find a good mineral based sunscreen).

Concealer: I would be a tired looking mess without my DermaBlend Chroma 3 Honey Beige concealer for underneath my eyes.

Mascara: Dior Show in black after a little squeeze using my old school Shu Uemura eyelash curler. It is the best eyelash curler I have ever used and does not lead to breakage or crimping.

If I am out and need to re-apply sunscreen I use the ISDIN Mineral Brush Powder which is perfect for any skin tone (just ask anyone in my office).

PM:

Cleanser: La Roche Posay micellar water on a cotton ball.   Sometimes, I’m not going to lie, I use a Pampers baby wipe. Hey, you use what’s close sometimes. But I never ever go to bed without some kind of cleaning of my face.

Now here comes the part that happens depending on my level of fatigue and what I have coming up. I will admit I may stop my PM routine here 3/7 nights. Can’t help it, let’s be real.

With that being said, I dabble between the following:

Reversal: Custome DOSE by SkinCeuticals. My formula is: HB256

This prevents hyperpigmentation, improves my skin elasticity and brightens my skin without drying it.

Trouble zones: I spot treat with SkinCeuticals Blemish and Age on the face. I get these pesky syringomas (little bumps) around my eyes and I take care of them with a small amount of SkinCeuticals Retexturizing Activator which keeps them calm and flat.

Moisturizer: I alternate between SkinCeuticals Glycolic 10 overnight renew and NeoCutis Biogel. The first few nights I felt the glycolic lotion was stingy but then my skin became used to it. It has a true free acid value of 10 which is great since most glycolic lotions don’t tell you the true free acid value. It causes skin turnover without drying me out.  One of the downsides of having darker skin is that anything that turns red gets dark brown. Anything that gets too dry…gets dark brown. You get the idea. So I have to be pretty careful.  If I feel my skin is dry from a day running around with the kids, I will use NeoCutis Biogel.

Neck cream: I don’t use one in the summer.

Eye cream: I use the AM routine and bring it up under my eyes.

Hand cream: CeraVe therapeutic hand cream. After a day of cleaning my hands between patients I need it to keep my skin intact.

Other: I am in that aging category (*sigh*) so I have done procedures which I think can rally help you look like… you haven’t done anything but are just maturing well.  I have injected Xeomin to my forehead which gives me movement but doesn’t make me look frozen. I also do microneedling with PRP once a year. I find that of all the treatments I’ve done, this one has helped my dark undereye circles the most.  And once every few months I treat myself to a Hydrafacial MD with lymphatic drainage which makes my face look sculpted and thinner (I mean, who doesn’t want that, right?)

#1 Favorite Skincare Product: Right now it’s Aquaphor spray because my kids get really dry skin and like any mom I sacrifice me time to take care of their skin.  When I use this spray I can get the otherwise long process of getting them moisturized into a 30 second routine which makes them giggle (the spray is cool when it goes on) and then I can actually accomplish the routine I just outlined above for myself!

Thank you Dr. Mariwalla for all of your pearls. I can’t wait to try some of these products myself!