Dr. Barbara Sturm. In Lights. Undone and Done.

DR. BARBARA STURM: I’m a medical doctor both by training, and in my heart. Starting Skin School at the beginning of the pandemic really allowed me to go back to my roots, educating and providing medical advice to young people who really need it. It has also been a great platform for clearing up skincare myths and misconceptions and highlighting marketing gimmicks about how to treat skin. I love to give this kind of insight and advice, and to connect with so many people around the world to help transform skin and avoid misinformation.

D. B. S.: I began my medical practice in anti-aging orthopedics with a focus on anti-inflammatory treatments. I later translated some of that science and those approaches to skin and eventually started my aesthetics practice. In 2002, I invented anti-inflammatory medical treatments using a patient’s own blood plasma which was later termed the “Vampire Facial” by the public. Soon after, I created a prescribed, blood plasma-based cream for my patients and when they then asked me to recommend a post-medical treatment skincare regime, I surveyed the market and couldn’t find anything. So, I originally set out to create a patients-only skincare regime built around anti-inflammatory ingredient science. It took me several years and the result was my advanced science Molecular Cosmetics collection.

D. B. S.: Especially with humidity and heat, your skin tends to be a little oilier in a Miami climate, so you don’t want to use rich or oily products. You really want to go light and super hydrating. Our line is perfect for our customers in Miami because it gives freshness and hydration and at the same time, takes care of your skin barrier function. It’s also anti-aging. We have a great SPF (SUN DROPS) which offers hybrid sun protection/skincare that feels lightweight on the skin and creates a broad-spectrum shield against UVA and UVB rays, while also providing it with healing moisture and anti-oxidative ingredients which give the skin a nice glow. New York, on the other hand, is very seasonal with cold winters and hot summers, so your skincare routine would be quite different.

D. B. S.: I love all my products and I created all of them for a reason so it’s difficult to choose favorites. If I had to pick three, they would be my SUPER ANTI-AGING FACE CREAM–an ingredient science-packed moisturizer that targets all of the signs of aging for fresher, radiant and youthful skin. It really is amazing. Closely followed by my HYALURONIC SERUM (which I call the “white t-shirt” of my regimen). It’s a high concentration of low and high-weight Hyaluronic molecules that supports skin barrier function, providing both surface hydration and replenishment of moisture reservoirs at deeper skin layers. Finally, I couldn’t live without my FACE MASK. It contains purslane, soothing aloe vera, and chamomile which infuse your skin with moisture, and kaolin clay, which detoxifies and leaves your complexion feeling silky soft and supple. 

D. B. S.: Pepper, my six-year-old daughter, has been learning to take care of her skin from day one and looks and learns from everything we do ourselves. She has her own line that I formulated especially for her without fragrance, mineral oils, or essential oils (DR. STURM’s BABY & KIDS Collection). She’ll also always use sunscreen, drinks a lot of water, and eats a healthy, anti-inflammatory diet. With Charly, who is a little older, I always taught her to maintain healthy skin and avoid aggressive ingredients and hiding imperfections behind makeup. It’s exactly what I learned from my own mom–that healthy, hydrated skin doesn’t require makeup and is beautiful on its own, and that an anti-inflammatory lifestyle and skincare regime is all you need for healthy skin. 

D. B. S.: One time in my life, when I was way younger, I was part of a jury for a spa award and they wanted me to test a glycolic facial and I couldn’t get out of it. I asked the facialist to use the smallest concentration of glycolic but as soon as it was applied to my face I asked her to take it off–it hurt so much. So this is one reason, not only from my own experience, why I advise against using aggressive ingredients and treatments! 

D. B. S.: My whole skin care philosophy is focused on combating inflammation and its consequences, and the anti-inflammatory lifestyle is the key for me. Adequate sleep, getting daily exercise, avoiding excess alcohol, sugar, fried and processed foods, and flour while eating anti-inflammatory foods like avocados, salmon, olive oil, tomatoes, nuts, dark berries, and green tea–those are my constants for daily self-care. I also try to have a Buddhist-like outlook to life. I like to keep a happy spirit and try not to worry about the past and the future–it’s important to live in the present.  

D. B. S.: My routine didn’t change during quarantine. I use my FACE MASK every day. Twice a week, I’ll either use the ENZYME CLEANSER in the shower on my face and body. The rest of the time I cleanse with my CLEANSER after showering, then follow with HYALURONIC SERUM, SUPER ANTI-AGING FACE CREAM, and EYE CREAM. Not counting the FACE MASK, my entire skincare routine takes only 1-2 minutes. Healthy skin is always the goal and COVID did not change that. In fact, it makes it even more essential during a pandemic which has created new aggressions to the skin.

D. B. S.: I was brought to skincare very organically out of the needs of my patients, not because I wanted to create a business. I worked as an orthopedic doctor and I was part of a team who introduced a new treatment which is now known as the “Kobe Bryant Procedure”. It uses the patients’ body’s own proteins and healing factors to stop the inflammatory process and even help heal the joint tissue. At the same time, I started working in the field of aesthetics, which had always been an interest of mine and I kept thinking that it would be a great additional anti-aging booster for the skin if we also started mixing it with the body’s own healing factors, like we did in the orthopedic field. A treatment like that would activate the rejuvenating, anti-inflammatory, and healing processes in the skin, which would lead to great anti-aging benefits. I was right–the results were amazing! This was the birth of the “Vampire Facial” and then later, my prescription-only MC1 Cream. It basically brought attention to inflammation and how it affects not just our skin, but our entire system. As a doctor you’re constantly looking for efficacy, results, and success–you want your patients to be happy and healthy so my focus isn’t just on skincare but also education: the way we eat, how we sleep, daily movement, and self-care which are all essential to leading a healthy lifestyle and achieving great skin. I also really understand patients, science, new treatments, and new techniques which are all essential in this field. 

D. B. S.: Focus on your own belief and your passion and never on money.

D. B. S.: The idea that you should “feel the burn”, aggressively attacking your skin to get results–that is a dangerous myth in the beauty and skincare community. If your skin feels protected, taken care of, hydrated, glow-y, and dewy, that is a hallmark of effective skincare.

D. B. S.: If a product says “don’t use when pregnant,” just stay away from it, pregnant or not. 

D. B. S.: Light products like my HYALURONIC SERUM provides skin with a burst of pure hydration, detoxification, and revitalization. And if you are exercising outside, always wear my SUN DROPS.

D. B. S.: Other than at events, I don’t wear makeup much and I never wear foundation. Instead, I prep my skin with my FACE MASK, HYALURONIC SERUM, SUPER ANTI-AGING FACE CREAM, and GLOW DROPS and then I use a little concealer to even out imperfections. Sometimes I’ll also wear a smokey eye and fill in my eyebrows. 
I do always like to have good eyebrows and good eye makeup to make my eyes pop. For brows, I like Anastasia Beverly Hills eyebrow products and for eyes, I like Jillian Dempsey’s Lid Tint in Peach, which goes really well with blue eyes. I also love a nice lip liner and always my own LIP BALM for a sheer glow.

D. B. S.: The best anti-aging methods are: anti-inflammation, hydration, strengthening the skin barrier and microbiome, and keeping your skin tight and functioning. The best way to achieve these anti-aging benefits is by using ingredient science to provide nutrition, cell health, and strength. Also, it is important to protect your skin from inflammatory stressors such as UV rays and HEV light, and for that I recommend my SUN DROPS. My Anti-Aging Routine, which includes the CLEANSER, FACE MASK, SUPER ANTI-AGING SERUM, EYE CREAM, and SUPER ANTI-AGING FACE CREAM are the essentials you need for healthy, young skin.

D. B. S.: I take my SKIN FOOD supplement every day. It combines all of my skincare science and philosophies into an oral supplement and is made for every cell in the body. I eat a very healthy diet. When I was 16-years old, I converted to a vegetarian diet, and I avoid meat, caffeine, alcohol, sugar, and any processed or fried food.