Should You Be Buying Your Skin Care Products from a Dermatologist?

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“Dermatologists can help optimize your their skin care product selections, but only to a point,” says Craig Kraffert, MD, president of Amarte Skin Care. “There are enormous differences in quality among the vast array of skin care products on the market. ”

The Pros of Buying Skin Care Products from Your Dermatologist

According to Dr. Kraffert, dermatologists can customize skin care regimens that contain both prescription and over-the-counter products that are specifically tailored to your needs in cases like rosacea, acne, and seborrheic dermatitis. Your doctor will also guide you on the importance of sunscreen, and using moisturizers. “Becoming a true skin care product expert requires great effort, marketing immersion, multiple product and brand usage, and time—lots of it,” says Dr. Kraffert. The products you buy in your doctor’s office may also be less expensive than high-end brands you see at department stores or makeup boutiques and often time have the same active ingredients. (Find out the skin care tips dermatologists always follow.)

The Pros of Buying Skin Care Products from Your Dermatologist

“Some products for sale in dermatologists’ offices are offered not necessarily because they are the best possible products available,” says Dr. Kraffert. The truth is due to time constraints your derm might not have been to test them and oftentimes these products are there because of contract exclusivity, marketing by sales reps, and coupling of brands or products with other dermatology items from the same manufacturer of other aesthetic or medical devices, says Dr. Kraffert.

Bottom line: No matter where you buy your skin care products, you can expect lots of trial and error to find the right ones. Just make sure not to follow this skin care advice, which makes dermatologists cringe.