Dr. Macrene in her new Hamptons office and MACRENE Actives store
Dr. Macrene Alexiades, who holds three Harvard degrees, BA in Biology, MD and PhD in Genetics; 25+ year research background, runs her Park Avenue private practice in dermatology and laser surgery, research clinic, organic farm, and a lab that formulates and manufactures her skincare line Macrene Actives. She is an artist and sculptor and uses skincare, injectables and devices to achieve a natural look in her patients.
1) What’s the biggest mistake women make with their skin?
One of the biggest mistakes is washing with hot water. This chronic use of hot water will result in redness and broken capillaries and ultimately make the pores larger. Another big mistake women make with their skin is to rub the skin excessively after washing. You should pat dry gently and try not to disrupt your skin barrier.
2) Lately, there’s been a lot of controversy around sunscreens. What are your thoughts on this? Do you prefer mineral or chemical ones and what are some of your favorites?
This is a major need in the industry and one to which I would like to devote attention in the coming year. Unfortunately the worlds best sunscreens with the highest SPF are toxic. They contain phthalates, oxybenzone and avobenzone and other unhealthy compounds. I will strive to create the worlds best and strongest SPF that is also the cleanest. Mineral sunscreens are my preference but they do not adhere adequately to the skin and they wipe away easily resulting in tanning in the sun damage. Chemical sunscreens work better but they are full of toxins.
3) Are there any drugstore products you’re a fan of or recommend to patients regularly?
Absolutely. I recommend Neutrogena sunscreen often. If you use the dry touch it’s the SPF 85 to 100 or you can use the baby face is SPF 50 if you prefer a mineral sunscreen. For body emollient I often recommend CeraVie or Aveeno.
4) As a world renowned laser specialist and board-certified dermatologist, what are some of the most cost-effective procedures you think are worth investing in?
I consider the twice daily application of MACRENE actives akin to brushing your teeth every day. I look at visiting me in the office like getting a deep cleaning at your dentist twice a year.
The procedure is worth investing in a driven by what your concerns are. If your concerns are mild sun damage and early wrinkles, I will often reach for IPL or Genesis.
If you have more severe wrinkling I may go for a fractional carbon dioxide or erbium laser.
If your problem is skin laxity, my favorites are radio frequency and sometimes ultrasound.
5) What are your future plans for the Macrene Actives line? Are there any new product launches we can look forward to?
As I mentioned above I am working on the worlds best sunscreen. I’m also working on a body product and other top-secret innovations that I hope to launch in the coming year. Thank you for your support. i’m also busy making extracts from my organic plants that I’ve grown on the farm to discover new plant active ingredients for the industry.
6) What key ingredients should we be looking for on skincare labels, and why?
Peptides, DNA repair, hyaluronic acid, antioxidants, essential fatty acids. I covered my bases with that list.
7) We’re huge fans of the High Performance Lip Filler here at Complexion-Me! How exactly does the product work so well without causing any irritation or stinging?
It has hyaluronic acid filling spheres, so it actually gets into the lips. But it also has another 20 active ingredients, like ceramides, peptide, shea butter and spearmint oil. It heals and heals and smooths chapped lips while simultaneously filling and plumping for boosted color and injection-free plushness.
8) What inspired you to get into the world of skincare?
To trace back my roots in the clean beauty industry takes us back 40 years. When I was 12 years old, I read Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring, which prompted me to work in a university lab with the aim of developing plant derived non-toxic modes of pest control to replace the chlorinated hydrocarbons used as pesticides that were poisoning us. I knew a lot about plants and insects and was aware that certain plants were natural insect repellents, hence the rationale of my research. After working on this for several years I ended up in the lab of my idol Dr Carol Williams as a Freshman at Harvard University. This was followed by five years in the Bogorad lab studying plant science at Harvard. This phase of my career with the Fulbright in bioengineering of agricultural crops my goal was to find natural variants to replace GMOs. By the time I headed to the MD PhD program at Harvard, I had already lived a lifetime of developing methods for clean beauty. After studying medicine I completed a PhD in molecular genetics looking at the development of humans from cells to the complete organism. I chose Dermatology because it allowed me an outlet for my artistic talents as well as the ability to continue to do research while being a full-time physician. Once I graduated in the year 2000, I am immediately commenced in discovering ingredients aimed at preventing and reversing the damage to skin that occurs due to time, sun exposure, genetics, and pollutants. By the early two thousands I was a consultant for L’Oreal Paris and worked in the industry both for formulation and to support their communications with the press. My relationship with L’Oreal has continued to this day where I transitioned as the dermatologist for Lancôme and conducted two studies on their jasmonates which have been published in peer reviewed scientific journal. In the midst of this work I launched my own brand 37 Actives in 2009 which I had started formally working on in 2007. My research work as a laser and cosmetic specialist over the past 20 years honed my craft so that I understood how to stimulate the skin to reduce wrinkles and clear up discoloration and to rejuvenate the skin. After a decade of adding an additional SKU per year, I finally had a full line and decided to re-launch and rebrand as MACRENE actives in 2020.
9) What’s your personal skincare routine?
When I rise, I shower and wash my face with lukewarm water period while it is still damp pat try and immediately apply my Macrene active moisturizer. I apply approximately a hazelnut size amount using my mother of pearl spatula. Next to apply my serum around the eyes to the forehead and especially jawline. My neck and décolletages applied next from the jawline all the way down the side and front of the neck, chest, and tops of hands. I apply a dab of my lip treatment to the upper and lower lip while the lip is still nude. I love to use my tinted moisturizer or concealer in my under eye area; because I’ve been using the cream active for so many years, I do not need makeup, but if I’m doing a photo shoot I use my TM all over the face to have a flawless finish. My TM covers as it treats and has been proven to reduce wrinkles brown spots and red discoloration so it improves your skin as it provides beautiful luminosity. In the evening I wash my face using a couple of pumps worth of the cleanser in my palms and I lather in my palms applying to damp skin on the face. I then repeat the above.
10) Is there a particular diet you recommend following to attain the best complexion?
I am a firm believer in the Mediterranean diet, which is high in seasonal fruits and vegetables, olive oil, fresh fish and fresh herbs. Many studies (epidemiologic, clinical and basic science) have shown that this diet is healthy for all organs, including the skin. I’ve translated this into the active ingredients such as resveratrol and watermelon extracts that I’ve put into the line.
11) You just relaunched your brand with a new name and a newly formulated serum. What made you decide to reformulate your line and come up with a serum?
The purpose of the rebrand was to take 37 actors to the next level and to be the leader and front runner and definer of clean beauty for the industry. MACRENE actives is the cleanest luxury, scientifically proven and clinically effective line which replaces cosmetic procedures with active ingredients. It was launched concurrent with my textbook, Alexiades’s Cosmetic Dermatologic Surgery which is the Bible from my industry and defined the proper medical, cosmetic, and surgical treatment options for each and every condition to the skin.
Since the relaunch, we’re growing and extracting from organic plants that I’ve identified and chosen. From this, I plan to have a fund of knowledge from the future for the industry. From these plants, I hope to spearhead a new genre of ingredients, where I can do anything I want with them—where I can accomplish anything from these plant-based ingredients. That’s my dream. We’re also launching a tinted moisturizer and concealer with plant-derived ingredients.
12) You created Macrene Actives with the main goal to make in-office procedures obsolete. Is this really possible and can you shed light on how this works?
Regular, twice daily use of potent topical cosmeceuticals, beginning in your 30s, could make the need for cosmetic procedures obsolete. The science behind MACRENE Actives is unprecedented and has raised the bar in skincare. For the first time in history, we conducted a post market study carried out by an outside lab who invented the antioxidant assays. They found that MACRENE Actives maintains 100% antioxidant activity as compared to 50% by the leading antioxidant on the market at 6 months after jar opening. The lab also showed that the total of the actives maintain virtually 100% levels 3 years after you open your jar (in a leading luxury competing cream, only preservative was left at 1 year!). You get an incredible value with MACRENE Actives because it encompasses 50 of the anti-aging ingredients that have the most science behind them from the very best source labs in the US in a single jar, saving you thousands of dollars and much time and effort in your day. It is also patented, 100% US made in glass (no plastic), fully recyclable, and includes plant-derivation and USDA certified organically grown actives in a paraben-free, fragrance-free and free of animal or human-derived ingredients or animal testing formulation.
Credits
https://www.instagram.com/drmacrene/
https://www.instagram.com/macreneactives/
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