When I landed my first job as the Beauty Assistant at Cosmopolitan, my first breakfast meeting was with Dr. Brandt, Madonna's derm. Intimidated as all hell, I sat with him at the Four Seasons over berries and coffee and picked his brain about acne. Last week I had the opportunity to learn about two new skincare lines he's coming out with this fall and wasn't the least bit shy grab him for a quick one-on-one.
1. When it comes to correcting pigmentation, timing is everything
"Patients are coming to me wanting to get rid of their pigmentation. Truth is, you can't do anything now if you're going to keep going to the beach. You need to wait until the summers over. Then we can do lasers and retinol. Otherwise, it's a waste of money."
2. SPF alone isn't enough protection in the summer
"If you're going to the beach for eight hours and reapplying your SPF, you're still going to get color. Color is damage. SPF only protects you about 97 percent. Plus, the heat alone can give you color. Wear UPF clothing and hats and limit your time outdoors. I don't want to ruin your life, but you have to really balance it out."
3. You're not applying enough sunscreen
"Most people apply about 1/4 the amount of SPF they need. You need one teaspoon for your face, one teaspoon for each arm and about two teaspoons each leg. Make sure to reapply it on your face because you always miss areas."
