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Dr. Aakaash Varma, MD

@drvarmaderm

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followers

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following

✨ Board Certified Dermatologist
🌟 Restorative · laser · skin of color
🤖 AI & digital imaging | 🌍 Global health
🗽 Long Island + Manhattan

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Your skin color comes down to less than a millimeter ⬇️

We all have about the same number of melanocytes. What differs is how much melanin they make, which type, and how it’s packaged and passed to surrounding cells.

Undertones come from blood, veins, and even the carotenoids in your food.

Follow for more on skin like yours.

#dermatologist #skinofcolor #melanin #brownskin #skinscience by @drvarmaderm

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4 days ago

Your skin has its own clock, so my nighttime routine looks different from my mornings ⬇️

I use a retinoid, usually Arazlo. At night your skin shifts into repair mode, cell turnover picks up, and it absorbs more of what you put on. That’s when a retinoid does its best work. Pea-sized, whole face.

If my skin’s dry or I’ve run out, I use the @rejuall_official PDRN serum instead. It’s been really moisturizing.

And if your retinoid’s irritating you, take a few nights off and use @larocheposay Cicaplast Baume B5 until things calm down.

#dermatologist #skinofcolor #nightroutine #retinoid #brownskin by @drvarmaderm

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15 days ago

Skincare doesn’t have to be complicated. Here’s my every day ⬇️

1. Cleanser. @cerave Balancing Air Foam Facial Cleanser. Works for my oily-and-dry-at-the-same-time skin.
2. Moisturizer. @phylaskin Anti-Blemish. Niacinamide calms things down, and it’s the only one that doesn’t break me out.
3. Sunscreen. Trying @tizoskin in this one. For picks suited to your skin, check out my sunscreen video.

Easy as 1-2-3.

#dermatologist #skinofcolor #skincareroutine #sensitiveskin #brownskin by @drvarmaderm

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19 days ago

We covered five things worth your money. Now five that aren’t ⬇️

1. Beef tallow. Just no.
2. Toners. Toning what?
3. Biotin. Won’t grow your hair. Will skew your labs.
4. Collagen supplements. Digested before your skin sees it.
5. Anything making outrageous promises. That’s a pitch, not a product.

#dermatologist #skinofcolor #skincaretips #skincaremyths #brownskin by @drvarmaderm

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22 days ago

Lasers: Part II ⬇️

Here’s what makes darker skin different. There’s more melanin, it sits near the surface, and it absorbs across a wide range of wavelengths. So even when I’m aiming at hemoglobin or water, melanin picks up some of that energy too.

That doesn’t make lasers off-limits. It just makes the settings different. The right parameters get you the result. The wrong ones leave you with darker or lighter spots where you never wanted them.

So be thoughtful about who you let point a laser at your face. Ask what device they’re using and how often they treat skin like yours.

#dermatologist #skinofcolor #laser #brownskin #hyperpigmentation by @drvarmaderm

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a month ago

Lasers: Part I ⬇️

Lasers deliver light that specific molecules in your skin absorb. For many cosmetic treatments, that comes down to three main targets:

• Melanin for dark spots.
• Hemoglobin in blood vessels for redness.
• Water in the skin for resurfacing and collagen remodeling.

What else do you want me to cover? Drop your questions below.

#dermatologist #skinofcolor #laser #brownskin #lasertreatment by @drvarmaderm

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a month ago

Can’t be bothered with a ten-step routine? Same. Here’s what actually matters ⬇️

1. A prescription retinoid. Trust me on this one. See a board certified derm and get the right one for your skin.
2. Sunscreen. No way around it, sorry guys. UPF for your body, sunscreen for your face. @isdinusa Eryfotona, @cerave Invisible, @larocheposayusa Mela B3, @eltamdskincare UV Clear.
3. Moisturizer. Whatever works for you. Some I like: @phylaskin Anti-Blemish, @neutrogena Hydro Boost Gel Cream, @dieuxskin Instant Angel, @larocheposayusa Cicaplast Baume B5.

Feeling special? Add an antioxidant serum. @skinceuticals C E Ferulic or @timelesshaskin vitamin C. But let’s not get crazy.

#dermatologist #skinofcolor #skincareroutine #retinoid #brownskin by @drvarmaderm

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a month ago

A lot of you asked about Arazlo ⬇️

It’s tazarotene, but at 0.045% in a lotion instead of a cream or gel.

The lotion base uses a polymeric emulsion that spreads the active more evenly and holds onto moisture, so you get less of the peeling and burning that made people quit tazarotene.

Downside is cost. Coverage is inconsistent and it can cost you more than generic alternatives.

#dermatologist #skinofcolor #retinoid #acne #brownskin by @drvarmaderm

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a month ago

Let’s talk retinoids ⬇️

All vitamin A derivatives. All end up as retinoic acid on your skin. The difference is how many steps it takes to get there.

OTC: retinyl esters → retinol → retinaldehyde.
Rx: tretinoin, adapalene, tazarotene, trifarotene.

Stronger isn’t better. The one you’ll stick with wins.

#dermatologist #skinofcolor #retinoid #tretinoin #brownskin by @drvarmaderm

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a month ago

Dark spots that won’t budge? Here are three things worth trying ⬇️

1. @eucerinus Radiant Tone Dual Serum. The active ingredient, thiamidol, has been compared to hydroquinone in trials and performed comparably. That’s unusually strong evidence for something over the counter.
2. A tinted sunscreen, like the @eltamdskincare tinted. Iron oxides block visible light, and visible light contributes to pigment in brown skin.
3. @theordinary azelaic acid. Lower strength than the prescription version, but it’s inexpensive, well tolerated, and available without a visit.

#dermatologist #skinofcolor #hyperpigmentation #melasma #brownskin by @drvarmaderm

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2 months ago

How me and my bff go out... we wouldn't be caught dead without spf...and a wide brimmed UPF hat 😏☀️

Tag your bestie 🤍

Dr. Varmas hat @amazon & spf @bioreus from Japan
Dr. Apples hat @solbari & spf @eltamdskincare

#dermatology #skincare #skincaretips #nycdermatologist #medstudent taken in New York, New York by @drvarmaderm

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2 months ago

There’s no best sunscreen. There’s the best sunscreen for you.

Acne prone: @eltamdskincare UV Clear. Light, and the niacinamide calms things down.

Hyperpigmentation or melasma: go tinted or go anti-pigment. Iron oxides block visible light, which drives pigment in brown skin. @eltamdskincare tinted, @larocheposayusa Mela B3, or @eucerinus Radiant Tone.

Sun damage and precancers: @isdin Eryfotona Actinica. DNA repair enzymes, so it works on the damage already there.

Rosacea: @eltamdskincare with niacinamide, or a green tint to even out redness.

And in the end, the best sunscreen is the one you’ll actually use.

#dermatologist #brownskin #sunscreen #melasma #rosacea by @drvarmaderm

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2 months ago