Steps to optimizing skin care retail in your practice

I have been writing Cosmeceutical Critique for more than a decade, and over the years I have received many calls and e-mails about the column. The most frequent question is, "I read your column every month and understand the ingredient science, but I still do not know what products to sell in my practice. Can you help?" For this reason, I will begin to add columns that discuss the process of skin care retail, and how to choose which products to sell. I admit that finding effective products and designing the right regimen for each patient are daunting tasks, but I have simplified the process out of necessity in my own Miami practice.

The goal is to achieve good patient outcomes with minimal side effects, which strengthens the physician-patient relationship. In order to achieve this goal, you need to find the most efficacious products and properly match them to your patient’s skin type. In addition, patients must be compliant with the prescribed regimen. If only it were that simple. The difficulty in separating fact (science) from fiction (marketing claims), time constraints with each patient, and the need for staff training can complicate this process.

In my practice, we use the Skin Type Solutions system that I developed to match skin care products for each skin type (

<cf number="\"2\"">’</cf>

Fitzpatricks Dermatology in General Medicine, 8th Ed., 2012, Ch. 250, p. 1343).This system accurately determines a patient’s Baumann Skin Type (there are 16) and provides a preset regimen designed to address that particular skin type’s needs. The system has been tested in more than 100,000 people worldwide, of all ethnicities and ages, as well as both genders, and has demonstrated accuracy in assessing skin care needs (Dermatol. Clin. 2008;26:359-73; J. Cosmet. Dermatol. Sci. Appl. 2014;4:78-84).

The Baumann Skin Typing System saves my staff time by streamlining the process of designing skin care regimens. It works like this:

• The patient takes the skin type questionnaire and is assigned to one of the 16 Baumann Skin types.

• A staff member matches the skin type to the preset regimen.

• The doctor (or designee) reviews the regimen and makes any necessary changes or additions (including prescription medications).

• The patient is given a step-by-step skin care regimen.

• The patient purchases the correct products.

• The patient is given instruction sheets to increase compliance.

• The patient returns in 4 weeks for follow-up with the staff designee to ensure that the regimen is being properly followed.

Sounds easy, right? The hard part is choosing which products to use for each skin type. In order to ethically sell skin care products to patients, you must ensure that they are getting efficacious products to address their skin concerns (Clin. Dermatol. 2012;30:522-7).

Keep these steps in mind when selecting skin care products:

• Know your ingredient science.

There is so much interesting research on cosmetic ingredients, but there is also plenty of hype and misinformation. One key point is that no one ingredient is right for all skin types. It’s essential to know which ingredients work well together and which do not. The order in which ingredients are placed on the skin is crucial as well, because they can inactivate each other and affect absorption. All of my ingredient columns are available at edermatologynews.com and will be published in my new book, Cosmeceuticals and Cosmetic Ingredients (McGraw-Hill).

It is important to understand which ingredients are worthless (like stem cells and peptides) and which ones are crucial (such as retinoids and antioxidants) so that you can arm your patients with products that work. When products do not work, your patients will have poor outcomes, your physician-patient relationships will be damaged, and patients’ trust in you will decrease.

• Choose ingredients appropriate for the patient’s skin type.

It is important to understand the characteristics of various ingredients and match those to your patient’s skin type. The process of assessing the patient’s skin type can be long because you need to ask numerous historical questions (invariably including, "Do you get irritated from skin care products?" and "What happens if you do not use a moisturizer?"). Looking at a patient’s skin at one point in time is not as accurate as asking a series of questions about how their skin has behaved in the past under varying conditions. I use a validated questionnaire to streamline this process in my practice. The questionnaire takes 3 to 5 minutes, does not require a staff member, and is done on a tablet device in the waiting room or exam room.

• Properly identify the Baumann Skin Type using a validated questionnaire.

To determine a patient’s true skin type, a scientifically validated questionnaire is used to assess skin oiliness, dryness, sensitivity, uneven skin tone, and risk factors for wrinkles. When these parameters are combined, there are 16 possible Baumann Skin Types, which yield an accurate history of the patient’s skin characteristics.

• Choose products for each skin type.

There are many factors to consider in choosing what brands and SKUs (stock keeping units, in industry parlance, but particular products for our purposes) to use for each skin type. I use a brand-agnostic approach to choose the best technologies from various brands from around the world. I believe that brands often have a core competency, such as sunscreen technology, but that not all of the products in a particular line are superior. I select the best products (SKUs) from each brand, and combine and test them on various skin types to see which products and what combinations of products work best.

The following are the factors that I take into account when choosing SKUs for each Baumann Skin Type:

A. Importance of the ingredient recipe

Although the product label lists ingredients, it does not list the formulation’s recipe, which is proprietary and often patented. The "recipe" includes the order that ingredients are added in the process, the pH, the amount of each ingredient, the temperature at which the ingredient is added, and many other important factors that determine the final chemistry. Ingredients like vitamin C, green tea, and argan oil are expensive when formulated properly. Many copycat brands, such as the Walgreens and CVS knockoffs, use the same ingredients. However, they cannot use the patented recipe, and therefore their end product is different.

B. Manufacturing and packaging process

How a product is made and packaged is crucial. For example, retinol breaks down when exposed to light and air. I once visited a manufacturing plant that was stirring its "antiaging" retinol preparation in open vats. The retinol was losing its activity, which is why the product was "less irritating." The process of packaging the completed product is also important. In some cases the product is formulated in one place and shipped to another location for final packaging – and several ingredients can lose their potency during transit. Finally, the container that the product is packaged in is important. Air and light can get into tubes, affecting the efficacy of a product.

C. Ingredient interactions

The order of application and the combination of ingredients affect stability, efficacy, safety, and the chemical structure. Master formulators understand that every ingredient in the formulation matters, and there is really no such thing as an inactive ingredient. Ingredients can affect penetration and render other ingredients more or less effective depending on the order in which the ingredients are used on the skin. For example, olive oil actually increases penetration of other ingredients because it has a high content of oleic acid, while safflower oil can decrease penetration by strengthening the skin barrier.

• Design the regimen and order of application of products.

Once you have determined your patient’s skin type and matched the proper products to their skin type, you must tell them exactly how to apply them. The order in which products are applied makes a difference. Consider ingredient interactions, ingredient penetration times, and cross-reactions, plus skin type factors such as the condition of the skin barrier, sebum production, thickness of the stratum corneum, sun exposure, and bathing habits. I recommend providing a printed regimen with step-by-step instructions for morning and night.

• Educate patients.

Take the time to educate your patients on their skin issues. If you explain why you chose each product and why the particular ingredients are important, they are more likely to be compliant and get better results (and return to you for product recommendations and repurchases). Because we do not have the time to sit and explain all of these issues to each patient, we use educational newsletters that we send to patients based on their Baumann Skin Type. This helps keep them engaged and educates them about new technologies and products that are appropriate for their skin type.

• Encourage compliance.

Schedule a follow-up visit after 1 month to check on their progress and ensure compliance, and emphasize the importance of this visit. If you prescribed a retinoid, patients may experience irritation and stop using it. If you have an imaging system, baseline and follow-up photos help illustrate patients’ progress and keep them vigilant. Four weeks is a good time frame because patients tend to lose interest at that point.

• Sell skin care products in your practice.

I was against selling skin care products for ethical reasons for several years. However, in 2005, I surveyed my patients, and 100% of them wanted me to sell products so that they could feel sure that they were purchasing the right products for their needs. In fact, my patients appreciate expert medical advice on skin care. As a practitioner, you can make more educated choices about skin care products and help them avoid products that don’t work or cause harm.

• Contact me for more information.

In order to improve patient outcomes, you must ensure that you stay current on skin care science so your patients can benefit from your expertise. I recognize that not everyone has the time and inclination to stay current on the various skin care ingredients, products, and brands. Several of my dermatology friends have adopted my skin typing system in their practices and, in the process, observed better patient outcomes and increased profitability, while reducing the burden on their staff. These successes led to the development of an in-office store system utilizing my concept, which I am offering only to dermatologists. Feel free to email me at DrB@derm.net, or visit STSFranchise.com, if you want to learn more.

• Look for this column each month.

I will be sharing more advice on in-office skin care retail and will continue my review of new cosmeceutical ingredients. Let’s work together to put skin care back in the hands of dermatologists.

Dr. Baumann is chief executive officer of the Baumann Cosmetic & Research Institute in Miami Beach. She founded the cosmetic dermatology center at the University of Miami in 1997. Dr. Baumann wrote the textbook "Cosmetic Dermatology: Principles and Practice" (McGraw-Hill, April 2002), and a book for consumers, "The Skin Type Solution" (Bantam, 2006). She has contributed to the Cosmeceutical Critique column in Skin & Allergy News since January 2001. Dr. Baumann has received funding for clinical grants from Allergan, Aveeno, Avon Products, Galderma, Mary Kay, Medicis Pharmaceuticals, Neutrogena, Philosophy, Stiefel, Topix Pharmaceuticals, and Unilever.

I have been writing Cosmeceutical Critique for more than a decade, and over the years I have received many calls and e-mails about the column. The most frequent question is, "I read your column every month and understand the ingredient science, but I still do not know what products to sell in my practice. Can you help?" For this reason, I will begin to add columns that discuss the process of skin care retail, and how to choose which products to sell. I admit that finding effective products and designing the right regimen for each patient are daunting tasks, but I have simplified the process out of necessity in my own Miami practice.

The goal is to achieve good patient outcomes with minimal side effects, which strengthens the physician-patient relationship. In order to achieve this goal, you need to find the most efficacious products and properly match them to your patient’s skin type. In addition, patients must be compliant with the prescribed regimen. If only it were that simple. The difficulty in separating fact (science) from fiction (marketing claims), time constraints with each patient, and the need for staff training can complicate this process.

In my practice, we use the Skin Type Solutions system that I developed to match skin care products for each skin type (

<cf number="\"2\"">’</cf>

Fitzpatricks Dermatology in General Medicine, 8th Ed., 2012, Ch. 250, p. 1343).This system accurately determines a patient’s Baumann Skin Type (there are 16) and provides a preset regimen designed to address that particular skin type’s needs. The system has been tested in more than 100,000 people worldwide, of all ethnicities and ages, as well as both genders, and has demonstrated accuracy in assessing skin care needs (Dermatol. Clin. 2008;26:359-73; J. Cosmet. Dermatol. Sci. Appl. 2014;4:78-84).

The Baumann Skin Typing System saves my staff time by streamlining the process of designing skin care regimens. It works like this:

• The patient takes the skin type questionnaire and is assigned to one of the 16 Baumann Skin types.

• A staff member matches the skin type to the preset regimen.

• The doctor (or designee) reviews the regimen and makes any necessary changes or additions (including prescription medications).

• The patient is given a step-by-step skin care regimen.

• The patient purchases the correct products.

• The patient is given instruction sheets to increase compliance.

• The patient returns in 4 weeks for follow-up with the staff designee to ensure that the regimen is being properly followed.

Sounds easy, right? The hard part is choosing which products to use for each skin type. In order to ethically sell skin care products to patients, you must ensure that they are getting efficacious products to address their skin concerns (Clin. Dermatol. 2012;30:522-7).

Keep these steps in mind when selecting skin care products:

• Know your ingredient science.

There is so much interesting research on cosmetic ingredients, but there is also plenty of hype and misinformation. One key point is that no one ingredient is right for all skin types. It’s essential to know which ingredients work well together and which do not. The order in which ingredients are placed on the skin is crucial as well, because they can inactivate each other and affect absorption. All of my ingredient columns are available at edermatologynews.com and will be published in my new book, Cosmeceuticals and Cosmetic Ingredients (McGraw-Hill).

It is important to understand which ingredients are worthless (like stem cells and peptides) and which ones are crucial (such as retinoids and antioxidants) so that you can arm your patients with products that work. When products do not work, your patients will have poor outcomes, your physician-patient relationships will be damaged, and patients’ trust in you will decrease.

• Choose ingredients appropriate for the patient’s skin type.

It is important to understand the characteristics of various ingredients and match those to your patient’s skin type. The process of assessing the patient’s skin type can be long because you need to ask numerous historical questions (invariably including, "Do you get irritated from skin care products?" and "What happens if you do not use a moisturizer?"). Looking at a patient’s skin at one point in time is not as accurate as asking a series of questions about how their skin has behaved in the past under varying conditions. I use a validated questionnaire to streamline this process in my practice. The questionnaire takes 3 to 5 minutes, does not require a staff member, and is done on a tablet device in the waiting room or exam room.

• Properly identify the Baumann Skin Type using a validated questionnaire.

To determine a patient’s true skin type, a scientifically validated questionnaire is used to assess skin oiliness, dryness, sensitivity, uneven skin tone, and risk factors for wrinkles. When these parameters are combined, there are 16 possible Baumann Skin Types, which yield an accurate history of the patient’s skin characteristics.

• Choose products for each skin type.

There are many factors to consider in choosing what brands and SKUs (stock keeping units, in industry parlance, but particular products for our purposes) to use for each skin type. I use a brand-agnostic approach to choose the best technologies from various brands from around the world. I believe that brands often have a core competency, such as sunscreen technology, but that not all of the products in a particular line are superior. I select the best products (SKUs) from each brand, and combine and test them on various skin types to see which products and what combinations of products work best.

The following are the factors that I take into account when choosing SKUs for each Baumann Skin Type:

A. Importance of the ingredient recipe

Although the product label lists ingredients, it does not list the formulation’s recipe, which is proprietary and often patented. The "recipe" includes the order that ingredients are added in the process, the pH, the amount of each ingredient, the temperature at which the ingredient is added, and many other important factors that determine the final chemistry. Ingredients like vitamin C, green tea, and argan oil are expensive when formulated properly. Many copycat brands, such as the Walgreens and CVS knockoffs, use the same ingredients. However, they cannot use the patented recipe, and therefore their end product is different.

B. Manufacturing and packaging process

How a product is made and packaged is crucial. For example, retinol breaks down when exposed to light and air. I once visited a manufacturing plant that was stirring its "antiaging" retinol preparation in open vats. The retinol was losing its activity, which is why the product was "less irritating." The process of packaging the completed product is also important. In some cases the product is formulated in one place and shipped to another location for final packaging – and several ingredients can lose their potency during transit. Finally, the container that the product is packaged in is important. Air and light can get into tubes, affecting the efficacy of a product.

C. Ingredient interactions

The order of application and the combination of ingredients affect stability, efficacy, safety, and the chemical structure. Master formulators understand that every ingredient in the formulation matters, and there is really no such thing as an inactive ingredient. Ingredients can affect penetration and render other ingredients more or less effective depending on the order in which the ingredients are used on the skin. For example, olive oil actually increases penetration of other ingredients because it has a high content of oleic acid, while safflower oil can decrease penetration by strengthening the skin barrier.

• Design the regimen and order of application of products.

Once you have determined your patient’s skin type and matched the proper products to their skin type, you must tell them exactly how to apply them. The order in which products are applied makes a difference. Consider ingredient interactions, ingredient penetration times, and cross-reactions, plus skin type factors such as the condition of the skin barrier, sebum production, thickness of the stratum corneum, sun exposure, and bathing habits. I recommend providing a printed regimen with step-by-step instructions for morning and night.

• Educate patients.

Take the time to educate your patients on their skin issues. If you explain why you chose each product and why the particular ingredients are important, they are more likely to be compliant and get better results (and return to you for product recommendations and repurchases). Because we do not have the time to sit and explain all of these issues to each patient, we use educational newsletters that we send to patients based on their Baumann Skin Type. This helps keep them engaged and educates them about new technologies and products that are appropriate for their skin type.

• Encourage compliance.

Schedule a follow-up visit after 1 month to check on their progress and ensure compliance, and emphasize the importance of this visit. If you prescribed a retinoid, patients may experience irritation and stop using it. If you have an imaging system, baseline and follow-up photos help illustrate patients’ progress and keep them vigilant. Four weeks is a good time frame because patients tend to lose interest at that point.

• Sell skin care products in your practice.

I was against selling skin care products for ethical reasons for several years. However, in 2005, I surveyed my patients, and 100% of them wanted me to sell products so that they could feel sure that they were purchasing the right products for their needs. In fact, my patients appreciate expert medical advice on skin care. As a practitioner, you can make more educated choices about skin care products and help them avoid products that don’t work or cause harm.

• Contact me for more information.

In order to improve patient outcomes, you must ensure that you stay current on skin care science so your patients can benefit from your expertise. I recognize that not everyone has the time and inclination to stay current on the various skin care ingredients, products, and brands. Several of my dermatology friends have adopted my skin typing system in their practices and, in the process, observed better patient outcomes and increased profitability, while reducing the burden on their staff. These successes led to the development of an in-office store system utilizing my concept, which I am offering only to dermatologists. Feel free to email me at DrB@derm.net, or visit STSFranchise.com, if you want to learn more.

• Look for this column each month.

I will be sharing more advice on in-office skin care retail and will continue my review of new cosmeceutical ingredients. Let’s work together to put skin care back in the hands of dermatologists.

Dr. Baumann is chief executive officer of the Baumann Cosmetic & Research Institute in Miami Beach. She founded the cosmetic dermatology center at the University of Miami in 1997. Dr. Baumann wrote the textbook "Cosmetic Dermatology: Principles and Practice" (McGraw-Hill, April 2002), and a book for consumers, "The Skin Type Solution" (Bantam, 2006). She has contributed to the Cosmeceutical Critique column in Skin & Allergy News since January 2001. Dr. Baumann has received funding for clinical grants from Allergan, Aveeno, Avon Products, Galderma, Mary Kay, Medicis Pharmaceuticals, Neutrogena, Philosophy, Stiefel, Topix Pharmaceuticals, and Unilever.

I have been writing Cosmeceutical Critique for more than a decade, and over the years I have received many calls and e-mails about the column. The most frequent question is, "I read your column every month and understand the ingredient science, but I still do not know what products to sell in my practice. Can you help?" For this reason, I will begin to add columns that discuss the process of skin care retail, and how to choose which products to sell. I admit that finding effective products and designing the right regimen for each patient are daunting tasks, but I have simplified the process out of necessity in my own Miami practice.

The goal is to achieve good patient outcomes with minimal side effects, which strengthens the physician-patient relationship. In order to achieve this goal, you need to find the most efficacious products and properly match them to your patient’s skin type. In addition, patients must be compliant with the prescribed regimen. If only it were that simple. The difficulty in separating fact (science) from fiction (marketing claims), time constraints with each patient, and the need for staff training can complicate this process.

In my practice, we use the Skin Type Solutions system that I developed to match skin care products for each skin type (

<cf number="\"2\"">’</cf>

Fitzpatricks Dermatology in General Medicine, 8th Ed., 2012, Ch. 250, p. 1343).This system accurately determines a patient’s Baumann Skin Type (there are 16) and provides a preset regimen designed to address that particular skin type’s needs. The system has been tested in more than 100,000 people worldwide, of all ethnicities and ages, as well as both genders, and has demonstrated accuracy in assessing skin care needs (Dermatol. Clin. 2008;26:359-73; J. Cosmet. Dermatol. Sci. Appl. 2014;4:78-84).

The Baumann Skin Typing System saves my staff time by streamlining the process of designing skin care regimens. It works like this:

• The patient takes the skin type questionnaire and is assigned to one of the 16 Baumann Skin types.

• A staff member matches the skin type to the preset regimen.

• The doctor (or designee) reviews the regimen and makes any necessary changes or additions (including prescription medications).

• The patient is given a step-by-step skin care regimen.

• The patient purchases the correct products.

• The patient is given instruction sheets to increase compliance.

• The patient returns in 4 weeks for follow-up with the staff designee to ensure that the regimen is being properly followed.

Sounds easy, right? The hard part is choosing which products to use for each skin type. In order to ethically sell skin care products to patients, you must ensure that they are getting efficacious products to address their skin concerns (Clin. Dermatol. 2012;30:522-7).

Keep these steps in mind when selecting skin care products:

• Know your ingredient science.

There is so much interesting research on cosmetic ingredients, but there is also plenty of hype and misinformation. One key point is that no one ingredient is right for all skin types. It’s essential to know which ingredients work well together and which do not. The order in which ingredients are placed on the skin is crucial as well, because they can inactivate each other and affect absorption. All of my ingredient columns are available at edermatologynews.com and will be published in my new book, Cosmeceuticals and Cosmetic Ingredients (McGraw-Hill).

It is important to understand which ingredients are worthless (like stem cells and peptides) and which ones are crucial (such as retinoids and antioxidants) so that you can arm your patients with products that work. When products do not work, your patients will have poor outcomes, your physician-patient relationships will be damaged, and patients’ trust in you will decrease.

• Choose ingredients appropriate for the patient’s skin type.

It is important to understand the characteristics of various ingredients and match those to your patient’s skin type. The process of assessing the patient’s skin type can be long because you need to ask numerous historical questions (invariably including, "Do you get irritated from skin care products?" and "What happens if you do not use a moisturizer?"). Looking at a patient’s skin at one point in time is not as accurate as asking a series of questions about how their skin has behaved in the past under varying conditions. I use a validated questionnaire to streamline this process in my practice. The questionnaire takes 3 to 5 minutes, does not require a staff member, and is done on a tablet device in the waiting room or exam room.

• Properly identify the Baumann Skin Type using a validated questionnaire.

To determine a patient’s true skin type, a scientifically validated questionnaire is used to assess skin oiliness, dryness, sensitivity, uneven skin tone, and risk factors for wrinkles. When these parameters are combined, there are 16 possible Baumann Skin Types, which yield an accurate history of the patient’s skin characteristics.

• Choose products for each skin type.

There are many factors to consider in choosing what brands and SKUs (stock keeping units, in industry parlance, but particular products for our purposes) to use for each skin type. I use a brand-agnostic approach to choose the best technologies from various brands from around the world. I believe that brands often have a core competency, such as sunscreen technology, but that not all of the products in a particular line are superior. I select the best products (SKUs) from each brand, and combine and test them on various skin types to see which products and what combinations of products work best.

The following are the factors that I take into account when choosing SKUs for each Baumann Skin Type:

A. Importance of the ingredient recipe

Although the product label lists ingredients, it does not list the formulation’s recipe, which is proprietary and often patented. The "recipe" includes the order that ingredients are added in the process, the pH, the amount of each ingredient, the temperature at which the ingredient is added, and many other important factors that determine the final chemistry. Ingredients like vitamin C, green tea, and argan oil are expensive when formulated properly. Many copycat brands, such as the Walgreens and CVS knockoffs, use the same ingredients. However, they cannot use the patented recipe, and therefore their end product is different.

B. Manufacturing and packaging process

How a product is made and packaged is crucial. For example, retinol breaks down when exposed to light and air. I once visited a manufacturing plant that was stirring its "antiaging" retinol preparation in open vats. The retinol was losing its activity, which is why the product was "less irritating." The process of packaging the completed product is also important. In some cases the product is formulated in one place and shipped to another location for final packaging – and several ingredients can lose their potency during transit. Finally, the container that the product is packaged in is important. Air and light can get into tubes, affecting the efficacy of a product.

C. Ingredient interactions

The order of application and the combination of ingredients affect stability, efficacy, safety, and the chemical structure. Master formulators understand that every ingredient in the formulation matters, and there is really no such thing as an inactive ingredient. Ingredients can affect penetration and render other ingredients more or less effective depending on the order in which the ingredients are used on the skin. For example, olive oil actually increases penetration of other ingredients because it has a high content of oleic acid, while safflower oil can decrease penetration by strengthening the skin barrier.

• Design the regimen and order of application of products.

Once you have determined your patient’s skin type and matched the proper products to their skin type, you must tell them exactly how to apply them. The order in which products are applied makes a difference. Consider ingredient interactions, ingredient penetration times, and cross-reactions, plus skin type factors such as the condition of the skin barrier, sebum production, thickness of the stratum corneum, sun exposure, and bathing habits. I recommend providing a printed regimen with step-by-step instructions for morning and night.

• Educate patients.

Take the time to educate your patients on their skin issues. If you explain why you chose each product and why the particular ingredients are important, they are more likely to be compliant and get better results (and return to you for product recommendations and repurchases). Because we do not have the time to sit and explain all of these issues to each patient, we use educational newsletters that we send to patients based on their Baumann Skin Type. This helps keep them engaged and educates them about new technologies and products that are appropriate for their skin type.

• Encourage compliance.

Schedule a follow-up visit after 1 month to check on their progress and ensure compliance, and emphasize the importance of this visit. If you prescribed a retinoid, patients may experience irritation and stop using it. If you have an imaging system, baseline and follow-up photos help illustrate patients’ progress and keep them vigilant. Four weeks is a good time frame because patients tend to lose interest at that point.

• Sell skin care products in your practice.

I was against selling skin care products for ethical reasons for several years. However, in 2005, I surveyed my patients, and 100% of them wanted me to sell products so that they could feel sure that they were purchasing the right products for their needs. In fact, my patients appreciate expert medical advice on skin care. As a practitioner, you can make more educated choices about skin care products and help them avoid products that don’t work or cause harm.

• Contact me for more information.

In order to improve patient outcomes, you must ensure that you stay current on skin care science so your patients can benefit from your expertise. I recognize that not everyone has the time and inclination to stay current on the various skin care ingredients, products, and brands. Several of my dermatology friends have adopted my skin typing system in their practices and, in the process, observed better patient outcomes and increased profitability, while reducing the burden on their staff. These successes led to the development of an in-office store system utilizing my concept, which I am offering only to dermatologists. Feel free to email me at DrB@derm.net, or visit STSFranchise.com, if you want to learn more.

• Look for this column each month.

I will be sharing more advice on in-office skin care retail and will continue my review of new cosmeceutical ingredients. Let’s work together to put skin care back in the hands of dermatologists.

Dr. Baumann is chief executive officer of the Baumann Cosmetic & Research Institute in Miami Beach. She founded the cosmetic dermatology center at the University of Miami in 1997. Dr. Baumann wrote the textbook "Cosmetic Dermatology: Principles and Practice" (McGraw-Hill, April 2002), and a book for consumers, "The Skin Type Solution" (Bantam, 2006). She has contributed to the Cosmeceutical Critique column in Skin & Allergy News since January 2001. Dr. Baumann has received funding for clinical grants from Allergan, Aveeno, Avon Products, Galderma, Mary Kay, Medicis Pharmaceuticals, Neutrogena, Philosophy, Stiefel, Topix Pharmaceuticals, and Unilever.