Chances are you’ve heard of—and likely have already used—a best-selling product from skincare brand Dr. Loretta, though you may not be familiar with the professional behind the name. A board-certified expert for over 42 years, Loretta Ciraldo fell in love with skin science after taking a research job in the dermatology department at Harvard Medical School. “This was not my idea at all, but I was given the job as one of the techs in the lab, one of just two people to do a study to see if the sun’s UVA had any effect on human skin,” the dermatologist tells Bazaar. “This was 1975, and sort of the rest is history.”
After developing a dermatology practice in the early ’80s and ’90s, Ciraldo delved more deeply into beauty by crafting professional skincare products for her patients and other physicians in the industry. Using many of those initial formulations, Ciraldo later launched her eponymous company, Dr. Loretta, in 2018. “One thing that I’d say about my brand is that I came out with it to give people faith in skincare,” she explains. “I think there’s a dizzying array of products out there, and many of them are reputable and made with great integrity. But I really am trying to share this expertise that next year will have started 50 years ago in the photobiology labs at Harvard.” Ciraldo currently gets the help of two of her four children to help run her growing business, which now carries more than 18 individual products.
“My hope is really to form a bigger and bigger community,” she says of her beauty brand. “I believe that I’ve spent a whole lifetime, hopefully, being a role model for women especially, but also for all people to embrace aging and the idea that it’s not inevitable for us to be unhappy with ourselves and our appearance. It’s not inevitable. There are solutions, and I’m hoping that Dr. Loretta really is presenting the solutions."
Here, we catch up with the dermatologist for expert tips on aging gracefully, the importance of embracing your smile lines, and her thoughts on injectables and plastic surgery. Read on for more of Ciraldo’s pearls of beauty wisdom that have only helped her get better with age.
If you don’t mind sharing, how old are you?
I’m currently 71 years old.
What age do you feel you are in your head?
I’m going to say that I have the same frame of mind that I had by the age of 40. At 40, I decided to take on a big project. I was already in full-time practice, and I started to formulate [products for my beauty brand], and that passion has not left me. So, I would say that I celebrate that I’m 71, but as far as my mindset, that really hasn’t changed. It’s only been enhanced since the age of 40.
Do you have a beloved beauty product that you’ve worn for most of your life?
Yeah, so definitely mineral sunscreen. Fortunately and unfortunately, I practice in Miami and removed tens of thousands of skin cancers. Although I don’t believe that sunscreen is the only thing we need; even for appearance, we have to put health first. But sunscreen has been proven to help prevent skin cancer, so for me, mineral sunscreen is key, and I’m madly in love with our Universal Glow.
What aspects of your physical appearance do you love more now as you’ve gotten older?
So I’ve got to say, and I don’t know how well you can see them, but it’s my smile lines. Let me tell you a story: I’ve been the head of cosmetic dermatology at the University of Miami, and I’m obviously very into treating skin cancer, rashes, and a range of cosmetic things. It must have been about 10 years ago—so I was already about 60—and I was in an Academy of Dermatology meeting. And the person giving the lecture says, “We can only get rid of deep lines if we use a deep laser, right?” I thought that was absolute baloney because all these smile lines we can get rid of with Botox. But I wasn’t using it on any patients yet, so I brought some Botox home, diluted it, and injected it into my face.
But here’s the thing: The moment I injected it into one side of my face, I let out a scream. And I remember my husband being like, “Loretta, what’s going on?” What happened was I diluted the Botox incorrectly and gave myself much more than I had meant to. Then, I had to do it to the other side—otherwise I would’ve looked really weird—so I totally got rid of my smile lines. I had not a wrinkle on me. But, and this was the very interesting thing, I couldn’t make a very broad smile. For about four months, I couldn’t smile as broadly as I’m used to, but I had no lines.
What was so fascinating was only my husband saw that difference. I realized in that mistake that I didn’t like the look because I wanted to feel the joy of smiling. What mattered more to me was how I looked at myself more than anyone else. So, if there’s anything I’d say that I cherish, it’s these smile lines. I love them. They’re such a representation of all of the joy that I’ve experienced in life. And as time goes on, they get a little bit deeper. But I don’t find anything about that unattractive.
Which beauty products would you say have aged well?
One product I love is Aquaphor’s Healing Ointment. That came out in the days when we had these very intensive lasers: the CO2 and ablative lasers. And I believe that the product was meant as a response to these lasers because people weren’t healing well, but I love it. I’m also a big fan of coconut oil. I’m 100 percent Italian, and for the last 25 years I’ve lived in Italy for part of the year. I also have a lot of frizz in my hair, and once you turn gray, forget it. My hair is almost like wire. But coconut oil is so good to add to our hair routines, and if a little bit gets on your face, it’s even healthy for the face.
I also love CeraVe products. I naturally have very dry skin, so I like to use the CeraVe cream on my legs, which is great for barrier repair since it contains ceramides. I’ll also add our award-winning Gel Cleanser, which is the latest iteration of a product that I started to make 31 years ago. I believe in washing your face twice a day, and something I don’t like is that more and more influencers are telling people not to do that. One of the big reasons is that cleansers can ruin what we call the hydrolipid film that should be on our faces. And as we get older, we’re making less lipids, so our cleanser actually replenishes your barrier instead of stripping it.
Please give us a quick breakdown of your current beauty routine.
I use the Gentle Hydrating Cleanser every morning and night. Then I do my eyes, so I don’t forget, and use the Tightening Eye Gel all the way around my eyes. Next, I also use our Anti-Aging Repair Serum, which is our vitamin C serum that I love. And in the morning, I finish with Universal Glow.
At night I do the first three steps, but then I apply our new Barrier Repair Gel Cream. As far as extra stuff, I really believe in exfoliating and mainly use our products, so I’ll reach for the Micro Peel Peptide Pads or our Resurfacing Enzyme Polish. As I mentioned before, I absolutely love using the CeraVe cream on my legs, and I also feel that our hands are very important. If you think about it, all day long we don’t see our faces; we only see our hands. And I think my hands look pretty good for 71. So, I always add sunscreen to my hands, and when I finish applying each of my products, I don’t apply another pump. I just take the residue that’s left over and use it on my hands.
A lot of conversations around aging seem to lead to injectables and plastic surgery. What are your thoughts on the topic?
Okay, so I want to say a couple of things. I use a lot of injectables in my practice, but I’m very opposed to starting them too early. And what do I mean by too early? The idea that you’re going to use injectables preventatively is such a misguided concept. And what ends up happening if you overdo anything is that you end up looking older.
I feel that if you’re going to consider surgery or injectables, it’s important to research the person you’re going to and be sure it’s someone who’s really going to have your best interest in mind. I also think it’s a good idea to consult with more than one practitioner. I’ve never done a facelift or laser, and I do favor injectables; I think it’s important not to do anything permanent because if you don’t like the outcome, you’re stuck with it. So I think you have to proceed with caution. It’s sort of what I believe about everything: Do it with moderation.
What keeps you feeling vibrant and youthful?
I would say spending time with my grandkids. I have two grandchildren who are six and eight, and when I’m with them I feel like a kid again. Not everyone is fortunate enough to even have youngsters in their life, but I think being around young people makes me feel very vibrant and youthful. I’ve never lost the kid in myself, and I hope never to do so.
Many people fear growing older. In your opinion, what is the best part about it?
For sure, having more time to yourself—whether it’s to read a book or just sit on the beach with your sunscreen on. When you think about it, most women work and have family obligations, whether it’s our parents or children, etc. And I find that women are often called upon to do so much multitasking that we don’t have enough time for ourselves. For me, getting to savor each day and each hour is amazing. So, the best thing about growing older is about having more time to become more self-realized.
