Face Time: What’s in Your Medicine Cabinet?

Photograph by Jared Kuzia

Back Bay dermatologist Leslie Lucchina has spent the past couple of decades thinking about skin care, so it should come as no surprise that the 52-year-old has a gorgeous complexion. This summer, she plans to turn all of her research into a line of skin care products and protective attire called LifeGuard, so named because she believes that taking care of your skin should be a lifetime investment. The fabric used for her dresses, caftans, tunics, and more will have SPF 50, while her skin-care line will focus on the ingredients Lucchina incorporates into her own routine: peptides, antioxidants, growth factors, and vitamin A.

What’s in her medicine cabinet right now? Above, a peek at the cleansers, serums, and creams that Lucchina swears by.

1. Forlle’d Hyalogy Platinum Face Cream
This emollient boasts peptides, to smooth wrinkles and improve skin tone; platinum, an antioxidant that deactivates the free radicals that cause skin damage; and hyaluronic acid, for deep hydration, Lucchina says.

2. SkinMedica Retinol Complex (0.25 or 0.5)
Lucchina uses two pumps of this liniment after cleansing at night (she chooses the strength—0.25 or 0.5—based on how dry her skin is). She says that this unique encapsulated retinol promotes collagen production and minimizes irritation.

3. TiZO3 Facial Mineral Sunscreen
This lightly tinted protector includes dimethicone, a silicone-based molecule that fills in crevices and makes skin feel soft, Lucchina says. “In particular, [this sunscreen] protects the melanocytes—the cells that make pigmentation in your skin—from all forms of light, thus reducing freckling and pigmentation.”

4. Ethocyn Multivitamin Eye Serum by ChanTal
This serum is non-irritating, Lucchina says, and hydrates while improving skin elasticity.

5. SkinCeuticals Purifying Cleanser
Lucchina applies this cleanser to dry skin, then massages it in with warm water. “Just a dime-sized amount offers gentle and complete cleaning without residual dryness,” she says.

6. Senté Dermal Repair Cream and SkinCeuticals Phloretin CF Gel
In the morning, Lucchina combines two pumps of the collagen-stimulating cream with five pumps of the gel, then applies the mixture to her face, neck, and chest. “It protects, prevents, and repairs damage from sun exposure,” she says.