Dr Ian Webster has been mine and my family’s dermatologist for nearly 20 years. He is meticulous, patient and kind, and has helped us tackle and resolve our skin issues in a calm, confident manner – an approach which much needed in the midst of the anguish and torment caused by acne and other aggressive skin conditions. He was also the first dermatologist to bring laser skin therapy to Southern Africa and underwent post-graduate training in laser surgery at Harvard Medical School. So essentially, yes, he’s the best. I see him annually to have my moles mapped and to have a general catch-up on how my skin is doing and what new products I might need to think about incorporating into my regime.
I saw Dr. Webster two weeks ago and he informed me that he has, together with his two sons, launched Dermastore, an online store which sells top cosmoceutical brands like Neostrata and SkinCeuticals! Although these products are available at Skin Renewal and at the offices of selected dermatologists and spas, they have not been available to purchase online until now. This is a hugely exciting development for the South African market – particularly for those men and women who are a) pressed for time and don’t necessarily have time during their busy working days to buy the products they want/need, and b) live it outlying areas where these kinds of products are not readily available.
If you’ve never used cosmoceutical brands before and don’t really know where to start, never fear: Dr. Webster has developed an online Facial Skin Assessment in order to determine which products are best suited to your skin type. There are 6 questions to answer, and once you have completed them, a list of products will be recommended for you. I know that some people might have reservations about an online assessment when products containing active ingredients are being recommended, but I can confirm that the results are spot on. I know this because when I saw Dr. Webster last week, his skin therapist, Sarah Stringer, did an analysis on me and recommended a few products for me to try. I then went home and completed the online assessment, and the exact same set of products were recommended for me. Genius!
If you click the Tailored Regimen drop-down button, you will be offered some alternative regimen options from the individual brands, which is great if you don’t like the idea of mixing and matching and would prefer for all of your products to come from the same brand.
Even if you are already using a cosmoceutical brand, I think it is an interesting exercise to complete the assessment – you might be surprised and find a product recommended for you that you hadn’t considered before. And if you can’t be fussed with the assessment, then you can also search by product type, by skin type, by medical concern or by range – there is no way that you won’t be able to find what you are looking for.
Dr. Webster has uploaded the clinical studies in respect of the some of the products, so if you’re a complete nerd like I am, you can learn more about the science behind the products and what makes them so effective. He has also uploaded some interesting articles which I would encourage you to read.
Dermastore are currently running a Neostrata Skin Active Autumn Special where you get 5 full size NeoStrata products for R 2,225.00 (valued at R 3, 950.00). You will need to complete Dr. Webster’s Facial Skin Assessment before you can take advantage of this offer as these products are best suited to more mature skins.
Together with NeoStrata and SkinCeuticals, Dermastore also stocks all kinds of other fantastic brands, such as Bioderma, Eucerin, Exuviance (created by the founding doctors of NeoStrata), Heliocare, IDSIN, Lumixyl, Neoretin, Obagi and SkinMedica. Delivery is free to anywhere in South Africa if you spend over R950.00 (easily done) and you get free samples with every order. Dermastore has appointed Aramex as their courier company (same courier company used by Yuppiechef), so you know you’re going to get the absolute best service.
Dr. Webster’s offices are located at 29 Bright Street, Somerset West, and he can be contacted on +27 (0)21 852 5858.
*Notwithstanding my history with Dr. Webster and his family, my views are unbiased and I have not been compensated in any way for this post.