The DERMAdoctor will see you now

Anyone who has not yet heard of DERMAdoctor is in for a real treat. DERMAdoctor is a line of skin-care products created by a local Jewish dermatologist. And before you men stop reading at this point, note that these products are for women and men.

About 10 years ago, Dr. Audrey Kunin took a break from her dermatological practice to raise her two young children and continue a dot-com business she and her husband, Dr. Jeff Kunin, (her “non-silent, silent partner”) had been running on the side since December 1998. Dermadoctor.com sold hard-to-find skin-care products like nickel-free earrings, special anti-dandruff shampoo, compression stockings — other people’s products.

“That rapidly evolved into an online skin-health and beauty-advice column,” Dr. Kunin said. “We actually believe we have the largest online skin-health and beauty advice column in the world now.”

DERMAdoctor took advantage of the first wave of growth for dot-com businesses.

“We’re the only e-tailer in the world that got covered in the media, so suddenly I was up all night packing boxes,” Dr. Kunin said. “(The business) then rapidly moved from a home into a fulfillment center.”

In October 1999, the business moved to an 800-square-foot loft downtown. A month later, U.S. News and World Report called to tell the Drs. Kunin their Web site had been named the best in its category.

“Things dramatically changed at that point. At the same time, I realized I was getting a lot of consumer e-mail looking for products that didn’t exist,” Dr. Audrey Kunin said. “I decided if no one else is going to make them, I’m going to make them.”

It took her four years to create her own formulations, get them manufactured and come up with the right graphics and packaging. Nearly five years into the business, she launched her own niche brand of problem-solving skin-care products called DERMAdoctor.

In addition to the Web site, the products have been available for some time at stores like Nordstrom’s and Sephora and boutiques and spas. Other dermatologists carry her products, as well. Dr. Kunin also wrote a book, published in 2005 by Simon & Schuster, called “The DERMAdoctor Skinstruction Manual.”

Flagship store
The business has made several moves since 1999, and now the Drs. Kunin have purchased a 22,000-square-foot building at 1901 McGee St., where the colorful, new, vertical sign is attracting lots of attention from passersby in the Crossroads district.

“It serves as our warehousing and fulfillment center, headquarters for all customer service, management, product development,” Dr. Audrey Kunin said, “And we’ve talked for years about opening some form of a store to retail our own brand. So we have the right building, the right location, to really create our first flagship store. We can do everything here.”

Everything except the actual manufacturing of the products, that is. The Kunins have contracts with factories in different countries for that purpose.

Dr. Kunin said her business has always been education-based, so she offers consumers the opportunity to consult with her and her staff about their particular skin-care concern. She has a state-of-the-art Visia machine, which is able to look at six different, underlying changes beneath the surface of the skin so that a customer can make a more informed decision about what type of care he or she might need.

The perfect rejuvenator
Customers are also encouraged to pose questions through the Web site, where they can also read her advice column and 300-plus articles.

“A lot of women are very confused as to what is the perfect rejuvenator for them,” Dr. Kunin said. “They’ve been bombarded by the media and think they may be missing out on that … it  product that’s going to be so much better than anything else.”

Dr. Kunin says the aging process can be seen in four areas: the epidermis, dermis, fat and muscular layers. Different ingredients target the different layers, and people need a well-rounded routine in order to maximize their results.

“It’s a lot more complicated than anyone realizes,” Dr. Kunin said.

Naturally, DERMAdoctor offers a variety of products in a broad price range. Dr. Kunin said DERMAdoctor-brand products are in the middle as far as cost — $20 to $85.

Dr. Kunin said that although women should start an anti-aging skin regimen at a young age, it is never too late.

She is excited to embark on a new phase of her career.

“I’m using my degree in a non-traditional way. I can help more people in a day than I probably could in a year of practice,” she said. “I’ve learned a lot of things I never learned in med school, and it’s kind of fun, creative, and gives me some outlooks I never had before.”

Drs. Audrey and Jeff Kunin have two children — Matthew, 15, and Sophie 10. They are members of The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah.

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