The Quality Makers: Dr. Amir Karam of KaramMD Skincare

Below, Dr. Karam shares more about his dedication to his craft and experience with creating his own DTC skincare line.

I’d love to start by learning a bit more about your background. What inspired you to get into facial plastic surgery?

“I realized shortly after my mom had her heart transplant that I wanted to devote my life to medicine, surgery specifically. I actually thought I was going to be a heart surgeon, but after being on this path for about four years, I serendipitously had a lecture given by a facial plastic surgeon who truly wowed me with the variety of facial plastic surgery procedures, ranging from trauma to cosmetic. I always had a very creative side, which I felt in my heart surgery could not fully express – whereas facial plastic surgery gave me the opportunity to really express that creative element.

People's faces are equally as important as their hearts – you would be amazed how this affects a person emotionally. When somebody has their face disfigured as part of trauma or is born with something that they're not happy with, the quality-of-life impact is tremendous. People really hope and expect that the surgeon can correct this, so being there for patients in that capacity was really inspiring.”

What led you to create the KaramMD skincare line?

“I began to fall in love with the subspecialty of treating aging faces and facial rejuvenation. The magic combination to create a youthful look is a youthful facial shape, which can be addressed surgically, and youthful skin, which requires more of a commitment than going in for a three-to-five-hour surgery and coming out the other side 20 years younger.

Aging skin requires the use of the right active ingredients, decreased sun exposure and maintaining this commitment year after year. Patients who did this and had surgery looked exponentially better as a result, therefore my commitment to skincare became much greater. I knew I needed to get all of my patients on a good skincare lifestyle to get the most out of their surgical outcomes.”

Can you describe the experience of launching KaramMD? What sets it apart from other skincare lines?

“I wanted to make everything easier for my patients and put all of these active ingredients into a single bottle. After surgery, each patient would receive this bottle and purchase it every four to six weeks. That would be their skincare – simple, easy, no questions asked.

After four years of formulation, research and development and clinic testing phases, the product was ready, and when our Rinse Gentle Cleanser, the high-powered vitamin C Quench serum and Illuminate, the 21-active ingredient moisturizer, was born. These three steps are the KaramMD Trifecta. I had the opportunity to share this product with the world via my growing social media following beyond just my surgical patients. And thus KaramMD the brand was born.

KaramMD is inspired by a facial plastic surgeon who knows the challenges and troubles that real patients face, such as the confusion and costs associated with skincare. Secondly, we are passionate about developing a long-term commitment to your skin with a lifestyle change. The commitment starts with sun protection and then the proper skincare using the Trifecta. And Our products have clinical studies to not only support - but prove - their efficacy over time.

One thing we love about DTC brands and companies is the sense of community they are able to cultivate online. How would you describe your community and customers? How do you engage with your customers?

“We nurture and foster our community through education, empowerment, and helping people find their way through the maze of confusion that exists in the space. Our community is grassroots built from the ground up, with loyal users who spread the word about the product. We engage through social media, direct relationships with our blog subscribers, and emails. We've been sharing the product with people literally throughout the entire world. Using social media to bring awareness to proper skin care practices has been really exciting. We've had tremendous growth over the last year and a half.”

As a founder in our “Quality Makers” series, what does “quality” mean to you?

“We're a very customer/patient-forward brand. We only care about what's best for the consumer. The product has to be good enough for our families and good enough for ourselves. It has to be composed of the most efficacious ingredients and ultimately needs to be safe, effective and built for the long run.”

I’d be remiss not to ask a few skincare questions – what is the best piece of skincare advice you would give someone to care for their skin over time?

“Protection from the sun. Use a mineral-based broad spectrum sunscreen, and protective clothing, hats, etc. to minimize the amount of sun exposure. Number two – use products that have active anti-aging ingredients like retinol, vitamin C, pigmentation lighteners, and things that hydrate and manage the oil balance. If these two things are combined, skin will not age and if you use it in your more mature years, you'll see your skin slowly but surely respond and look more youthful.

The key here is consistency. The same approach to eating well and exercising routinely applies to skincare. It has to be a long-term commitment for it to work and be worth any amount of time and money invested.”

Interested in learning more about Dr. Karam and getting started on the Trifecta today? Shop the full line here, and follow Dr. Karam and KaramMD on Instagram to stay up to date on the latest skincare news.