If there is one dermatologist who has seen it all, it must be Dr. Howard Sobel. He has been helping patients with their skin for over 40 years and has watched the dermatological landscape change from an intimate, niche market to a sea of mass appeal.
Today, Dr. Howard D. Sobel is a clinical attending cosmetic dermatologist surgeon at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. But he is also the founder of Sobel Skin RX, a skincare line that was first founded in 1980, and runs his own practice in the Upper East Side.
He was one of the first doctors to perform local anesthesia liposuction back in 1985 and helped to popularize “micro-liposuction” for stubborn fat. Today, Dr. Sobel is known for his liposuction (under local anesthesia), Botox, lasers and fillers, not to mention laser-based treatments like Morpheus8, AlmaTED, a treatment that helps thinning hair, Vivace micro-needling for skin renewal, procedures like EmSculpt and Bodytite, to help tighten skin, and AviClear, which helps clear up acne.
But his skincare stands on its own. Though he founded his first skincare line in 1993, he founded Sobel Skin RX in 2021, which has active ingredients, meaning that it slows down the turnover of skin cells, “so you don’t get a buildup of dead skin cells,” he says. It’s a doctor-grade skincare line made with non-toxic, fragrance-free, and cruelty-free ingredients, and has been given the “Clean” skincare seal at Sephora.
“Creating authentic high-performance skincare is a balance of concentration and combination. It’s about the selection of the right high-quality active ingredients, delivered at the most concentrated levels, combined with the ability to ensure maximum penetration for real results — and then backing that up with clinical studies."
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What sets Sobel Skin Rx apart is his patented formulas that include higher concentrations of active ingredients. Unlike cosmetic products, they last longer with better results by penetrating the skin more deeply, while not irritating it.
“Skin care is a serious business now, it's not just going to the drugstore and just picking up anything,” he said. “Now, you really must go to Sephora or Ulta or, and you have to look at your ingredients and talk to your dermatologist and understand what's right for you. You can’t just lather on too many products, ingredient after ingredient, because you wind up irritating your skin and suddenly your skin would feel like it was on fire.”
He explains: “So, sometimes, I have to calm their skin down and then put them on a regimen that makes sense. You can only put on so many products, and only certain products you can layer,” said Dr. Sobel. “Skin care has become somewhat complex. It's not the few products you had before.” Here are some of his top performing products.
Dr. Sobel’s Vitamin C Serum is best used during the day along with his SPF. This highly concentrated serum includes three different kinds of Vitamin C combined to brighten and tighten the skin. It also helps reduce skin sagging and helps eliminate dark spots. “After the age of 30, we start losing at least a percentage of collagen a year,” he said. “By the time we reach 60, we've significantly lost a lot of collagen. My Vitamin C serum helps brighten the skin, decrease pigmentation, and adds a luminosity to the skin that we didn't have before.”
This lightweight gel helps eliminate big pores, boosts skin hydration and helps smooth over the skin's tone. It also firms the skin. “In the early 90s, niacinamide became a major ingredient, which is B3, but even now, a lot of people don't understand what that does,” said Dr. Sobel. “It helps the barrier of the skin. As we age, our skin barrier becomes depleted, meaning it gets holes punctured, poked into it. In this case, pollutants get in, which harm our healthy skin cells. So, now we have something like niacinamide that helps protect our skin barrier, to keep pollutants out.”
This product improves the skin’s texture, smooths lines and wrinkles, and has a higher amount of retinol, with 4.5%, and doesn’t irritate the skin. It helps increase skin hydration and moisture, as well as improve the appearance of enlarged pores. One or two squirts combined with Sobel Skin RX’s moisturizer will do the trick. “This is an ingredient that makes the skin look younger,” said Dr. Sobel. “It helps decrease fine lines and wrinkles, to plump up the skin. Always use retinol at night. You're not going to use it during the daytime because it makes your skin sensitive.”
This moisturizer helps hydrate skin, make it smoother, and give it a glow. This cream is much unlike anything that's on the market with a rare formula with elevated moisturizing properties that lasts longer than other moisturizers. “Always apply serum on damp skin,” said Dr. Sobel. “Whether it's a hyaluronic acid serum, a vitamin C serum, you want them to help keep the moisture in your skin, while you’re applying the product.”
Mineral-based Broad Spectrum SPF 50
Dr. Sobel's sunscreen is a light, sturdy base for your face, while protecting it from UV rays. It can be used in combination with makeup, as well as his vitamin C serum, and other products. It has a high concentration of zinc oxide, niacinamide, lactic acid and hyaluronic acid. He suggests applying it 15 minutes before going into the sun and reapplying it every few hours if you're out in the sun all day. “I recommend using a tablespoon of sunscreen to rub all over your face,” said Dr. Sobel. There’s a whole misconception that a dime-sized blob of sunscreen is enough, but it isn’t enough to get the full effect of the SPF. It's micronized, meaning it has small particles, so it gets absorbed better into the skin.”
Visit sobelskin.com for Sobel Skin RX products or call 212-288-0060.
