Prevention Magazine Inspired by Dr. Booth
Prevention Magazine Takes a Peek Inside Dr. Booth's Medicine Cabinet
Inside Her Medicine Cabinet: Rebecca Booth, M.D.
Go inside the daily skin routine of this VENeffect co-founder and OB/GYN
Rebecca Booth, M.D. is no dermatologist, no esthetician to the stars. She is, in fact, a Louisville, KY-based board-certified obstetrician and gynecologist (and has been for over 20 years), and that makes her an expert on something that plagues women throughout the majority of their lives—hormones. Booth along with her sister, skin care guru Cecil, wanted to “enlighten women about the beauty of their hormones and provide tools to help them live better in that knowledge.” The result? VENeffect, an anti-aging skin care line that aims to treat and reverse the signs of hormonal aging. So what does a woman who created her own skin care line use on her own face? Find out, as we learn what’s inside Dr. Rebecca Booth’s medicine cabinet.
Top Shelf: Supplements
It looks like you have a few supplements on the top shelf—are they all for you? If so, why do you take vitamin D, Biotin, and Melatonin?
Over 50% of my patients are deficient in Vitamin D. Now that most of us work indoors, use sunscreen, and drive with tinted glass we do not have the sun exposure to maintain a healthy level of vitamin D, so do what I recommend to patients—supplement with 1000IU of D3, the most active form of vitamin D. I have very fine hair and weak nails, and Biotin supplements help with that. The difference is amazing, especially with nails. I recommend 600mcg a day. Also, many of us in menopause experience insomnia from time to time. Melatonin is our brain’s natural sleep inducer; it’s also a powerful anti-oxidant. I take 3 mg at bedtime when feeling a little restless and it helps guarantee a good night’s sleep.
Is PurEFA a fish oil supplement? Why do you take that? We’ve had a hard time finding one that doesn’t make you burp up a weird taste later in the day (Gross, but true!). Is this brand better than others you’ve tried?
I love Integrative Therapeutic, Inc., a company that produces top-notch supplements. This brand of omega three fatty acids is so symptom free that even my picky teenagers take it daily. Omega-3 supplements are fabulous for brain health, as well as improving lipid profile ratios; and importantly, they are natural lubricants for aging joints and skin. Great tip: keep them refrigerated to lessen the chance of burp-back.
Middle Shelf: Lab Samples
Everyone wishes she could develop her own skincare line that does everything she wants it to do—and you actually got to do that! What makes the VenEffect products different than all the other skincare products out there?
VENeffect addresses a type of aging that no other products that I could find effectively deal with—hormonal aging. I see it in my patients every day and I have experienced it first hand. What makes VENeffect different is the unique and potent combination of phytoestrogens, or plant-based molecules that mimic the benefits of estrogen and promote collagen production, giving skin elasticity and the "glow" of peak hormonal vitality. My sister and I were able to develop it to be everything we would want in an anti-aging skin care line as it addresses the unique way women age from their peak collagen and estrogen levels in their twenties.
I spy a little lab sample of VenEffect. Is that a new product coming out? Do you really try everything yourself first? How many times will you adjust a formula to get it the way you want?
Yes, that is a new product we are working on! We test everything many times. Some formulas go through as many as 15 different versions until we are satisfied and it passes our rigorous testing procedures. We are on round four of that new product and I hope to be able to share it with you soon!
VenEffect has a lip treatment, right? Not many anti-aging lines have one. Why did you decide to create that?
For that very reason: there wasn’t anything out there to address the type of aging that affects the lip area which is enhanced by estrogen in our twenties and the area around the lips that develops little vertical lines due to loss of elasticity. VENeffect Anti-Aging Lip Treatment dramatically boosts elasticity taking care of those lines and adding a plumpness and rosiness to the lips. The powerful phytoestrogens mimic those great benefits that we lose as we age. It has been a little star in the line.
Bottom Shelf: High-Low Beauty Buys
I noticed the only cleanser you have to wash your skin is St. Ives. Do you use that every day? If not, what do you wash your face with?
My sister and business partner has more than twenty years of experience in the beauty industry and one of her brands was St. Ives. I love this simple, reliable product and I use it once a week for exfoliation…until we have one of our own!
You’re definitely a high-low shopper! You have a Maybelline mascara, but a Chanel foundation. Do you think certain products are better quality if they’re from a department store?
I shop at Target and at Neimans! The key is to find the product that works best for you and it is often worth paying the price, especially as it relates to skin care. I’ve learned through experience the cost of creating truly effective products using ingredients that are not commonly available. It is really just about being smart about when it is worth it to spend more.
If you had to take just one of these products with you when you were traveling, which would it be?
Definitely our VENeffect Anti-Aging Intensive Moisturizer, without it my skin changes dramatically! Skin is the vital canvas of the face, and without a healthy canvas even the best products will fail.