One would think the details of Martha Stewart’s skin-care routine would be classified information. The mogul, who turns 83 today, has always awed fans with just how smooth, glowing, and—most importantly—healthy her skin is as she ages. While nothing is perfect, you could argue that Stewart’s skin may be the closest thing to it. And something that good can’t solely be attained through a simple skin-care routine and a few aesthetic treatments, right?
But alas, Stewart’s approach to her skin isn’t the result of some magic potion or a deal with the Illuminati. What she does is pretty straightforward, and some aspects of her regimen (such as sticking to a disciplined routine and being very pro-sunscreen) are even things we mere humans can easily integrate into our lives as well.
She works with two New York City–based dermatologists for all her skin needs. Dhaval Bhanusali, MD, board-certified dermatologist and founder of Hudson Dermatology and Laser Surgery, is who she turns to curate her daily skin-care plan and for more regular upkeep. Daniel Belkin, MD, board-certified dermatologist at New York Dermatology Group, is who she looks to for her cosmetic work. Below, both speak with Vogue about what it takes to look like Martha Stewart. Read on to learn more—because we know you want to.
Her Skin-Care Regimen
Stewart’s daily routine is surprisingly quite simple. It consists of a daily morning sheet mask (some of which are custom-made and formulated specifically for her by Dr. Bhanusali); Clé de Peau’s Intensive Eye Contour Cream; the Alastin HydraTint Pro Mineral Broad Spectrum Sunscreen SPF 36 that she mixes with a moisturizer on her face, neck, décolleté, and body; and a Mario Badescu Facial Spray throughout the day to calm the skin. But what really sets Stewart’s regimen apart is a bespoke serum.
Dr. Bhanusali uses Visia-CR Skin Analysis imaging to measure things such as photodamage and wrinkle progression before deciding which ingredients to mix. “She has to know what every ingredient does, how it works,” he says. “She loves seeing studies of skin-care products, [and] we actually talk about studies quite a bit. We look at a host of ingredients—most of which are hydrating and nourishing—and continue to work with her to find the right balances.”
Stewart is not a fan of exfoliants, so chances are low that you’ll find an alpha or beta hydroxy acid in any of these formulations. She and Dr. Bhanusali often text about skin-care ingredients she’s curious about. Saffron, for example, is something she grows on her farm, and she has asked Dr. Bhanusali if it’s something that she should be incorporating. Because sun protection is Stewart’s main concern, an antioxidant complex that neutralizes free radicals from harmful UV rays is key to this custom serum. “She has more sun exposure than probably 99.9% of people out there because she’s out farming every day,” he says. “She’s literally on the farm almost daily when she’s not at an event or in her busy schedule.”
She practices—and preaches—diligent sunscreen use on top of everything, making sure she always applies SPF protection on her face, chest, back of her hands, and anywhere else her skin might be exposed to the sun. “She’s done a great job of educating the world on the importance of protecting yourself,” he adds. “It’s great for all of us to see.”
She also loves her facials. She opts for Laser Genesis to help tone the skin and his bespoke Aesthetica Facial before big events. But none of this would matter if she weren’t consistent in her upkeep. Dr. Bhanusali praises her discipline in following through with her skin and health routines as the main reason her skin looks the way it does. “She does embody living well and healthy,” he says. “You can see and feel it around her.”
Her Aesthetic Treatments
Unlike many celebrities who deny getting any work done on their face, Stewart has been very open. Maintenance is the main goal with her, as Dr. Belkin says her skin is still in very great shape. “She doesn’t have a lot of lines at all,” he says. “She really does have very nice, relatively elastic and firm skin.”
He uses neuromodulators on her neck and jaw to get that lift and tightening effect and will opt for biostimulatory fillers over hyaluronic-acid ones to give her cheeks and jaw needed volume. Biostimulatory fillers, he says, stimulate the fibroblasts to stimulate more collagen and are better suited if you’re looking to add just a little volume all over. “It’s still dependent, but for the most part, as people get into their 50s and 60s and 70s, I usually will lean more on the biostimulatory fillers,” he says.
He only does a small bit of Botox around her eyes, steering clear of her brows; after a failed attempt that resulted in giving her too high of an arch, they have yet to recover from that incident. (“We joke about how I did that to her and she hated it,” he says.) Then he’ll go in with a hyaluronic-acid filler to plump her lips.
When it comes to these cosmetic procedures, she likes to take more of a hands-off approach. Dr. Belkin says she lets him take the reins on what he sees fit regarding these treatments. “Martha’s really good at recognizing other’s [area of] expertise,” he says. “She knows what her expertise is, obviously, and it’s in a wide range of subjects. But she’s also good at recognizing when somebody else is at the top of [theirs]. Hopefully, I’ve convinced her that I’m there, so she trusts me to direct her how I feel would be best.”
He’ll clean up any accumulated sun damage with non-ablative fractionated lasers, which are laser peels to stimulate skin-cell turnover and reduce precancerous cells and other signs of sun damage. He’s also done both energy-based therapies such as Ulthera and SofWave for more lifting, firming, and tightening all around. But these treatments are less frequent, with lasers being done about twice or three times a year. Energy-based treatments are even more infrequent; Dr. Belkin says the last time they did it was about four years ago.
Her Elixir of Youth
Beauty is a holistic process and really does start from within. And a big part of Stewart’s regimen includes supplying her body with nutrients and vitamins. One easy way to achieve this is through one drink: her daily morning green juice. “[It’s] loaded with antioxidants,” Dr. Bhanusali says. “It’s the most delicious thing I’ve ever had in my life.”
The not-so-secret recipe includes the following ingredients: celery, cucumber, parsley, spinach, mint, a touch of ginger, green pear, orange wedges with the rind left on, and either a papaya, mango, or pineapple to sweeten. And if it’s good enough for Stewart, then it’s definitely good enough for us. (Plus, more greens in one’s diet is never a bad thing.)
