“Sexy Proactiv”: The Sofie Pavitt Guide to Perfect Skin

I’ve long struggled with what estheticians like to call “problematic” skin, so when I was introduced to New York acne-whisperer Sofie Pavitt, who recently expanded her downtown med spa, I was intrigued. Could this handbag-designer-turned-facialist with nutritionist training and a carefully formulated line of non-comedogenic products change my life? Or at the very least, could she help me navigate the confusing world of laser centers and red light therapy? After one session of peels, masks, and extractions, during which I interviewed Pavitt about her practice, I was feeling educated and extremely hopeful. But anti-aging is an uphill battle, and the scars from my skin-picking habit still linger. Of course, there’s a cure for that, Pavitt tells me. Maybe next time, we’ll try microneedling. 

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TAYLORE SCARABELLI: Am I just laying down here?

SOFIE PAVITT: Yes. Tell me about your skin and what you like to use.

SCARABELLI: I’ve been trying to use the least amount of product possible, but I always end up trying new things because I get sent stuff. 

PAVITT: It’s a blessing and a curse, right?

SCARABELLI: Yeah. I just tried some new SkinCeuticals stuff, which is supposed to be the best, but I think it fucked up my skin.

PAVITT: Have you always been acne-prone?

SCARABELLI: Yeah, but also I touch my face too much.

PAVITT: And then it becomes a source of anxiety; I see it all the time. I’m going to put you on all my stuff—you’ve got the Omega moisturizer, right?

SCARABELLI: I did, yeah.

PAVITT: But you haven’t tried any of the other line?

SCARABELLI: No.

PAVITT: I can put you on all the right stuff. Where do we start? Do you want me to tell you why you were breaking out?

SCARABELLI: Okay. 

PAVITT: Well, you’re either predisposed to it or you’re not, it’s really that simple. Your skin’s shedding at a faster rate that sets the wheels in motion for things to go wrong. So during periods of stress when your oil production is higher, or if you eat certain foods, or if you move to Miami versus New York—these things trigger a cascade of events that cause breakouts. That affects 40% of the population. Your dead skin builds up faster than others’. I’m going to steam you. Is that okay? 

SCARABELLI: Yeah.

PAVITT: So then it starts congesting the pores and that’s when you get that pebbly texture. It’s just a buildup of dead skin and oil. That won’t break you out. What breaks you out is bacteria. See, acne bacteria lay in everybody’s microbiome. The dead skin and oil buildup is its favorite thing to eat, and it causes infection to break out. The way that derms treat that is they try to bring down your oil production with things like spironolactone or Accutane or birth control, or they put you on low-dose antibiotics like chlamycin or doxycycline. But the easiest way to maintain it is to exfoliate correctly. And that’s easier said and done because a lot of people just over-exfoliate and that causes irritation and dryness.

SCARABELLI: I feel like I get stuck in that cycle where I’m like, “Okay, I’m exfoliating.” And then everything’s good and I fuck it up one day and my skin gets over exfoliated and then I’m breaking out and it’s in that cycle again.

PAVITT: So my recommendation for you would be to go on mandelic acid. Mandelic acid is the most gentle AHA you can use. And I prefer AHAs over BHAs. Do you know the difference?

SCARABELLI: No.

PAVITT: BHAs are things like salicylic acid and then everything else is an AHA. So things like glycolic, lactic, mandelic, malic, tartaric, all these things. BHAs go in the pore and they give the pores a deep clean, they’re really good for super oily clients. Salicylic acid is the only acid that has the acne monograph. People use it in acne care lines, but it’s really dry and irritating. Mandelic is an AHA. It lightly buffs away the dead skin on the top, but it won’t dry you out like salicylic. It doesn’t have the acne monograph though, so people don’t consider it for acne care. I’m going to put you on it. You know how everyone loved [Biologique Recherche] P50?

SCARABELLI: Yeah.

PAVITT: It was so trendy, but it smelled like hot dog water. So it was gross to use, but people were also overdoing it and overexerting their barrier, and getting super irritated because it was super strong. It was for textured damaged skin, for women in their 50s and 60s. We all started using it in our early 20s because Into The Gloss loved it. 

SCARABELLI: Yeah, that was such a thing.

PAVITT: So think about mandelic as your grown-up P50 dupe, but it will work better for you. And that would be your only exfoliator. It’s about simplifying. The next thing I would say is make sure all your product routine and makeup is non-comedogenic. So really check the ingredients for pore clogging things and avoid them. It’s going to make your life easier. And then I would put you on a super gentle cleanser and the Omega moisturizer. Did you try it?

SCARABELLI: I did, but I was worried because it felt so thick.

PAVITT: It’s really rich.

SCARABELLI: I was like, “I can’t believe it’s not going to break me out.”

PAVITT: It won’t break you out if you use the rest of the line. So that would be my recommendation. And then if you’re wearing makeup, I would recommend Ciele—I might even have a bottle of it here you can take. Nikki DeRoest, a makeup artist out in L.A., formulated a break-out safe sunscreen and foundation tint that can be sheered out with moisturizer. So that’s what I would do for you—just keep on it for 12 weeks. And no picking. 

SCARABELLI: Yeah, my skin’s actually better than it’s been right now. I think it’s the weather. I’ve also been eating healthier.

PAVITT: The two supplements I always recommend for acne are fish oil and fiber, like old lady-style Metamucil. And the fish oil is because omegas bring down inflammation. They soften oil production so your skin and it’s just generally really great for your health.

SCARABELLI: Wait, what are you painting on?

PAVITT: This is an enzyme. It might tingle a little.

SCARABELLI: What’s an enzyme?

PAVITT: An enzyme is something that’s going to gently dissolve those dead cells we were talking about. It’s more gentle than an acid, so I like to use it on irritated skin or when I’m first seeing someone. It’s hydrating too.

SCARABELLI: It’s like a gentle peel.

PAVITT: Exactly. 

SCARABELLI: Yeah. Metamucil is so gross. I love the idea of it but it’s hard to get down.

PAVITT: Do you know why it works?

SCARABELLI: Why?

PAVITT: The backstory on this is that I am also a wellness and nutrition-based coach. I graduated from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and one of the things that I was surprised by is that excessive hormones in the body are stored in your gut. If you don’t have enough fiber in your diet, and the standard American diet doesn’t, you are not bulking out the waste product in your body. So adding that fiber supplement can actually help remove excessive toxins and androgens and estrogen out of your body. So your hormonal flare-ups aren’t as bad.

SCARABELLI: That’s interesting. I’ve been wanting to get a hormone panel.

PAVITT: I just did mine with Function. It might be something as crazy as, “Oh, you might be vitamin D deficient and that’s causing you anxiety.” I was really surprised to hear that my cholesterol was high. I eat pretty clean, and so I’m just naturally predisposed. I’m 43 now, so I’ve got to start thinking long term.

SCARABELLI: I would never guess looking at your face.

PAVITT: Thank you so much.

SCARABELLI: I want to talk to you also about lasers and stuff—do you do that at Sofie Pavitt?

PAVITT: So I also work for a dermatologist. One day a week I’m at Center Aesthetic and Dermatology in Union Square under the direction of Lynn Wojton and Dr. Cheryl Karcher.

SCARABELLI: Oh, wow.

PAVITT: I do advanced scarring treatment there. Everything except injectables. I do laser treatments, microneedling, body sculpting, stuff like that. 

SCARABELLI: Everyone’s talking about lasers right now. I keep being like, “Should I buy this Groupon for an IPL?” [Laughs]

PAVITT: A med spa is never the time for a Groupon. Get the Groupon for dry cleaning.

SCARABELLI: Of course. I’m even freaked out by Laser Away. They do consultations over FaceTime. I’m like, “That seems wrong to me. Don’t you need to actually see my skin?”

PAVITT: Yes. The one thing that you have to remember when going for laser treatment is if a dermatologist or a med spa only has one set of lasers, that’s what they’re going to recommend. So it pays to do the research out of that because they’re always going to be like, “Oh, you need this type,” when they don’t have the other one that would maybe be more optimal. If you look at my Instagram, I did a big deep dive on types of lasers, what they do, and how much they cost. I love offering that transparency for people.

SCARABELLI: Have you encountered any horror stories with lasers? I know the classic one is hyperpigmentation.

PAVITT: For sure. There’s also a risk of hypopigmentation, when you’re actually knocking the melanin out of someone’s skin. Fun fact, if you find someone with white spots after a laser they microneedle Latisse into it.

SCARABELLI: Whoa.

PAVITT: Isn’t that amazing? It’s a melanin stimulator.

SCARABELLI: Yes. I remember my aunt telling me not to use it, “It’ll turn your blue eyes brown.”

PAVITT: It has the potential to do that, yes.

SCARABELLI: Crazy. It’s interesting how now the goal is to just not wear any makeup, right? Everyone’s getting their lips permanently blushed.

PAVITT: Yeah.

SCARABELLI: Their eyelashes done.

PAVITT: I get my lashes done. That’s the only thing I really buy into for the no makeup makeup thing. Like I said, I’m a little older now. I don’t want anything heavy, but something sheer I like. It’s so cliche, but we’ve all been fed perfect skin by the algorithm. It’s not real. People don’t look like that in real life.

SCARABELLI: The craziest thing for me is the 12-year-old boys on TikTok. They’re doing their skincare routine. And I’m like, “Do I need that watermelon juice for my face so that I look like you?” And then I’m like, “Wait, you’re literally five.” [Laughs] But the skincare industry is crazy right now. They figured out how to get the pre-teens doing skincare.

PAVITT: I have two boys, they’re six and four. I’m so interested to see how it all pans out with the self-care situation. My one boy really likes a spa night. We’ll do a bubble bath and a face mask or whatever.

SCARABELLI: Well, they’re watching you. Of course they want to do it. But also, it’s not that different now from when I was growing up. I remember going to the drugstore and getting Bioré strips when I was 11.

PAVITT: Bioré strips still slap.

SCARABELLI: I know. I’m like, “Where is Star Face with the Bioré strip collab?”

PAVITT: I know Julie, shout out. She needs to figure that one out. I’m just going to give you a little squeeze. Okay? Nothing too crazy. You’re not congested. But yeah, you realize there’s a very educated customer that is watching things on the internet and has a good grip on their skin care and what to use and how to use it. But then you have an extremely uneducated customer too who doesn’t know what a serum is. So that’s been a real learning experience with my line. It’s actually deprogramming a lot of people because the internet has destroyed everyone’s brains.

SCARABELLI: But at the same time, you have the consumer that comes from Paula’s Choice end of the spectrum, which I feel like you do a good job of broaching that, but while having something that looks pretty that you want to have on the shelf.

PAVITT: Yeah. Sexy Proactiv.

SCARABELLI: [Laughs] Love. Also, I know you don’t administer filler at Sofie Pavitt, but we have to talk about it.

PAVITT: I freaking love injectables. Fillers get a bad rep because people do them too young and they do too much of it and they go to irresponsible injectors.

SCARABELLI: Yeah, it’s like the whole Claire’s-ification of filler. It’s as easy to get as an ear piercing. It’s so accessible now. 

PAVITT: That’s a great way to think about it. There are like, drop-in injectable studios now, which is so scary to me. You want to create a relationship with your injector. Using Groupon for Botox or filler feels really scary. And do you know who’s the biggest culprit for it? All my friends in LA. They’re like, “This place does Botox for eight dollars a unit.” I’m like, “That’s terrifying.”

SCARABELLI: I’m not going to lie, I’ve been going to [REDACTED] to get eight dollar Botox. I went recently and I’m happy with how my forehead looks. But when she was going to do my chin, she put some in my jaw and I was like, “We didn’t talk about that.” Now my skin looks lax—at least I hope it’s from that. 

PAVITT: It is from that. The great news is Botox wears off.

SCARABELLI: That’s why I feel like maybe the Botox Groupon isn’t so bad…

PAVITT: Listen, I’ve literally woken up with a flyaway eyebrow before and been like, “Oh my god, that’s me for three months.”

SCARABELLI: I got a bump in my forehead for a full almost 48 hours after and I was like, “That’s not good”

PAVITT: I’m going to give you Nice Ice for the next time we get an injectable. Have you tried it?

SCARABELLI: I haven’t.

PAVITT: It’s really good at bringing down irritation and bumps from Botox or laser. I’ll send you home with some goodies today.

SCARABELLI: That sounds really nice. What about Sculptra?

PAVITT: Okay, I have a really great analogy for Sculptra. When you get filler like Restylane or Juvéderm, it’s like painting with a watercolor paintbrush. It’s very detailed, it’s very strategic. When you use Sculptra, it’s like painting with a wall roller. It creates a lot of volume.

SCARABELLI: That sounds horrifying.

PAVITT: It’s not as precise and it can be very volumizing, so that can work for some people, but for a lot of people it doesn’t. So if you were going to do it, I would just make sure you’re going to someone super talented who has a lot of experience with it.

SCARABELLI: Yeah, you definitely don’t want the Groupon. [Laughs]

PAVITT: But also volume doesn’t equate youth. As we get older, our faces change. We’re not supposed to look as voluminous. Do you feel how your skin has just absorbed that product?

SCARABELLI: Yeah.

PAVITT: This is the penetration cream. It’s just helping with hydration and then we’re going to mask you. How do you feel about a mask going over your eyelids?

SCARABELLI: I’m fine with that. Wait, so how did you go from being a handbag designer to doing all this?

PAVITT: So my first ever job was designing underwear for Abercrombie.

SCARABELLI: Wow. What year was that? 

PAVITT: 2004. My ex-boss is in an ankle monitor right now. That’s real life.

SCARABELLI: Oh my god.

PAVITT: I worked for them for three years. Then I moved to New York and I started working for The Gap under Patrick Robinson. I was doing bags, shoes, everything for Gap Women’s, and every time I’d present, my managers would be like, “You’re too glam for Gap. You should go and work for Michael Kors.” So I started working for him when he was on Project Runway. The team was really small and they realized that it was easier to send the design team to Seoul every 12 weeks than it was to FedEx the samples. So every 12 weeks I would go to approve samples for the next season. This was in 2010. Nobody even knew what a sheet mask was. I would bring back these Michael Meyers-esque skincare sheets and people would be like, “This is the craziest thing I’ve ever seen.” I fell in love with Korean skincare. 

SCARABELLI: Were you getting treatments there?

PAVITT: I was. And I was going to the bath houses. And what’s so amazing at that time—here comes the mask. Okay?

SCARABELLI: Okay.

PAVITT: At that time, facials were really expensive and not accessible to regular people. I loved what I was seeing in Korea, which was almost like a hair salon for skin care. So I set up this little studio while I was working at Michael Kors. I’d see all my fashion friends and give them a facial. By the end of the first year I was so busy so I quit my job and I started working freelance for Tory Burch so I could build up my skincare business. In 2017, I quit altogether and started working for a dermatologist. That was my real entry into problematic skin. It was really important right out the bat to specialize in something. 

SCARABELLI: And then you started the skincare line?

PAVITT: Yeah. I became the go-to acne person in New York and then COVID happened. I had a six-month-old baby and I was at home being like, “Oh my god, I can’t work anymore.” My husband was like, “You need to start doing online consults.” The resounding question that everybody would ask me was, “When can I start using nice products again?” Because all the products I was recommending were just really run-of-the-mill drugstore stuff. That was when I was like, “Damn, there’s an opportunity to create a more elegantly formulated, looks nice on your shelf skincare line for problematic skin.” It’s ironic because I ended up doing skincare because I didn’t want to work in fashion anymore. I’ve come 360 with it. People say, “It feels more like a fashion brand than an acne brand.” And I’m like, “Yeah, I’m a fashion person.” Visuals and messaging is so important to me, and I don’t think a lot of people in acne care. 

SCARABELLI: Nobody wants to deal with it. Or talk about it.

PAVITT: And there’s a deeper message there, which is that acne positivity is hideous to me. A lot of acne brands are like, “It’s okay to love your skin. Acne’s a gift.” 

SCARABELLI: It’s literally not. I have so much shame about my skin.

PAVITT: For me it was always, “Absolutely not. Acne is hideous. You don’t want acne to be your whole identity. I’m going to clear it up for you, and if you keep using the products, you won’t break out again.” That’s it. I don’t want people to think I’m babying them with it.

SCARABELLI: Wait, is this a red light?

PAVITT: This is an LED panel. It’s helping the Hydrojelly mask that we’ve put on you so your skin will feel much happier and less dry after this.

SCARABELLI: This mask feels so nice. It’s cooling. It smells like a Erewhon smoothie or something.

PAVITT: Right? It’s an alginate.

SCARABELLI: So the light masks though, I feel like a couple of years ago it was all about NuFace now it’s the red light mask. Is it worth it?

PAVITT: A resounding yes, but it’s all about the one that you buy. The brightness of the bulbs counts and then how much you use it really counts. And so if it’s just going to sit in your drawer, I wouldn’t bother getting it. But the one that I’m really really into at the moment is by Shark Beauty. I like to meditate when I put it on. 

SCARABELLI: Okay. Are there any skincare trends that we shouldn’t be buying into?

PAVITT: I think people are doing way too much too early. I have clients who are in their 20s getting Botox and I’m like, preventative Botox is the biggest scam ever. You should be focusing on sunscreen and not smoking cigarettes in your 20s.

SCARABELLI: Or just living your life. I look back at my early 20s, when I felt insecure, and I’m like, “Wow, you were just beautiful for the sake of being young.”

PAVITT: Literally. I’m 43. If I don’t have any Botox, I look rinsed. It actually makes me feel better. I’m not this person who’s going to berate the beauty industry for making us all need this certain level of perfection. I think it’s fine to feel great in whatever you do. I’m never going to make anyone feel bad about it. 

SCARABELLI: Right. 

PAVITT: This is the Omega cream. Don’t be scared of it. It won’t break you out. I promise. You are all set my friend.

SCARABELLI: Thank you.

PAVITT: You’re so welcome. I’m going to make you a goody bag. Cleanser, mandelic acid, Nice Ice. Would you come back in six weeks?

SCARABELLI: Yes!