Meet the medical and cosmetic dermatologists behind this renowned Maryland practice.
Dr. Eva Simmons-O’Brien and Dr. Diane Orlinsky certainly know good skin. Individually, these two doctors are formidable: See Dr. Simmons-O’Brien’s thoughts regarding more even skin tone here and Dr. Orlinsky’s observations about sunscreen here.
But for about 30 years now, they’ve been somewhat of a package deal since they met when Dr. Orlinsky was a student of Dr. Simmons-O’Brien’s at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and subsequently became business partners in 2002. Today, their self-described “mom and mom” Towson, MD practice is revered for their emphasis on compassionate, high-quality skincare—both in and out of the office—and education. Both are trained in internal medicine (which is a true rarity among dermatologists), are graduates of Ivy-league schools, devote significant time and energy to mentorship and philanthropy, and are trusted members of the Ourself medical advisory board.
Who are the lady Derm Docs?
Dr. Simmons-O’Brien is both a board-certified dermatologist and an Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She received her undergraduate degree from Dartmouth College and her medical degree from Yale University in 1988 where she graduated with honors, then completed her residency training in both medicine and dermatology at the Johns Hopkins Hospital, where she also served as full time faculty for both departments from 1993-1998. She has also served as a consultant to the dermatologic and ophthalmic division of the Food and Drug Administration, as well as Vice Chair of the Dermatology Foundation, and is currently a member of me the Women’s Dermatologic Society.
Dr. Diane Orlinsky is also a board-certified dermatologist and Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine at Johns Hopkins. She received her undergrad degree from Columbia College and her medical degree with honors from Johns Hopkins, where she also completed her residency in both internal medicine and dermatology. She is a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society, has served as the Alpha Omega Alpha Councilor for Johns Hopkins, and Vice-Chair for the Maryland chapter of the Dermatology Foundation. Currently, she is the President of the Johns Hopkins Medical and Surgical Alumni Association, and a member of the Columbia College Women’s Board.
Both are Fellows of the American Academy of Dermatology, members of the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery, and have been instrumental in lending enthusiastic clinical feedback on Ourself products after testing them on their patients, which make up a spectrum of different skin tones and types.
What are the Lady Derm Docs known for?
Orlinsky and Simmons-O’Brien are significant in their field as the only Black and caucasian, female-owned dermatology practice in existence, and they are experts in treating skin of color. While they treat all manner of skin issues, they are also especially well known for their expertise in hyperpigmentation across all skin types and tones.
“Our training at Hopkins was so diverse that we just kept going with it,” explains Orlinsky. “In order to be a true expert in the field of dermatology, you have to know how to treat all skins of color.”
How Ourself products were developed with and tested by doctors
Almost a year before Ourself launched, Orlinsky and Simmons-O’Brien began testing the product range on their diverse range of patients to clinically measure efficacy and safety on a spectrum of the lightest and darkest skin colors and even the most sensitive skin types, and found that every one of their patients reported improvement within two weeks of daily usage. (The studies included a two-week pre-treatment regimen of Daily Dark Spot Intercept, Daily Renewal Cream, and Mineral Sunscreen followed by spot treatment using Ourself peels.)
“In our entire careers we can honestly say with 100 percent certainty that we’ve never seen products work so quickly with lasting results and a great safety profile for all skin types,” says Simmons-O’Brien.
“There wasn’t one patient these products didn’t work on,” adds Orlinsky. “There’s nothing else like Ourself on the market. It’s a true breakthrough in hyperpigmentation.”