Does Stress *Actually* Age Your Skin? Is Cortisol Face Real? Dermatologist, and Psychiatrist Dr. Amy Wechsler Reveals All. Plus! A Walk-in Clinic for Acne Treatments
Breaking Beauty Podcast
Dear Media, Jill Dunn and Carlene Higgins
4.7 • 954 Ratings
🗓️ 19 November 2025
⏱️ 50 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
This week we’re joined by Dr. Amy Wechsler, the Co-founder & CEO of Spotless, NYC's first-ever walk-in acne clinic! Dr. Wechsler is a double-board certified physician in Dermatology and Psychiatry – one of only a handful in the entire country – giving her a rare understanding of how the mind-body connection directly affects the skin.
We get all of the scoop on her groundbreaking “blow dry bar for acne” clinic, along with details on her holistic approach to treating acne. Plus, the good doctor, who penned the book “The Mind-Beauty Connection,” gives us the clinical facts on how your mind and your skin are fundamentally connected – and what to do if your stress is showing up on your face.
You’ll discover:
- “Cortisol Face” Dr. Wechsler explains why the TikTok trend is misleading and what sustained stress is actually doing to your skin barrier and collagen supply
- Accutane Myths: As a psychiatrist and derm, Dr. Wechsler addresses the decades-long concern that Accutane causes depression.
- Meet Spotless: Dr. Wechsler explains the need for her new walk-in clinic, which offers everything from steroid pimple shots to after-work extractions.
- "Triangle of Death": Dr. Wechsler shuts down the viral rumor that popping a pimple in the area near your nose can cause a fatal brain infection.
- Plus, we get the scoop on Dr. Wechsler’s upcoming skincare line and a second location coming soon!
For any products or links mentioned in this episode, check out our website: https://breakingbeautypodcast.com/episode-recaps/
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- #Sunscreen Dos and Don'ts With Dermatologist Dr. Michelle Henry. Plus! Myth-Busting SPF Headlines
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Hosts: Carlene Higgins and Jill Dunn
Theme song, used with permission: Cherry Bomb by Saya
Produced by Dear Media Studio
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | The following podcast is a Dear Media production. |
| 0:08.2 | Welcome to Breaking Beauty, the podcast, all about the breakthrough people, products, and moments in beauty. |
| 0:14.1 | We're your host, Jill Dunn and Carleen Higgins. |
| 0:24.3 | Hello and welcome back to Breaking Beauty Podcasts. |
| 0:27.9 | The podcast all about the breakthrough people, products and moments in beauty. |
| 0:31.8 | I'm Carleen Higgins and I'm here with my sister in spirit, Jill Dunn. |
| 0:35.4 | Hey, Carlene, and we're back in your feeds on another Wednesday. |
| 0:42.3 | You know, just two beauty editors serving new beauty tricks, you know, 400 episodes later. And we are really excited about today's guests because she's been on our wish list for years. |
| 0:49.0 | And that's Dr. Amy Wexler. |
| 0:51.1 | Yes, Dr. Wexler is one of the only physicians in the U.S. who's board certified in both dermatology and psychiatry, which means she doesn't just treat your skin. She understands what's going on underneath it as well. I mean, she is just so impressive. We learn also later in our chat with Dr. Wexler that she also went back to business school and I think |
| 1:11.8 | she got her MPA as well. That makes her a triple threat. Like, leave some for the rest of us, Dr. Wexler. |
| 1:17.9 | But, you know, if you're a fellow beauty nerd like us, you might remember Dr. Wexler's |
| 1:22.5 | groundbreaking 2008 book, The Mind Beauty Connection. She was really an OG in this conversation about how stress |
| 1:30.3 | impacts your skin. You know, if you're stressed, you can wear it on your face. I know that's true |
| 1:35.0 | for me. And this was really long before anyone was talking about things like cortisol face. |
| 1:41.0 | And Dr. Wexler was already helping patients reverse the signs of stress aging. |
| 1:46.4 | And she has this whole protocol. And I think it's very fascinating. Yes. And fast forward to now. |
| 1:51.5 | And Dr. Wexler is back in the headlines with her brand new venture, Spotless. It's the first ever |
| 1:57.8 | walk-in acne clinic in New York City staffed by acne-only experts. It's designed first ever walk-in acne clinic in New York City, staffed by acne-only experts. |
| 2:03.3 | It's designed for speed, simplicity, and zero shame. |
| 2:07.8 | It's a totally new model of care that might just be the urgent care moment for breakouts. |
| 2:14.1 | And just ahead, we're going to be asking, Dr. Wexler, is cortisol face real? And how do we know if stress actually shows up on our skin? She's also going to talk about if you can break that stress skin cycle with products alone or do you need to lay down on a therapy couch? She's going to give it all to us straight. We're also going to find out which acne myths on |
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