Skin in the beauty game

BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA

Born in Iran and raised in Armenia, laser and skincare specialist Hilda Demirjian would go to the hammam, or Turkish-style bath, with her grandmother, who would smash pomegranates, green apples and black cherries together under running water to create a facial and body mask.

“I grew up with a passion for the skin,” says Demirjian whose three Hilda Demirjian Laser and Skin Care Centers are in White Plains, Greenwich and Manhattan. Beside collagen laser treatments for skin tightening, the centers offer laser treatments for acne, broken blood vessels, hair removal, hyperpigmentation, problem leg veins and stretch marks. Demirjian also uses and sells her own line of botanical, noncomedogenic, cruelty-free skincare products, including her new Super Firming Cream.

What she wants most of all, however, is to educate the public about skincare. That’s been her mission since she arrived in the United States in 1983 after living for five years in London, where she studied international business at Acton College.

“The first thing that struck me was how tan Americans were,” she remembers. “I thought they had a skin disease.” When she realized it was from sitting in the sun and tanning — which can lead to numerous problems, ranging from dryness to premature aging to skin cancer — Demirjian knew that she had to become an advocate for skincare.

“Then there was no social media,” she says. “It was difficult to connect with people.”

Demirjian received her training from the Candela Corp., a leader in the manufacture of medical lasers for aesthetic use, headquartered in Wayland, Massachusetts. She also did laser treatments at the Women’s Health and Wellness Center in Stamford. In 1999, she started the Hilda Demirjian Laser and Skin Care Center in White Plains, buying her brother-in-law Mejdrich Demirjian’s hair salon in 2003 and expanding it for her business while also doing a lot of advertising, particularly on cable. She added the Greenwich and Manhattan sites in 2015.

Demirjian has traveled extensively and had a radio show on WGGH 1490 AM in Greenwich, talking about her treatments and offering testimonials. Her education of the public includes the proper way to use her skincare line, which she developed in 2008. That means beginning with the Collagen & Oxygen Restoring Cleanser, following with the Collagen & Oyxgen Mineral Toner for pH balance and finishing with her Super Firming Cream, which contains vitamin B5 and orange peel for firmer skin on the face, neck and décolletage

Among the skincare mistakes we make, she says, are not realizing that the décolletage and neck are part of the face and not using toner on the face and body to achieve the needed acid-base balance. Other products include a Blue Soothing Azulene Gel Treatment for redness; a tinted moisturizer, HA Physical Tint SPF 44; and a HydraGlow Tanning Foam for those who want to achieve a tanned look without sun damage. She also advises walkers not to walk outside between noon and 4 p.m. when the sun’s rays are at their strongest.

“I want to educate people and I want to encourage them to come in for a free consultation,” says Demirjian, who says her centers have been busier than ever after closing for four months during the pandemic and reopening last October. That includes a 40% male clientele. “Yes, it used to be only females,” she says.

But now men are realizing they have skin in the wellness game, too.

Hilda Demirjian is also active in the nonprofit community, supporting the American Cancer Society, Gilda’s Club, the March of Dimes and White Plains Hospital as well as other organizations. Photographs courtesy the Hilda Demirjian Laser and Skin Care Center.

For more, visit hildademirjianlaser.com or call 914-374-1756.

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