Skin Care is Healthcare

A Q&A with Rajani Rao, the GM of our newest offering, Facet

This week, we announced the launch of our newest offering, Facet. We’re so excited to provide dermatologist-led, clinically backed care for skin conditions that affect patients’ emotional, mental, and physical wellbeing.

To tell us more, we chatted with Rajani Rao, the General Manager of Facet. Rajani has been working to launch Facet since she joined Thirty Madison nearly a year ago. Read on to learn more about our newest offering!

In the last few years, it seems, skincare has become much more popular. Skincare advice is everywhere on TikTok and online, there are new skincare brands every day…How does Facet stand apart?

Honestly, the skincare landscape right now is overwhelming. It’s so hard to find good information, and the information that does exist often isn’t specific to individual people or their concerns. The industry is lacking the high-quality, personalized experience of a dermatologist setting, with the accessibility of virtual care.

With Facet, we want to give people easier ways to get high-quality care and take control of their health. We support patients’ ability to engage in their own health and get access to research-backed treatments—in a way that’s grounded in accurate information, and without the waiting list of a traditional doctor’s office.

How is Facet different from other virtual care offerings that treat certain skin conditions?

When we were iterating on the idea that became Facet, we talked to a lot of patients. We consistently heard that many of them have more than one skin condition simultaneously, and that they struggled to fit their range of needs into the point solutions that other companies frequently offer.

Because of this, it was really important to us to approach skincare in a new way, by addressing a range of chronic conditions across the acuity spectrum. If patients don’t present as just one condition, we should meet them where they are.

We’re also coupling this approach with the customized care that you would expect from a specialist, and a robust range of treatment offerings to make sure each patient gets the right regimen. That range encompasses everything from over-the-counter options to complex medications—a path we’re so excited to offer, considering how challenging it can be for many patients to access that full spectrum of options (as indicated, of course).

In the past, people with darker skin tones may have struggled to find a dermatologist with familiarity with what, for example, eczema looks like on darker skin. How is Facet planning to address these long-standing disparities in skincare?

Providing inclusive, accurate care is a huge focus for our team. We’re taking a few steps, all of which we’ll be expanding and iterating on as the offering moves past its initial launch.

First, we’re building clinical protocols that address all skin tones and types. We know some conditions present differently and that dermatology, being such a visual specialty, needs to incorporate that understanding to diagnose appropriately.

Our next point really means something in this space, given the visibility of skin conditions and how they show up on different complexions: Representation matters. We want to ensure that our messaging and the way the offering presents itself in the world is inclusive and representative of our patient population.

In the future, we’re also committed to advancing the field; more research is needed, especially for skin of color. But first we have to start treating patients!

What do you think is the most exciting part of Facet?

We all want to do work we feel good about, and I’m so excited to be involved in something that could make someone’s life better.

When we were talking to patients in our research phase, we heard that people with skin conditions are really struggling; these are very real issues that are not often given the gravitas they deserve. Skin health is health.

Facet has an opportunity to provide high-quality skincare that many patients may not otherwise be able to access, and the opportunity to do that in a way that is truly supportive, empathetic, and understanding is just so exciting!