I came to skin the way most people do: through frustration. I'm the founder of Hapa Wellness and the creator of the Hapa Method, a Japanese-inspired facial lifting and lymphatic drainage practice. But before any of that had a name, I was just someone dealing with acne, puffiness, and breakouts that didn't respond to anything I put on my face. I tried the serums. I tried the expensive treatments. Nothing really stuck, because I was treating the surface of a problem that wasn't coming from the surface. But I started noticing a pattern.  

As interest in women’s hormone health continues to grow, so does the conversation around skin and perimenopause. In this conversation, Dr. J breaks down what happens to skin during perimenopause, why so many women feel caught off guard by these changes, and how aesthetic care is evolving to better support this stage of life. Her perspective offers a new way to understand skin, aging, and the changes women experience.

Hi everyone, my name is Michelle Calderon, and I am the Founder of Addition Beauty, a nontoxic and hormone-safe beauty brand rooted in transparency and performance without compromising your wellness.  As a former cosmetic formulation chemist for a major beauty company, I was shocked to learn that chemicals in everyday personal care products could be impacting natural hormone function and influencing my PCOS symptoms. From there, I sifted through research, built a growing blacklist of chemicals I refuse to use, learned to read labels, and replaced my beauty staples with cleaner alternatives. 

I’m Rucha - a STEM girl and former engineer and tech consultant turned creator and entrepreneur. I’ve always loved using technology to create real impact. For years, I struggled with something deeply personal: acne. I knew first hand how frustrating it was to navigate skincare advice. Dermatologists pushed expensive treatments. Influencers promoted one size fits all solutions. And well-meaning friends recommended routines that worked for them but not for me. So I thought: What if AI could help?