It is easy to see why one would be impressed by Macrene Alexiades-Armenakas. First, she is striking. Second, her official title is so long I couldn’t fit it all in the title of this blog: Assistant Clinical Professor, Yale University School of Medicine and Director and Founder, Dermatology and Laser Surgery Center, New York, NY and 37 Extreme Actives, NY Derm LLC. Third, the 5 letters that come after her name in her email signature: MD, PhD. I also love that she is Greek (I am fascinated by Greece and Greek culture); now I can add to the list of things about Macrene that intrigue me the fact that she is an artist and almost became a sculptor. Of course, given her involvement in the beauty industry (whether on the treatment side or on the product side), her artistic eye and interest in aesthetics is not surprising. She is an artist…

AP: What city were you born in? MAA: New York, NY.

AP: What city to do you live in? MAA: New York, NY.

AP: What is your middle name? MAA: Renee.

AP: What is your astrological sign? MAA: Virgo of course – perfectionist!

AP: What is your favorite thing about the beauty industry? MAA: Beauty itself, I am an artist.

AP: Least favorite thing? MAA: Greed; it is the ugly underbelly.

AP: What is your most prized possession? MAA: My children, if you can call them possessions until they are 18!  And my husband, who is locked up for life!

AP: What is something about you most people don’t know? MAA: That I almost became an artist and a sculptor, not a doctor and a scientist.

AP: Do you wear a watch? If yes, what model? MAA: Two watches – one a gift from my husband a Patek Phillipe 5600; the other a gift from my good friend Elle Editor-in-Chief Robbie Myers – a Michelle watch Urban in rose gold and diamonds. I get a ton of compliments on that one.  She has such an eye.

AP: Diamonds or pearls? MAA: Both.

AP: If you could have dinner with the person of your choice, who would it be? MAA: Saul Perlmutter, Brian Schmidt and Adam Riess, the three shared Nobel Laureates in Physics 2011.

AP: What is your secret to work/life balance? MAA: Make boundaries, force yourself to be the one who drops off and picks up.

AP: What are your three top tips for travel? MAA: Minimize. Keep the travel to a minimum so you do not deprive your patients and family from your care.

AP: What is your favorite book? MAA: I just re-read Gone With the Wind. I am always reading something. Margaret Mitchell’s prose is unparalleled.

AP: What is your cocktail of choice? MAA: I do not drink cocktails, but I do juice!  I like carrot, apple, beet, ginger, pear and cucumber.

AP: What is your #1 beauty secret? MAA: 37 Actives has saved me from needing to do a lot of things I could do.

AP: What fragrance do you wear? MAA: Chanel no 5. Still!!

AP: Botox or not? MAA: Do not need it quite yet but have no problem with it whatsoever.

AP: Hair color: natural or not? MAA: My colorist Alexis at Oscar Blandi has matched my normal youthful highlights for over a decade. You cannot tell my hair from my daughter’s apart when we are side by side. Without her highlights, I would be much duller.

AP: 3 songs on your ipod right now. MAA: Do not use an ipod. I am an opera fanatic. My favorite operas at the Met this year included Anna Bolena, Manon, both with Anna Netrebko and the most incredible production of Faust with Jonas Kaufmann. Superb.

AP: Quote to live by. MAA: “Everything in moderation” (in Greek, “Pan Metron Ariston”).

AP: Who is your mentor? MAA: My most important mentors were: Carroll Williams PhD in insect molecular biology; Lawrence Bogorad PhD the discoverer of chlorophyll – my mentor in plant molecular biology; Dan Goodenough PhD and Dean Federman MD both mentors at Harvard during my MD PhD.

AP: Words of advice for young women starting their careers today. MAA: Focus on your studies – strive for excellence in everything you do.