10 Things You Don’t Know About…Dr. Howard Murad

by Sydney Sadick

A pioneer in the beauty and wellness space, Dr. Howard Murad is responsible for paving the way in skincare technologies and advancements. As the first doctor to launch a skincare brand in 1989, Murad has had quite the career. Here, he breaks down his most interesting facts for the latest installment of “10 Things.” 

  1. I have a passion for art therapy: In 2008, after undergoing surgery to repair a detached retina, I was required to keep my head down with my chin to my chest for a month while the retina healed. At the suggestion of my wife, I started painting to help pass the time and discovered an unexpected passion for art and a way to reintroduce play and freedom of expression back into my life. Today, art is very much embedded in the Murad brand.
  2. I am a veteran: I served our country as a General Medical Officer for the United States Army. After being deployed, I received a Bronze Star for my service as a battalion surgeon in Vietnam.
  3. I believe that skin is a window to our entire body. Our lifestyle affects the health of every cell in our body and every cell in our body is connected. In order to help any part of you, I need to help you as a whole person. I believe in a whole-person approach to skincare, that true beauty, health and well-being starts with your daily habits. By adopting healthy practices, such as consuming water rich fruits and vegetables, exercising and taking time to destress, you will achieve healthy, glowing skin.
  4. I believe in positive affirmations: Positive insights inspire us to live happier, healthier lives. I actually created an app that shares daily insights – sayings inspired by my experience treating patients that I have written and compiled over the years. When I’m treating a patient, I always share three or four of my insights with them. You can never tell which of the sayings they are likely to find most meaningful, but they nearly always take one or another of them to heart. When people are introduced to these concepts and begin to incorporate them into their lives, they don’t just look younger, they act and feel younger too.
  5. I encourage people to “Eat their Water”: We’ve all heard hundreds of times that we should drink a certain amount of glasses of water per day to maintain an optimal level of hydration. Although, drinking water is important, I believe that “eating your water” is more important. Raw fruits and vegetables, will not only help your body hold onto water longer because the water is in the structure of the food and thus released more slowly, but also you’ll get the added boost of important antioxidants, fiber and other nutrients.
  6. I was one of the first dermatologist to use dietary supplements in my practice: Early on in my dermatology practice, I found that the use of dietary supplements helped to promote skin health and overall wellbeing. I began to treat patients with this internal approach to skincare before it became a widely used practice. In fact, in 1997 I even had a patent on a supplement that could reduce wrinkles.
  7. I am an unusual entrepreneur: I became one of the first dermatologist to write compound prescriptions. Through this, I started to realize there was a need in the marketplace for a more holistic, whole-person approach to skincare. This is how my idea for the Murad brand started.
  8. I’m an author: Over my career I have written eight best-selling books on aging, health and skincare.
  9. Starting the Murad brand was a challenge: When I launched the Murad brand in 1989, there was no easy access to venture capital and no such thing as Kickstarter. I had to take a gamble and mortgage my house twice in order to get the business up and running.
  10. I’ve had my share of failures: As a way to give more people access to Doctor-developed clinical skincare, I created my first infomercial in 1994. Unfortunately, this endeavor was a complete failure. However, I regrouped, recharged my resources and hired a new set of DRTV experts to do a new infomercial. The results were amazing! The demand was so great I was literally hiring people off the street to stuff boxes.

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