Skincare & Aesthetics 101: What Actually Works for Your Skin with Stanford-Trained Plastic Surgeon Dr. Sarmela Sunder

September 28, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

The Science Behind What Actually Works for Your Skin

Dr. Sarmela Sunder, a double board-certified plastic surgeon trained at Johns Hopkins, Cornell, and Stanford, joined the Tiger Sisters to separate beauty myths from science. One of her first observations cut through the noise: she believes people are overdoing filler, but also swinging too far in the opposite direction and pursuing surgery too early. "A lot of that has to do with messaging on social media," she said. "On one end you hear a lot of fillers are bad, so people are swinging completely the other direction, going to surgery prematurely."

The Social Media Trap and What to Watch For

Dr. Sunder warned that social media creates echo chambers. Once you engage with one video, even if you disagree with it, the algorithm feeds you similar content. "Your mind starts playing tricks on itself," she said. "You think, maybe I do need this surgery or procedure." Her advice: treat everything as information to process and research, not as a directive.

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What you'll learn

1 (01:00) **Opening Hot Takes** - Dr. Sunder names filler and premature surgery as the beauty treatments people are overdoing right now.
2 (05:51) **LED Mask Myth-Busting** - Dr. Sunder explains why overusing at-home LED masks is a TikTok trend that makes her "want to scream."
3 (09:44) **Preventative Botox: When to Actually Start** - Dr. Sunder defines preventative Botox and gives a practical test to determine if you need it.
4 (13:17) **Beyond Wrinkles: Facial Balancing with Botox** - The conversation shifts to how Botox is now used artistically to shape the face, not just erase lines.
5 (16:06) **The Hannah Berner Case & Choosing an Injector** - Dr. Sunder analyzes a viral case of a bad Botox injection and gives criteria for vetting a provider.
6 (25:24) **Sunscreen: SPF, Amount, and Indoor Necessity** - Dr. Sunder breaks down the science of effective sunscreen use.
7 (30:28) **Melasma: How to Know if You're Prone** - Dr. Sunder explains the signs and triggers of melasma.

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Show Notes

Thank you to Granola for sponsoring this video. Try it for free at https://www.granola.ai/tigersisters

Check out our matcha brand, Sisters Matcha at ⁠https://www.sistersmatcha.com⁠

When it comes to skincare and aesthetics, there’s no shortage of advice online. But how do you know what actually works, what’s just marketing, and what might be doing more harm than good? This week, we’re joined by Dr. Sarmela Sunder, a double board-certified facial plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills, to cut through the noise.

Tune in for lessons on:

✅ Why some at-home LED masks may be a waste of money

✅ What to look for when choosing an aesthetics provider

✅ How much sunscreen you should actually be using

✅ The difference between lasers, radio frequency, ultrasound and other aesthetic devices

✅ Dr. Sunder’s own “high maintenance to be low maintenance” beauty routine

✅ Fact or fiction on collagen supplements, retinol, skincare, “Ozempic face” and more

Whether you’re already deep in the skincare rabbit hole or don’t know your Morpheus from your microneedling, consider this your Skincare & Aesthetics 101.

Quick Disclaimer: This episode is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Botox, filler, lasers, surgery, skincare, and other treatments are personal medical decisions that should be discussed with a qualified medical professional. Tiger Sisters is not suggesting that anyone needs aesthetic treatments to look beautiful, age well, or feel confident.

00:00: Cold Open

01:18: Introducing Dr. Sarmela Sunder

04:50: Investigating LED technology

08:50: Demystifying Botox in all its forms

14:20: Hannah Bener’s Botox mishap

16:33: What should you ask your injector?

23:55: All about sunscreen use

36:07: Cherie’s Sephora encounter

37:25: What shouldn’t you combine in skincare?

37:55: The science behind facials

39:24: Breaking down all types of laser treatments

44:17: What should a consumer do with all of these options?

52:03: “High maintenance to be low maintenance” routine

53:57: Fact or Fiction game

57:29: Closing thoughts

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