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In partnership with KaramMD. Editor’s Note: We only select and work with partners that meet our quality standards, so you can rest assured we only endorse products we believe in.
Today’s skincare market encourages the constant pursuit of “what’s new.” Dr. Amir Karam, a world-renowned, double board-certified plastic surgeon, asks a different question: What will still be working 20 years from now?
After performing thousands of facelifts over the course of his career, the world-renowned surgeon has something few skincare founders do: a long view. He sees skin decades into the aging process – who maintained elasticity, who preserved collagen, and who, despite good intentions, spent years chasing trends that didn’t meaningfully support long-term skin health.
That perspective is what led him to create KaramMD Trifecta, a streamlined, clinically effective skincare system built around what he’s repeatedly seen work.
What Thousands of Facelifts Teach You About Skin
According to Dr. Karam, the patients who age best almost always share one habit: consistency. They use sun protection, they use active anti-aging ingredients, and they keep using them…for years.
“If these two things are combined,” he explains, “skin will not age. And if you use it in your more mature years, you'll see your skin slowly but surely respond and look more youthful.”
In an industry that benefits from FOMO-mongering and a more-is-more mentality, Dr. Karam’s stance feels radical. However, Dr. Karam’s ethos aligns with the fewer-better way of thinking we often encourage at TQE. Classics are classic for a reason, and discipline and restraint are important when we live in such a fast-moving, product-forward world.
Dr. Karam’s Ingredient Philosophy
For years, conventional wisdom suggested that certain active ingredients shouldn’t coexist in the same formula. Consumers were taught to layer, rotate, separate — and often, to buy multiple products to make it all work. Dr. Karam challenged that status quo.
Rather than design a twelve-step system that required a skincare degree to navigate, he focused on creating formulations where key actives could live together effectively, at levels high enough to make a difference, but balanced carefully to avoid irritation.
Per Dr. Karam, more isn’t always better. An overly aggressive retinol or high-percentage active that compromises the barrier may look impressive on paper, but if it causes irritation, you won’t keep using it. If the routine is too complicated, you’ll abandon it. And if you stop using a product, even the best ingredients won’t help you.
Here’s What’s Actually Inside
Dr. Karam’s hero system, KaramMDTrifecta, starts with a non-stripping cleanser (Rinse) designed to remove buildup without disrupting the skin barrier. Think soothing aloe, calming arnica, and gentle amino acids that cleanse without that tight, squeaky aftermath.
Next comes Quench, his award-winning vitamin C serum. It uses an advanced triple vitamin C complex alongside green tea, licorice root, and sodium hyaluronate (which penetrates to plump deeper within the skin than hyalurnoic acid) to brighten, defend against oxidative stress, and hydrate at the same time.
The last step is Illuminate, the workhorse. This is where encapsulated retinol, niacinamide, and peptides come into play – ingredients dermatologists and plastic surgeons have relied on for decades. Encapsulation allows retinol to penetrate gradually; Niacinamide helps even tone and strengthen the barrier; Peptides support firmness.
None of these ingredients are trendy, and that’s exactly the point. They’re chosen because they’ve shown up repeatedly in the skin of patients who age well. They’re dosed high enough to matter, but balanced with hydrators and soothing agents so you can use them daily. And daily use (not intensity!) is what Dr. Karam believes moves the needle.
In Conclusion
The good news is: this system has been used by over 44,000 customers worldwide and has been proven, time and again, to work. Our beauty editors swear by it.
The bad news? You’ll need to find a new way to achieve that dopamine hit of buying something new and trendy in the hopes of miracle results. (The real irony, which we’ve learned with Dr. Karam’s help, is that to achieve the ‘miracle’ of youthful skin, you really just need to do less – and do it consistently.)
The Trifecta is a departure from the skincare marketing machine’s agenda, but that’s precisely why it works. Take it from Dr. Karam, because when you’ve seen thousands of faces age, you learn what actually works in real life.
