Rachel Kossman
Editor in Chief
Rachel Kossman is the Editor in Chief of The Pretty Pimple.A graduate of Northeastern University's School of Journalism, Rachel has always held a passion for writing and editing. Over the last few years, Rachel has developed a background in skincare and skin health writing; she previously worked as the Senior Editor at DAYSPA Magazine, a print publication for spa industry professionals.Passionate about all subjects related to skin care, skin health, wellness and dermatology, Rachel is so excited to be launching The Pretty Pimple to bring readers a go-to guide on skin care & dermatology – from a voice they can trust!
Dr. Sandra Lee aka Dr. Pimple Popper
Dermatologist
Dr. Sandra Lee aka Dr. Pimple Popper is a board-certified dermatologist who practices in Upland, California.
Ashley Steffens, MD
Contributing Editor
DR. ASHLEY STEFFENS IS A THIRD YEAR DERMATOLOGY RESIDENT WITH SPECIAL INTERESTS IN THE TREATMENT OF CUTANEOUS MALIGNANCIES, ECZEMA, AND PSORIASIS. SHE IS PASSIONATE ABOUT EDUCATING PATIENTS AND THE POPULATION SO THAT THEY MAY BECOME THEIR OWN HEALTH ADVOCATES. IN HER SPARE TIME, SHE ENJOYS PAINTING, HIKING, AND SPENDING TIME WITH HER TWO RESCUE DOGS.
Betty Yan, MD
Dr. Betty Yan is a dermatology resident at the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine. When she isn’t hitting the books or treating patients in clinic, she’s a DIY interior design enthusiast and enjoys long walks through Target. She is also a doting mother to her rescue cat, Tazo.
Brittany Blaise, MD
Dr. Brittany Blaise is a dermatology resident at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine. She is passionate about educating her patients regarding their dermatological health. She currently spends most of her time seeing patients in clinic or studying, but in her free time she enjoys playing soccer, cooking, listening to music, or playing with her sweet but slightly mischievous kittens.
Christina Heiser
Contributor
By day, Christina Heiser is a senior editor for L’Oréal Paris. By night, she’s a freelance beauty, health, and wellness writer for a variety of online publications like Total Beauty, DermStore, Livestrong, and NBC News. Outside of the office, you can find Christina hitting up boutique fitness classes in NYC (hot yoga, FTW) and cheering on her favorite sports teams (let's go Mets!).
Karie Lynn Frost
Contributor
Karie Lynn Frost is an award-winning freelance editor and writer, and has more than 16 years’ experience writing about all facets of beauty — from makeup to hair to nails, and, of course, skin! She's helped launch several beauty-focused magazines, including Beauty Launchpad, Beauty Etc. and Nail It!; has written beauty tips for Elle.com, Makeup.com and MarthaStewartWeddings.com; and has been tapped by beauty brands, like Dermelect Cosmeceuticals, Wella, Luxury Brand Partners and Redken, for her expertise. Frost has dealt with her own skin issues — acne and eczema, among them — and is constantly seeking new products, treatments and expert advice to help her — and her readers — put their best (and most confident) face forward.
Helen Lee
Helen, a freelance writer based in the Chicago area, has been writing about hair and skincare since 2001. She’s passionate about helping women feel beautiful. Helen studied journalism at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism and is now working on a second Masters degree in biology. She also writes about pop culture, food, science, and her city.
Krissy Howard
Krissy Howard is a New York-based freelance writer. Her work can be found at Reader's Digest, Hello Giggles, The Hard Times, and Reductress.
Tori Bilcik
Contributor
Tori Bilcik is a freelance writer and a recent graduate of Emerson College. Her work has appeared in The Boston Globe, Substream Magazine, THINX's Periodical, The Radical Notion, and Culture Magazine, covering everything from politics to healthcare to punk music to cheese. Outside of writing, she interns at the nonprofit organization Community Catalyst, works at a delicious local bakery in Boston, and loves binge-watching Netflix originals. Her other interests include photography, traveling, books, cuddling her cat, and a good cup of tea.
Kerry J Heckman
Contributor
KERRY J. HECKMAN IS A FREELANCE WRITER AND THERAPIST BASED IN CHICAGO. SHE WRITES ABOUT HEALTH, MENTAL HEALTH, CHRONIC ILLNESS, AND TRAVEL. HER WELLNESS & LIFESTYLE BLOG BLOG, WORDS HEAL (WWW.KERRYJHECKMAN.COM), PROVIDES A POSITIVE MESSAGE FOR THOSE WITH CHRONIC ILLNESS. SHE IS A REGULAR CONTRIBUTOR TO THE GLOBAL LYME ALLIANCE BLOG AND THE PRETTY PIMPLE. HER INTEREST AND KNOWLEDGE OF SKIN CARE STEMS FROM PERSONAL EXPERIENCE. AS A STRONG ADVOCATE OF YEARLY SKIN CHECKS, SHE HOPES TO RAISE AWARENESS OF THE IMPORTANCE OF HAVING A DERMATOLOGIST ON YOUR MEDICAL TEAM.
Jacqueline Weiss
Contributor
Jacqueline Weiss is a blogger, freelance writer and social media consultant based in Los Angeles. A recent Emerson College graduate, she is passionate about wellness, fitness, and beauty.
Akhila Jerripothula
Contributor
Akhila is a passionate beauty industry student and digital media associate at Skin PS Brands. She is a recent graduate of the Beauty Industry Merchandising and Marketing major, and is continuing her education at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FIDM) pursuing her Bachelors of Science in Business Management. Through her experience in various beauty internships and assistant positions, Akhila has acclaimed a background in digital marketing by content creating for social media, as well as, traditional marketing by maintaining relationships and pitching to editors and broadcast for brand placements.
Carrie Horn
Carrie Horn is the CEO of Adverbium Editorial Services, where she provides a wide array of freelance services, including writing, editing, designing, and content management.
Corinne O’Keefe Osborn
Contributor
Corinne is an award-winning freelance writer dedicated to the promotion of women’s health. As a long-time feminist, Corinne’s goal is to bring women the information they need to make the best decisions possible for themselves and their families. Corinne, who studied journalism at Boston University’s Graduate School of Communications, writes about chronic pain, psychology, addiction, eating disorders, dermatology and nutrition. She is a regular contributor to Healthline, ProjectKnow and Drugabuse.com. Corinne is thrilled to be joining the team at The Pretty Pimple and hopes that she can help women make dermatological care a priority.
Ivy Wei
Contributor
IVY IS A DIGITAL MEDIA INTERN AT SKIN PS BRANDS. SHE IS CURRENTLY A STUDENT PURSUING HER BACHELORS OF SCIENCE IN PUBLIC HEALTH. HER PASSION INCLUDES BEAUTY AND GRAPHIC DESIGNING.
Jacqueline Weiss
Contributor
Jacqueline Weiss is a blogger, freelance writer and social media consultant based in Los Angeles. A recent Emerson College graduate, she is passionate about wellness, fitness, and beauty.
Jenn Sinrich
Contributor
Jenn Sinrich is a freelance writer, editor and content strategist in NYC. Her work can be found in Women’s Health, SELF, Reader's Digest, Health, PureWow and more. When she's not putting pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard), she can be found traveling the world and discovering more about the big apple of a city she's always dreamed of calling home.
Jenny Lelwica Butaccio
Contributor
Jenny Lelwica Butaccio, OTR/L, is a Chicago-based, freelance lifestyle writer, licensed occupational therapist, Pilates instructor, and DVD author. Her expertise is in beauty, health, wellness, fitness, and chronic illness management. For more than a decade, she has battled Lyme disease, chronic fatigue syndrome, and interstitial cystitis. Jenny is an out-spoken advocate for the Lyme community and participates in local and national support and awareness campaigns. She is the creator of the DVD, New Dawn Pilates: Pilates-inspired exercises adapted for people with pelvic pain. Jenny shares her personal healing journey on lymeroad.com with the support of her husband, Tom, and two rescue dogs, Opal and Emmi.
Jessica Ann Bonner
Jessica Ann is an Aesthetic Nurse in London, England. Often found welding a needle or donning a sheet mask, drooling over the latest K-beauty skincare fad! You can find her on Instagram @kbeautyqueenk.
Krista Xavier
Contributor
Krista Xavier is a contributing author who is thrilled to be working with The Pretty Pimple! With a 6-year background in all aspects of the beauty industry including retail, spa, and content creation, Krista is a true skincare junkie whose true passion is providing consumers with accurate, scientifically-grounded skincare information. Krista has been contributing skincare and beauty content to numerous blogs and sites for 2 years, most notably partnering with Adore Beauty, an Australian beauty retailer, to provide full product and ingredient guides to help consumers make the best choices for them. Krista also has a personal blog, www.yeshoneybeauty.com, in which she takes a comedic and lighthearted look at the skincare industry. Krista is truly passionate about the mission of The Pretty Pimple - to give consumers a guide to skincare and dermatology that they can trust!
Laura Pearson-Smith
Contributor
Laura Pearson-Smith is an experienced beauty journalist and blogger from the UK. She has written about all things skincare and makeup for nearly a decade - through her own blog A Life With Frills and for other publications such as Yahoo! Style UK, Metro UK, The Daily Mail and Fashion Fix Daily. She's a true skincare junkie!
Marisa Zeppieri-Caruana
Contributor
Marisa Zeppieri is a journalist, author, and former Mrs. New York 2015. Her verticals include health, nutrition, food, recipe creation, and food photography. She is also the founder of LupusChick.com, a New York-based nonprofit that helps patients and families dealing with incurable autoimmune diseases. Marisa is currently working on her second book, and enjoys road tripping with her husband and rescued terrier, Bogey.
Tessa Knight
Contributor
Tessa is a freelance writer and Media student at the University of Cape Town in South Africa. She is a die-hard popaholic who loves all things skin care related, and often falls asleep in the middle of having a facial. As a student, Tessa loves finding products at a bargain and goes out of her way to try new things, especially cool sunscreens that protect her incredibly pale skin. She is excited to be a member of a team that helps people feel more confident in their (beautiful) skin.
