About us

The people behind your skin.

A small team on purpose. You will see the same faces at every visit, and your dermatologist will know your skin by name.

Our story

Drs. Lucía Ortega and Daniel Okafor met as residents and kept returning to the same frustration: cosmetic dermatology too often felt rushed, sales-driven and designed around a narrow range of skin tones. In 2019 they opened Alder & Lume a few doors from the Valencia Street taquería where they first sketched the idea.

The name pairs the alder, a tree that restores the soil it grows in, with lume, light. It is a reminder of what we are here to do: support skin's own repair, carefully, and help you see yourself in a better light.

Physicians

Board-certified dermatologists.

Portrait of Dr. Lucía Ortega, smiling, in a white physician coat

Dr. Lucía Ortega, MD, FAAD

Co-founder & Medical Director

Dr. Ortega grew up six blocks from the studio, and her practice is shaped by the neighborhood: she specializes in laser and pigment treatment for every skin tone, with particular focus on melasma and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation in medium and deep skin. After her dermatology residency she completed a fellowship in lasers and cosmetic surgery.

She lectures on safe laser settings for skin of color and believes the best treatment plan is often the most conservative one. Off duty she is restoring a 1970s Volvo and can recommend a pupusería for any mood.

Laser resurfacing
Melasma & pigment
Skin of color

Portrait of Dr. Daniel Okafor, smiling, in a white physician coat

Dr. Daniel Okafor, MD, FAAD

Co-founder

Dr. Okafor has practiced dermatology for more than twenty years and taught facial anatomy to resident physicians for a decade. His injectable work is known for being almost invisible: patients look rested, not changed. He leads our filler and neuromodulator program and our approach to treating early facial aging.

He sees a limited number of general dermatology patients for skin checks and acne care. On weekends he throws stoneware at a Mission ceramics studio, and several of the bowls in our lounge are his.

Neuromodulators
Dermal fillers
Facial anatomy

Care team

Here for every step.

Priya Raman

Practice Manager

Priya has run specialty medical practices for twelve years. She keeps the studio on schedule, oversees billing and financing questions, and is the person to ask about anything that is not clinical.

Portrait of Mei Tanaka in a sage green clinical tunic

Mei Tanaka, LE

Lead Aesthetician

Mei leads our microneedling and chemical peel program under physician supervision. Patients love her calm hands and her honest product advice, which usually involves fewer products, not more.

Portrait of Theo Bennett in a charcoal clinical tunic

Theo Bennett, LE

Aesthetician

Theo specializes in acne-prone and sensitive skin, IPL support and medical facials. Before joining us he worked in a hospital dermatology clinic, and he brings that rigor to every treatment.

Marisol Duarte

Patient Coordinator

Marisol is the warm voice on the phone and the first smile at the front desk. She schedules visits, answers new-patient questions and speaks English, Tagalog and Spanish.

What we hold ourselves to

Physician-led
A dermatologist assesses every new patient and signs off on every plan.
Honest advice
No packages pushed at checkout. If a treatment will not help, we will tell you.
Every skin tone
Devices, settings and products chosen for the full range of skin types we see.

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