About us. Meet Elena!

This company wouldn’t be complete without the other half of the brilliant duo. On this Friday is Easter weekend, allow us to introduce you to Elena.

Hey everybody!

My name is Elena Avila and along with my sister, Heather, I am one of the co-founders of Save the Wave Skincare. We started this business just over a year ago, and what a year it has been! 

I am a mom to three amazing kiddos (Natalie 17, Parker 14, Keifer 12), a sister, a daughter, a Capricorn, and an avid animal lover. I have 2 rescue dogs and would have 10 more if I could convince my partner Louis. I have also asked him for chickens or a cow for my birthday - we will see what happens.   

I am a Physician Assistant in a busy Dermatology office in Pinehurst, North Carolina. I came to North Carolina from Boston in 1996 for graduate school at Duke University, where I received my Masters Degree in Health Sciences and my Physician Assistant degree. Other than a brief period in Colorado, have lived here ever since. I have been a PA for over 22 years, with most of that time spent in Dermatology. My practice includes general Dermatology, surgical dermatology and cosmetic dermatology. Health and beauty of the skin are closely intertwined, and all my patients will tell you that I am passionate about keeping their skin healthy AND beautiful! 

My early life was spent in Hawaii. My father was in the Navy and stationed at Pearl Harbor on the island of Oahu. I haven’t been back in many years, but my days in Hawaii are some of my greatest memories; endless hours in the ocean surf. I have been a flip flop loving, toes in the sand kind of a gal for as long as I remember. My favorite days are still spent at the beach, and I’m not picky. Whether the sane is white, black or pink, I don’t care, just get me to the ocean and I am happy.  And of course, I ALWAYS keep my skin protected while I’m out in the sun and surf!

I love traveling and have been all over the world. Not only do I love to see new places, I love to meet new people and get a feel for life somewhere else.  I have always felt that travel is one of the best gifts I can give to my children. The more we feel connected to the world and the people in it, the more empathy we can feel for others and effect positive change here and abroad. 

Some of my favorite places in the world are, you guessed it, at the beach and one of my go to spots is Jaco, Costa Rica. It is a beautiful country, with beautiful people. Serbia is another favorite destination of mine. Louis is from Serbia and still has family and friends there, whom we visit once a year. Every time we go, I am blown away by the beauty of the land and the kindness and graciousness of the people, not to mention the delicious food!  Unfortunately, our European family vacation to Spain, Italy, and Serbia was curtailed this year, but we will reschedule ASAP.

In addition to traveling, I love to cook for myself and my extended family, who most live within a few miles from me. Heather, my sister and business partner, lives a 1/2 mile away, so we see each other every day for work and fun. My kids are lucky enough to have their cousins right down the road from us, so pickup basketball games and Fortnight are a regular occurrence.

All but one sibling have relocated from Boston to North Carolina, to enjoy the amazing climate. We will keep working on Rick and his family until we get them here! 

I love doing anything outdoors - swimming, running, and especially walking with my dogs through our sweet little town of Southern Pines, NC.

Save the Wave Skincare started as an idea between Heather and I as we lamented about how complicated (and expensive!) high quality skincare had become. Working with dermatology patients every day, I saw how overwhelmed people were by the skincare choices in the market, and it was paralyzing for them. The more access to big box stores, the less they knew what to do, and which product to select. This was the motivation we needed to begin our company.

Thank you to all of you who have supported Save the Wave Skincare. I am so grateful to every one of you. As always, reach out with any questions or comments that you may have personally. I love talking about skin and want to help you in any way that I can.


~Elena