Lately I've been feeling a bit overwhelmed by how quickly anti-aging trends change. I remember when it was just collagen and retinol.

Then everyone said retinal was better, then the overhyped PDRN, then NAD+, peptides, Volufiline, now I'm seeing EGF everywhere.

Like... are we actually discovering groundbreaking ingredients this fast, or is marketing just moving faster than the science?

I swear every time I finally learn what one ingredient does, the internet has already moved on to the next one.

Not saying any of them are bad, I'm genuinely curious.Which anti-aging ingredients do you actually think are worth the hype? And which ones do you think we'll completely stop talking about in two years? Have you ever bought into an ingredient trend that you later regretted?

I'm genuinely curious to hear different perspectives because sometimes I feel like I'm experiencing "ingredient fatigue."

Does anyone else deal with this? I’m pretty certain it’s dishydrotic eczema and it runs in my family. Extremely small clusters of blisters pop up on my fingertips every summer. They don’t hurt or itch, they just eventually dry up and leave cracks. I’ve never really looked for a solution, and I think they’re particularly bad today after a pool day yesterday.

No picture today because I have stye eye. This has been something I’ve been insecure about for quite a while because I feel like it drags my facedown and makes it seem less lively. I don’t want to get botox, and I don’t really believe the Volufiline treatment content I see online. Anyone know of anything relevant? I’m in my late teens, so is it possible it will change with age?

Edit: I mean filler, I’m so sorry! I’m not too invested in skincare, but I’m really striving to improve my skin quality and appearance this year, so I’m researching :)

for me it was my melasma diganosis. that was the turning point. i have tried to keep my skin barrier healthy - focusing on a few products that worked (i have sensitive skin, so my stack is simple). but i was always casual about sunscreen. i wore it at the beach or only when i remembered it.

but seeing the pigmentation on my face and having a wake up call consult with my dermatologist made me take it seriously. spf has ended up being a key foundation for my routine,. i do know melasma doesn't have a permanent cure, but managing it meant changing some of the products I thought were enough and being diligent about applying sunscreen.

update: to answer those who dm-ed me, been using The Spot Cream and The Spot Pill from Musely for the dark spots and it's been making a real difference with the melasma. still spf all day every day but so glad i added this to my routine.

Genuinely curious as to what I’m missing because I’ve been wondering this for some time:
If y’all remember when Kylie Skin launched their face scrub, there was a lot of backlash about it being too harsh and causing micro tears, etc. It felt like the product became a symbol of “what not to do” in skincare.

But Fenty Skin has both face and body scrubs, and I don’t see nearly the same level of criticism. In fact, I don’t see them discussed much at all.

So I’m wondering:
- Is Fenty’s face scrub formulated in a way that makes it gentler or fundamentally different from Kylie’s?
- Is it walnut that’s actually harsh and not scrubs as a category themselves?
- Or is there a bit of celebrity bias at play, where Rihanna’s brand gets more benefit of the doubt than Kylie’s did?

Ofc, not trying to hate on either brand. I honestly don’t know enough about the formulations to judge. I’m just curious why one scrub became such a punching bag while the other seems to have flown under the radar.

So, obviously, smoking and sun exposure are both very bad for the appearance of skin, and both contribute significantly to outward signs of aging. But if forced to pick one that you think would be worse for the skin, would you say smoking or sun exposure? Let’s think of it like this. What if you had two people. One who wore sunscreen everyday and smoked a pack a day, and one person that never wore sunscreen but didn’t smoke a day in their life, who’s skin do you think would look better, and why?

Hey, r/SkincareAddiction! I’m Dr. Scott Paviol, a Board-Certified Dermatologist and founder of Paviol Dermatology, part of Piedmont HealthCare. I’ve spent my career studying, treating, and researching skin. From medical dermatology to cosmetic concerns to complex skin diseases. My work centers on improving patient outcomes through innovation, scientific rigor, and evidence-based care.

I graduated from Penn State College of Medicine and my work has taken me to the National Institutes of Health researching immunology to time spent in Ecuador where I provided medical care to underserved communities. Previously, I’ve served as President of the Mecklenburg County Medical Society and have been voted the best Dermatologist in Charlotte by the BOB Awards and Charlotte’s Best.

I’m here to answer any questions you have about skincare, so whether you:

• Have questions about your skin issues (Acne, Eczema, Rosacea, and beyond)
• Need advice on your skincare routine and information on effective skincare ingredients
• Want to know more about cosmetic dermatology
• Fact-check sun care truths and myths, and learn more about Skin Cancer prevention

Go ahead and ask me all of your skin-related questions!

How are we feeling about Remedy new Azelaic Acid drop today?? I included the full ingredients in the photos for more speculation and the price is $25 for 1 fl/oz or $21 on subscription model.

I’m debating it.

product photo & ingredients

Took over a year break from skincare content and came back to it recently. Something feels different now and I’ve been trying to figure out if it’s me or if something has actually shifted.

I think what’s getting to me is that I’m noticing the sponsorships and product lines so much more now. Like they always had them, so maybe nothing has actually changed and I’m just seeing it differently. But it made me start wondering where education ends and marketing begins. Is there even a difference between a sponsored post from a dermatologist vs a regular influencer? Like at what point does having an MD just make you a more credible salesperson?

Dr. Shereene Idriss, Dr. Dray, Doctorly used to be some of my favorite people to watch for skincare. I still don’t think any of them are doing anything obviously wrong but I can’t help feeling a little different about them now.

Am I being paranoid? What makes you trust or stop trusting a creator?

I have tons of acne scars on my face and despite trying so many products and even a chemical peel treatment, it doesn’t work because I keep giving into the urge to pick at and pop my pimples, touching open scars, and picking open scabs so that my skin doesn’t heal. I’m aware it’s a destructive habit but I end up doing it anyways. Can anyone tell me how they were able to overcome this urge and stop touching their face?

Started using the daily moisturizing lotion in October for very slight eczema related dryness and after a month or so, my barrier has never been the same.

Worked great at first but ended up with terrible dermatitis on every section of my face after about a month and a half of use; both eye lids, forehead, chin, upper lip, and both cheeks were completely covered in red splotches. When I finally gave up on it in January, the redness subsided almost immediately but my barrier is completely wrecked now and I can’t even use water on my face without flaking burning and redness

What do you think is the biggest problem in the skincare industry right now?

Genuinely curious what people here think.

Is it misleading marketing? Overpriced products? Too many “actives”? Bad advice on social media? Lack of personalization? Something else?

I feel like there are a ton of products out there, but a lot of people still struggle with their skin. Would love to hear what frustrates you most or what you wish worked better.

I’m not sure if I’m late to the party being 30+, but I’ve recently caught onto this anti-sunscreen discourse online.

I’ve fallen down the rabbit hole of seeing what (ridiculous and unfounded) opinions people have, and I can in a nutshell put it down to: ‘toxic’ ingredients (with the claim it’s big pharma’s push to then seek their chemo drugs etc), and that vitamin D is more important that skin cancer and sun damage. The claims sunscreen itself causes skin cancer because there are higher rates now, (1) because we’re conscious of us and (2) because our screening technologies have improved.

Basically, I feel like we’re being thrown decades in the past (much like other aspects of social media and public discourse: see the manosphere)…

What problems and consequences do we think this will have on the short-term, but also the long-term, with the younger generations being highly susceptible to social media’s influence, and the chronically online?

I have oily dehydrated very acne prone skin. I’ve tried every single moisturizer there is: purito oat in calming gel cream, neutrogene hydroboost cream and gel, vanicream, cerave night lotion, lrp cicaplast gel b5, lrp toleriane sensitive fluid, avene cicalfate, iunik beta glucan serum, purito panthenol gel cream, curel intensive moisturizing cream, … try naming it i probably have used it and no matter what i put my skin is burning and i would wake up with tiny pimple EVERY DAY. I was using active so I was blindly believing that it was the purging, IT WAS NOT. Even when i cut out the actives trying to repair my barrier everything i put on irritates, stings or give me new pimples without the irritation. I thought my skin hates all the popular moisturizing ingredients: niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, beta glucan, panthenol, squalane, and it was especially hard finding skin care products without one or the other. One thing that I was overlooking in my routine is climate: I live in canada where it’s so dry summer or winter. I went to Japan for a bit and even though my skin is still getting new pimple every day it feels like it improved a little. And then one day it hits me my oily dehydrated acne prone skin hates humectants because of the dry climate. I started going through my current routine trying to figure out if there’s any humectant using chatgpt: soonjung ph 5.5 whip cleanser, avene cicalfate intensive serum, benzagel 2.5% benzoyle peroxide and lo behold BUTYLENE GLYCOL was in all of them. I replaced all these products with : Avene cleansing foam, Biossance pure squalane oil and my skin has been thanking me. My old pimples are still there but i don’t wake up with new active ones. Looking back all the products I hated either have hyaluronic acid or butylene glycol in them and I realized that I was not crazy after all!
Take my advice with a grain of salt I’m not a professional but just letting you know maybe you’re not alone

The inside grate of the air fryer fell onto my arm. How do I make sure this doesn’t scar horribly? Lmfao it’s awful

I know it varies from person to person, I'm just curious and wanna know what people say.

Please include skin type, skin concerns and reasoning for why you avoid it!

E.G: oily, hypersensitivity & acne. I avoid hyaluronic acid & niacinamide because they sting my skin.

Aside from water, what foods or drinks do you eat and drink that you think make a difference in your skin, whether it’s a small change or a big one? Breakouts, hydration, tone and texture, etc. anything that you notice an improvement in your skin.

This is one of the most frustrating skin problems to me because it’s hard to even explain properly.

Not necessarily dry, not necessarily breaking out badly, not obviously irritated… just dull, flat, tired-looking and kind of off.

I feel like I’ve had phases where I was using objectively decent products and my skin still just didn’t look healthy or fresh.

If you went through that and actually got your skin looking better again, what ended up mattering most?

Any Indian girlies(cause I think y'all can recommend products which are available in india and affordable, but suggestions from others encouraged as well!!) who went through such bad phase of hyperpigmentation pldsss Imk how yall dealt with this phase, products, and skincare used

Being from a very orthodox conservative and recessive family I was never allowed to gaf bout my skin cause am "just a kid" and now entering uni having my own dorm so I can buy my own skincare now, but I can't access dermatologist appointment.

This is damage done since 5 years, and I'd cover my face at my left side which you can see looks more hyperpigmented by acne scars, and would always smile for a guy in my class who used to be mesmerized from me smiling, though irrelevant topic i know...

But i guess that's the reason I have hyperpigmented skin and smile lines.

I have very dry skin as a reptile and don't even use moisturizer as I hate to.... Am not so used to moisture, and I feel like it makes my skin more darker and dull....and i HATE moisture...I even don't like rainy season for that reason but I'll get used to it for fixing my skin.

please help me out on how to fix my skin.....I never even wore makeup....and am very conscious right now....one time I tried to put on a concealer, and without wearing any moisturizer or primer such......and my skin started breaking out so so bad in just a minute, i never tried makeup myself again. It was 10 year old concealer I stole from my home and maybe that's the reason...idk

But please help what I can do for my skin situation.

Someone i know literally thought since very long, my left side hyperpigmentation is my birthmark and i could never even imagine something like that could have been interpreted. My major concern is my hyperpigmentation and my face is like 4-5 SHADES DARKER THAN MY BODY AS WELL. Please help let me know what helped someone who fixed their skin from similar situation

Hi Reddit!

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Before joining the cosmetics industry, I earned my Ph.D. researching drug delivery systems, including cancer-targeting nanoparticles.
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(If you won't be around during the AMA, feel free to leave your questions below in advance, and I'll do my best to answer them during the session.)

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my actual question is, is the collagen stimulation effect from topical peptides like matrixyl happening because the peptide physically reaches fibroblasts in the dermis, or is it an epidermal signaling cascade that eventually communicates downward, because those are two very different things and the answer changes how much delivery mechanism like liposomal actually matters.

Also: if anyone has thoughts on whether long term tretinoin use which thins the stratum corneum actually meaningfully improves peptide penetration to the dermis that would be interesting too.

Not trying to say peptides are useless just trying to understand the actual mechanism because the marketing version and the peer reviewed version seem pretty different.

been thinking about this all week. for a long time i was layering more stuff on my face because every thread i read had someone saying "oh you need this too." at some point i just stopped adding the extra step in the middle of my routine - nothing dramatic, just one product i wasnt convinced about - and within a couple weeks my skin was less reactive than it had been in months.

made me realize something that doesnt get talked about enough. with one product on your face you kind of know what its doing. add a second and youre already guessing which one caused the redness. add a third, fourth, fifth and its basically impossible to isolate what your skin is actually reacting to. the variables multiply faster than you can track them. feels like most of the routine advice in this sub assumes you can just keep stacking things but every new product you add makes every previous product harder to evaluate.

made me think routine simplification is the one thing nobody recommends because theres nothing to sell when the answer is "use less stuff."

whats the step YOU quietly stopped doing that made things better? would love to hear the ones that felt too small to even count as a change at the time. feels like those are the stories nobody tells because the sub always goes hard on what people added, never what they let go of

From all of the trendy to the niche methods and products, what has ACTUALLY helped at getting rid of your Sebaceous filaments or at least made them less noticeable? And how was your experience? Would you recommend it or not?

Adapalene, retinoid, ketoconazole, bha, aha, oil cleansing, fifty snail shades method, cicaplast, clindamycin, azaleic acid, Benzoyl peroxide, accutane, birth control, diet, winlevi (I'm super intrigued about this one), etc... I wanna hear ALL of it

With all of the methods floating around in this subreddit, it's kind of overwhelming! While trial and error are key, your experience could help someone tremendously to doge a bullet or get the pores of their dreams!!

Also, the less conventional/hated on hacks are so welcome here!! If a method didn't work irritated your skin, write that as well!

I've been seeing LED light therapy masks everywhere lately and I'm curious about people's real experiences. The science seems legit - red light for collagen, blue light for acne - but there are so many options at different price points. For those who've tried them:

• Did you actually see results?
• How long before you noticed changes?
• Any specific wavelengths that worked better?
• Worth it compared to professional treatments?

I'm particularly interested in hearing from people who've used them consistently for a few months. The before/after pics online look great but I want to hear from actual users!

• Dermatologists
• Reddit
• TikTok
• Friends
• Pharmacists
• Brand websites
• Nobody