Stop overthinking skin care. What's essential and what's hype

0:00You're listening to Life Kit from NPR.

0:10Brands create a lot of noise in the skincare space. Like you can't just go to the store and buy a simple moisturizer. There's a dozen different choices, it seems, from every single brand. And just to figure out what you need for your skin, you have to wade through it all. It's super confusing and complicated. Hey, it's Marielle Segarra, and today we're talking about skincare and how it's actually not as complicated as many brands make it seem. Kelly Walsh is a health journalist who also reports on wellness and lifestyle topics, and she has been deep in the weeds reporting a special newsletter series for LifeGit about skincare.

0:48Kelly, welcome to the show. Hey, thanks for having me. What was your relationship to skincare before you started reporting on this? I used a gentle cleanser because my skin can be sensitive, a moisturizer, and then sun protection in the form of sunscreen, you know, ridiculously big hats and scarves and sometimes long sleeves. And then a few years ago, I started using a vitamin C serum because I'd heard it was good for brightening skin and mine was starting to look dull. And I think it helped, but it's expensive. The truth is I didn't feel very savvy about skincare and I actually had some FOMO around it.

1:22Like I'd see these other women in their 50s and they would have this bright, dewy, shiny, buoyant skin. And I'd be like, what do they know that I don't? What are they using? So every once in a while, I'd go down the rabbit hole and I'd buy some new product. And usually I'd stop using it after a few weeks because either I didn't like the way it felt or I didn't think it was making a difference. When I started the series, I discovered I had 10 different skincare products and only used four of them. Wow. Okay. Yeah, the rest were just sitting there on the shelf. Yeah, the skincare graveyard. So for the newsletter, you talked to a bunch of skincare experts, dermatologists, researchers, and it sounds like you got a lot more confident in your skincare routine.

2:00You know, it turns out I was doing pretty well by my skin. Who knew, right? I'm still using those core products and I'm keeping the Pricey Vitamin C serum. And I recently started using a lactic acid serum for gentle exfoliation, but the jury's still out on that one. So the main takeaway for me from reporting this series is that I know what my skin needs now and what it doesn't. And I think a lot of other people might learn the same. On this episode of Life Kit, Kelly's going to share with us what she's learned about skincare. So to start off, it sounds like there are two major claims that skincare products make.

2:36And one is that they'll improve the health of your skin. And the other is that they'll improve the appearance of your skin. Let's start with health. What does it actually mean to have healthy skin? You know, we've been convinced that we need to do a lot more for skin than we really do. It's not that difficult to keep your skin healthy and functioning throughout our lives. But along with the rest of our body, skin still ages, and that's the catch. Now, to be clear, there are products and treatments that will combat the signs of aging. And I do think that's what many of us are after, but they aren't necessarily or only about having healthier skin.

3:11Here's what New York dermatologist Michelle Henry has to say about this. I think we are getting to a place where our aesthetic goals are kind of beyond what healthy skin is. So like, just because you don't have glass skin doesn't mean your skin's not healthy. Just because you don't have wrinkle-free, rosy skin does not mean it's not healthy, right? Just because you have large pores does not mean it's unhealthy. So it is important to categorize what is aesthetic and what is truly the health of your skin. And healthy skin is comfortable, functional skin. Yeah. I've noticed like it actually improves my life significantly when I just put moisturizer on because I feel like I'm like I can move my body a little better.

3:51You know, that feels like it falls into the category of healthy skin. Yes. Everybody I spoke with talked about moisturizers being one of the most effective products you can use on your skin. Just moisturizer alone without all the extras. Yeah. What are the main pieces of advice that the experts gave for how to have healthy skin particularly? Truly. So it's easy to forget that skin is an organ, right? It's a living dynamic part of your body. And everything that you do to support your overall health is going to support the health of your skin. So good nutrition, getting enough sleep, exercising, not smoking, all those things.

4:23Beyond that, it doesn't require much. Here's what Mayo Clinic dermatologist and researcher Serena Wiles has to say. From a skin health standpoint, it's really two key ingredients. You just have to keep your skin moisturized and you have to keep your skin protected from UV with sunscreen. Now, of course, sunscreen is just one part of the equation when we talk about sun protection. Hats, scarves, long sleeves, seeking out shade, avoiding sun when the UV rays are strongest are equally important. But those two products, I mean, moisturizer and sunscreen, they're supporting skin's primary function, which is to serve as a barrier that protects us from the outside world.

4:59And dry skin, which is more common as we age, threatens that barrier. So does UV radiation. Takeaway one, if your primary concern is healthy, comfortable, functional skin, you don't need much. Use a gentle cleanser, a moisturizer, and sunscreen, along with other sun protection, like covering up with hats, scarves, and sunglasses. Those are the basics. But a lot of us are also looking for aesthetic benefits. We want to reduce our fine lines and wrinkles or deal with acne. So we'll talk about all that after the break.

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6:44What can they do beyond those few steps? So there are a few ingredients that do support with some of the size of aging. Antioxidants, which can help protect against free radical damage, while also helping to brighten skin. Those can be in the form of a vitamin C serum, for example. Exfoliants, and there are a bunch of different kinds and different strengths. And those will help support skin cell turnover. And that's a natural process that slows down as we age. And possibly retinoids, which in over-the-counter form are called either retinol or retinal. And they're less powerful than the prescription Retin-A, but they still support skin rejuvenation.

7:25It is worth noting that retinoids are pretty harsh and many people can't use them. and they can also increase sun sensitivity. One thing that I feel like can fall into the category of healthy skin and skin appearance is acne. We tend to think of that as something that teenagers struggle with, and that's true, but it's also a problem for a lot of adults, especially when you're going through hormonal shifts, I've noticed. I'm curious what you learned about that and what ingredients or what treatments are most effective. Yeah, absolutely. Adult acne is really common, especially among women during those perimenopausal to menopausal years.

8:03And it's confusing, right? Amy Wexler, a dermatologist who launched Spotless Acne Clinics in Manhattan last year, said this. What happens is a woman will come to see me, you know, women between 35 and 55 with pimples and wrinkles. And they'll say, like, I feel too old for my pimples and too young for my wrinkles. And they are like, what is happening? But there are treatments and it's always treatable. So for milder adult acne, I'm told that over-the-counter products with things like benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid, or azelaic acid may help. But for persistent or that hormonally driven acne, you might want to see a dermatologist and they may prescribe topical retinoids or other topicals that actually can influence oil production of the skin.

8:45And for some women, they may recommend oral hormonal treatments. takeaway two let's talk about aesthetics if you want to limit some of the signs of aging again sunscreen and moisturizer are the place to start but there are some other topical ingredients that work well too for brighter smoother looking skin look for products with antioxidants also look for exfoliants which can be physical or chemical lactic acid and glycolic acid are some examples of chemical exfoliants. And for fewer fine lines, look for products with retinoids. You can get the less powerful version over-the-counter and the more powerful but also potentially more irritating version by prescription.

9:26If you have mild acne, look for over-the-counter topicals. But if it's more severe, see a dermatologist. They can help you figure out what's causing the acne and treat it accordingly. Let's talk about the cost of skincare products. you could spend a lot of money on all these things together. Is expensive skincare better? No. My sources said that there's no correlation between cost and efficacy when it comes to skincare products. Here's dermatologist Fane Frye, who tests skincare products and posts results to her consumer guide called FryFace.com. There is no correlation, not one bit, between how much you spend on a product and how well it works.

10:07And all of my sources said is that you can get really good quality products at fair prices wherever skincare products are sold, like Walgreens, Target, even at the grocery store. Now, that's not to say that expensive products are bunk. There are certainly some brands that create high-quality, effective skincare. It's just that you don't need to spend a lot of money to get perfectly good products that will support the health of your skin and also offer some of those extra benefits that we seek. All right, takeaway three, when it comes to skincare, more expensive does not necessarily mean more effective.

10:40You can get products that work in your price range. But Kelly says you also want to keep your expectations realistic. Over-the-counter skin products are really only going to do so much to improve the appearance of your skin, right? They're going to moisturize it, which is super important for both the health and the appearance of your skin. And some of the ingredients like antioxidants, exfoliants, retinols, they can provide some visible improvements over time. But the changes won't be dramatic. And you're also going to need to keep using these products to maintain those results like indefinitely.

11:12So you may notice that your skin looks a bit brighter, a bit fresher. And that's not nothing, right? I mean, that may be all you need to feel better about the way you look. But it is important to know that these over-the-counter products are not designed to erase years from your face. Here's what Michelle Henry says. When we're just starting to see lines and they truly are fine lines, we can get some improvement with topicals or we can delay the need for more aggressive treatments with things like your retinoid, your vitamin C. Once it's much deeper than fine, then you're probably going to need something a little bit more aggressive.

11:45You might need some injectables, Botox and or filler or lasers, things that can stimulate collagen in a more robust manner. Takeaway four, there's only so much that over-the-counter topicals can do to change how your face looks. And while we think you look beautiful just as you are, this is about how you feel. If you're looking for more results, see your dermatologist. So that's where things stand with skincare here in 2026. Now there is a lot of research happening in the skincare space. and specifically on how to maintain skin health at the molecular level. And I'm told that over the next decade, there will be advances in ingredients and products to slow skin cell aging, and that will trickle down to cosmetic skincare.

12:28But when it comes to what we know works well right now, it's not complicated. And for me, that was just really helpful to learn. Okay, Kelly Walsh, thank you so much for doing this. You're welcome, Mariela. It was a pleasure. Now, before I get into a recap about that newsletter series, It is four parts, and it goes way more in-depth on this topic. For instance, you'll learn about what ingredients are effective for different skin concerns. Like, if you want brighter-looking skin, use these topicals. If you want plumper skin, use these. Kelly also talks more about medical interventions and what specifically a dermatologist can do for you on that front.

13:05And much more. You can sign up at npr.org slash skincare. And the link is also in our episode description. All right, now it's time for a recap. Takeaway one, if your primary concern is healthy, comfortable, functional skin, you don't need much. Use a gentle cleanser, a moisturizer, and sunscreen along with other sun protection like hats, scarves, sunglasses. Those are the basics. Takeaway two, aesthetics. If you want to limit some signs of aging, sunscreen and moisturizer, great place to start. But there are other topical ingredients too, like for brighter, smoother looking skin, look for products with antioxidants and exfoliants.

13:49For fewer fine lines, look for products with retinoids. You can get the less powerful version over the counter and the more powerful, but also potentially more irritating version by prescription. If you have mild acne, you can use over the counter topicals. But if it's more severe, see a dermatologist. Takeaway three, when it comes to skincare, more expensive does not necessarily mean more effective. You can get products that work in your price range. And takeaway four, there's only so much that over-the-counter topicals can do to change your face. And while we think you're beautiful just as you are, this is about what you want and what you're comfortable with.

14:26So if you're looking for more results, again, see your dermatologist. This episode of Life Kit was produced by Claire Marie Schneider. It was edited by Rebecca Ramirez, and our digital editor is Malika Garib. Our visuals editor is CJ Riccolon. Megan Cain is our senior supervising editor, and Lauren Gonzalez is our executive producer. Our production team also includes Andy Tegel, Margaret Serino, and Sylvie Douglas. Engineering support comes from Tiffany Vera Castro. Fact-checking by Sassiel Davis-Vasquez. I'm Mariel Segarra. Thanks for listening.

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