Thread by @usamasyedMD

💉 As a dermatologist, I think 95% of the truly scientific skincare tips that you should know can fit into one Tweet thread. All Instagram/YouTube/TikTok skincare education videos just repackage a few core principles with different dances/ brand names. Let me prove it... 🧵 1/

🔤 Rule 1: Moisturize. At its core, the skin is a barrier that keeps the outside world out, and the inside world of your body in. If that barrier gets dry/cracked, local cells are unhappy and get inflamed = itchy/red. So, moisturize to keep barrier in tact. Pick products... 2/

with ingredients that are sufficiently hydrating + also form effective barriers e.g. petrolatum, mineral oil, hyaluronic acid, ceramides. A cream you'll use consistently is ALWAYS better than one used once, so try a few brands yourself ➡️ @EucerinUS, @cerave, @LaRochePosayUSA. 3/

☀️ Rule 2: Sunscreen. The Sun shoots radiation at our skin each day, causing DNA mutations in cells + breaking down collagen in deeper layers. When this happens enough, you can get skin cancers (un-repaired DNA mutations that then snowball), and also wrinkles/ dark spots. 4/

Sunscreen acts as barrier to capture this radiation and prevent it from mutating your skin cells = less skin cancer, less wrinkles, less dark spots. Which sunscreen? Gold standard = zinc/titanium oxide containing (physical blockers), SPF 50+, applied twice daily, BUT... 5/

This isn't an 'all or nothing' game. Every little helps. There's no point buying SPF 100 sunscreen that you apply once, hate because you look like a 🤡 and then never wear again. So, my advice, wear ANY sunscreen, highest (SPF30+) you can tolerate, as often as you can 🤷🏽‍♂️. 6/

🧴Rule 3: Retinoids. The closest thing to a 'magic' ingredient in skincare. Anti-aging, helps dark spots, minimizes acne, anti-cancer, and subtle scarring improvement. OTC 'retinols' are good, prescription retinoids are stronger (but then also more drying). Slow to work... 7/

and can be very drying/irritating to start. So start with tiny amounts, every other night, and work your way up to once a night. Generous moisturizer application to help. Can 'purge' (get worse before better) for a week or two. Persist, we're playing the long game here! 8/

💪🏻 Rule 4: 'Active ingredients'. Here's a quick guide to common actives and what they're useful for. Salicyclic acid: gentle exfoliate, pore unblock. Benzoyl peroxide: anti-inflam, kills acne bacteria. Azelaic acid: anti-inflam, helps rosacea/acne/ dark spots. 9/

Dark spot treatment? ➡ hydroquinone, lactic acid, azelaic acid, vit C, retinoid. Every beauty company has a product with each of these ingredients. The 'right one' needs trial/error for your own skin, but never spend more than $30-40 on any skincare item. It's a con. 10/

😩 Rule 5: Scarring/stretch marks. Any cream claiming to make a huge difference treating these is lying. They needccosmetic procedure(s) like microneedling, laser resurfacing, or deep chemical peels. These can be 💰 but only things that really work (retinoids minor help). 11/

💉 Rule 6: Botox/filler works. By definition, almost anyone you 'notice' has had botox/fillers, usually has had bad botox/filler. Done well, they dramatically reduce wrinkles, replace volume, look natural. No pressure to do them, just know that these both work very reliably. 12/

🚫 Rule 7: Don't use physically abrasive products on your skin. Don't use too many 'actives' at the same time - less is more. Over-exfoliation is a real issue. Anything that makes your skin feel tight, itchy, red, painful on a consistent basis should be stopped. 13/

📈 Rule 8: Compounding skin gains. If you want to have good skin later in life, find a moisturizer, hydrating cleanser, sunscreen and retinoid you like in your 20s/30s, use consistently, and that's it. When you hit 30+, consider adding small amounts of botox for deep lines. 14/

🙏🏼 AND THAT'S IT. Now you can unsubscribe from every skincare TikTok/YouTube channel. Bit of a long one, but how d'you think I did? If you enjoyed/think others would benefit from this advice, tag your friends or share the first tweet in this thread to help liberate others!