Latest / Silver FM 100.6 / Stop overthinking skin care. What's essential and what's hype

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Stop overthinking skin care. What's essential and what's hype · Silver FM 100.6

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  Speaker 1: The World Cup is back in the US, and the
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  Speaker 1: NPR network is covering the fans, the tensions.
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  Speaker 2: When two teams take the field, the nation's histories take
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  Speaker 2: the pitch with the NPR app. You're listening to Life
• 0:25
  Speaker 2: Kit from NPR.
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  Speaker 4: Brands create a lot of noise in the skincare space,
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  Speaker 4: Like you can't just go to the store and buy
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  Speaker 4: a simple moisturizer. There's a dozen different choices, it seems,
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  Speaker 4: from every single brand, and just to figure out what
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  Speaker 4: you need for your skin, you have to wade through
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  Speaker 4: it all. It's super confusing and complicated.
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  Speaker 1: Hey, it's Mary el Segara and today we're talking about
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  Speaker 1: skincare and how it's actually not as complicated.
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  Speaker 5: As many brands make it seem.
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  Speaker 1: Kelly Walsh is a health journalist who also reports on
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  Speaker 1: wellness and lifestyle topics, and she has been deep in
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  Speaker 1: the weeds reporting a special newsletter series for Life Get
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  Speaker 1: about Skincare.
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  Speaker 5: Kelly, welcome to the show.
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  Speaker 4: Hey, thanks for having me.
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  Speaker 1: What was your relationship to skincare before you started reporting on.
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  Speaker 4: This I used a gentle cleanser because my skin can
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  Speaker 4: be sensitive, a moisturizer, and then sun protection in the
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  Speaker 4: form of sunscreen, you know, ridiculously big hats and scarves
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  Speaker 4: and sometimes long sleeves. And then a few years ago
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  Speaker 4: I started using a vitamin C serum because I'd heard
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  Speaker 4: it was good for brightening skin and mine was starting.
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  Speaker 5: To look dull.
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  Speaker 4: And I think it helped, but it's expensive. The truth is,
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  Speaker 4: I didn't feel very savvy about skincare, and I actually
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  Speaker 4: had some fomo around it. Like I'd see these other
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  Speaker 4: women in their fifties and they would have this bright, dewy, shiny,
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  Speaker 4: buoyant skin, and I'd be like, what do they know
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  Speaker 4: that I don't?
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  Speaker 5: What are they using it?
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  Speaker 4: So every once in a while I'd go down the
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  Speaker 4: rabbit hole and I'd buy some new product, and usually
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  Speaker 4: i'd stop using it after a few weeks because either
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  Speaker 4: I didn't like the way it felt or I didn't
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  Speaker 4: think it was making a difference. When I started the series,
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  Speaker 4: I discovered I had ten different skincare products and only
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  Speaker 4: used four of them.
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  Speaker 5: Wow, okay, yeah, the rest were just sitting there on
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  Speaker 5: the shelf.
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  Speaker 4: Yeah. The skincare graveyard.
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  Speaker 1: So for the newsletter, you talked to a bunch of
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  Speaker 1: skincare experts, dermatologists, researchers, and it sounds like you got
• 2:21
  Speaker 1: a lot more confident in your skincare routine.
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  Speaker 4: You know, it turns out I was doing pretty well
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  Speaker 4: by my skin.
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  Speaker 6: Who knew, right.
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  Speaker 4: I still using those core products, and I'm keeping the
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  Speaker 4: pricey vitamin C serum, and I recently started using a
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  Speaker 4: latic acid serum for gentle exfoliation, but the jury's still
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  Speaker 4: out on that one. So the main takeaway for me
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  Speaker 4: from reporting this series is that I know what my
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  Speaker 4: skin needs now and what it doesn't, and I think
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  Speaker 4: a lot of other people might learn the same.
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  Speaker 1: On this episode of Life Kit, Kelly's going to share
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  Speaker 1: with us what she's learned about skincare. So, to start off,
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  Speaker 1: it sounds like there are two major claims that skincare
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  Speaker 1: products make. One is that they'll improve the health of
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  Speaker 1: your skin, and the other is that they'll improve the
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  Speaker 1: appearance of your skin.
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  Speaker 5: Let's start with health. What does it actually mean to
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  Speaker 5: have healthy skin?
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  Speaker 4: You know, we've been convinced that we need to do
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  Speaker 4: a lot more for skin than we really do. It's
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  Speaker 4: not that difficult to keep your skin healthy and functioning
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  Speaker 4: throughout our lives, but along with the rest of our body,
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  Speaker 4: skin still ages and that's the catch now. To be clear,
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  Speaker 4: there are products and treatments that will combat the signs
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  Speaker 4: of aging, and I do think that's what many of
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  Speaker 4: us are after, but they aren't necessarily or only about
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  Speaker 4: having healthier skin. Here's what New York dermatologist Michelle Henry
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  Speaker 4: has to say about this.
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  Speaker 7: I think we are getting to a place where our
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  Speaker 7: aesthetic goals are kind of beyond what healthy skin is.
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  Speaker 7: So like, just because you don't have glass skin doesn't
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  Speaker 7: mean your skin's not healthy.
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  Speaker 8: Just because you don't have.
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  Speaker 7: Wrinkle free rosy skin does not mean it's not healthy. Right,
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  Speaker 7: just because you have large pores does not mean it's unhealthy.
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  Speaker 7: So it is important to categorize what is aesthetic and
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  Speaker 7: what is truly the healthy of your skin. And healthy
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  Speaker 7: skin is comfortable, functional skin.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, I've noticed like it actually improves my life significantly
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  Speaker 1: when I just put moisturizer on, because I feel like
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  Speaker 1: I'm like I can move my body a little better.
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  Speaker 1: You know, that feels like it falls into the category
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  Speaker 1: of healthy skin.
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  Speaker 4: Yes, everybody, I spoke with talked about moisturizers being one
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  Speaker 4: of the most effective products you can use on your skin.
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  Speaker 4: Just moisturizer alone without all the extras.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, what are the main pieces of advice that the
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  Speaker 1: experts gave for how to have healthy skin?
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  Speaker 4: Particularly, So it's easy to forget that skin is an organ, right,
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  Speaker 4: It's a living, dynamic part of your body, and everything
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  Speaker 4: that you do to support your overall health is going
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  Speaker 4: to support the health of your skin. So good nutrition
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  Speaker 4: and getting enough sleep, exercising, not smoking, all those things.
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  Speaker 4: Beyond that, it doesn't require much. Here's what maoclinic dermatologist
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  Speaker 4: and researcher Serena Wiles has to say.
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  Speaker 6: From a skin health standpoint, it's really two key ingredients.
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  Speaker 6: You just have to keep your skin moisturized and you
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  Speaker 6: have to keep your skin protected from UV with sunscreen.
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  Speaker 4: Now, of course, sunscreen is just one part of the equation.
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  Speaker 4: When we talk about sun protection, hats, scarves, long sleeves,
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  Speaker 4: seeking out shade, avoiding sun when the UV rays are
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  Speaker 4: strongest are equally important. But those two products, I mean
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  Speaker 4: moisturizer and sunscreen, they're supporting skin's primary function, which is
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  Speaker 4: to serve as a barrier that protects us from the
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  Speaker 4: outside world and dry skin, which is more common as
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  Speaker 4: we age, threatens that bearer.
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  Speaker 5: So does UV radiation take away one.
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  Speaker 1: If your primary concern is healthy, comfortable, functional skin, you
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  Speaker 1: don't need much. Use a gentle cleanser, a moisturizer, and sunscreen,
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  Speaker 1: along with other sun protection like covering up with hats, scarves,
• 5:43
  Speaker 1: and sunglasses. Those are the basics, but a lot of
• 5:46
  Speaker 1: us are also looking for esthetic benefits. We want to
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  Speaker 1: reduce our fine lines and wrinkles or deal with acne.
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  Speaker 1: So we'll talk about all that after the break.
• 6:05
  Speaker 3: This is our glass on this American Life, one that
• 6:07
  Speaker 3: we like. It's a good mystery, sometimes about really big things,
• 6:12
  Speaker 3: but most times the little mysteries are the best.
• 6:15
  Speaker 5: Are lost and found is currently filled with pants. I
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  Speaker 5: don't know, I've never seen this happen.
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  Speaker 9: That's true.
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  Speaker 3: This is true mysteries of every size each week, This
• 6:25
  Speaker 3: American Life, wherever you get your podcasts.
• 6:29
  Speaker 1: What if people are concerned about the aesthetics, what can
• 6:33
  Speaker 1: they do beyond those few steps?
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  Speaker 4: So there are a few ingredients that do support with
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  Speaker 4: some of the size of aging. Antioxidants which can help
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  Speaker 4: protect against free radical damage, while also helping to brighten skin.
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  Speaker 4: Those can be in the form of a vitamin C
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  Speaker 4: serum for example, exfoliants and there are a bunch of
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  Speaker 4: different kinds in different strainths, and those will help support
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  Speaker 4: skins sell turnover and that's a natural process that slow
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  Speaker 4: down as we age. And possibly retinoids, which in over
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  Speaker 4: the counterform are called either retinol or retinal and they're
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  Speaker 4: less powerful than the prescription retine, but they still support
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  Speaker 4: skin rejuvenation. It is worth noting that retinoids are pretty
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  Speaker 4: harsh and many people can't use them, and they can
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  Speaker 4: also increase some sensitivity.
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  Speaker 1: One thing that I feel I can fall into the
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  Speaker 1: category of healthy skin and skin appearance is acne. We
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  Speaker 1: tend to think of that as something that teenagers struggle with,
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  Speaker 1: and that's true, but it's also a problem for a
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  Speaker 1: lot of adults, especially when you're going through hormonal shifts.
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  Speaker 5: I've noticed.
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  Speaker 1: I'm curious what you learned about that and what ingredients
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  Speaker 1: or what treatments are most effective.
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  Speaker 6: Yeah.
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  Speaker 4: Absolutely, Adult acne is really common, especially among women during
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  Speaker 4: those perimenopausal to menopausal years, and it's.
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  Speaker 5: Confusing, right.
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  Speaker 4: Amy Wexler, a dermatologist who launched spotless Ecnic Clinics in
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  Speaker 4: Manhattan last year.
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  Speaker 1: Said this what happens is a woman come to see me,
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  Speaker 1: you know, women between thirty five and fifty five with
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  Speaker 1: pimples and wrinkles, and they'll say like, I feel too
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  Speaker 1: old for my pimples and too young for my wrinkles, and.
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  Speaker 5: They are like, what is happening? But there are treatments
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  Speaker 5: and it's always treatable.
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  Speaker 4: So from mild or adult acne, I'm told that over
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  Speaker 4: the counterproducts with things like benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid, or
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  Speaker 4: azylaic acid may help. But for persistent or that hormonally
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  Speaker 4: driven acne, you might want to see a dermatologist and
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  Speaker 4: may prescribe topical retinoids or other topicals that actually can
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  Speaker 4: influence oil production the skin, and for some women they
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  Speaker 4: may recommend oral hormonal treatments.
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  Speaker 5: Takeaway too, Let's talk about aesthetics.
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  Speaker 1: If you want to limit some of the signs of
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  Speaker 1: aging again, sunscreen and moisturizer are the place to start,
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  Speaker 1: but there are some other topical ingredients that work well too.
• 8:50
  Speaker 1: For brighter, smoother looking skin, look for products with antioxidants. Also,
• 8:56
  Speaker 1: look for exfoliance, which can be physical or chemical lacked
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  Speaker 1: and glycolic acid are some examples of chemical expoliance, and
• 9:04
  Speaker 1: for fewer fine lines look for products with retinoids. You
• 9:07
  Speaker 1: can get the less powerful version over the counter and
• 9:10
  Speaker 1: the more powerful but also potentially more irritating version by prescription.
• 9:14
  Speaker 1: If you have mild acne, look for over the counter topicals,
• 9:18
  Speaker 1: but if it's more severe, see a dermatologist. They can
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  Speaker 1: help you figure out what's causing the acne and treat
• 9:24
  Speaker 1: it accordingly. Let's talk about the cost of skincare products.
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  Speaker 1: You could spend a lot of money on all these
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  Speaker 1: things together.
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  Speaker 5: Is expensive skincare better?
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  Speaker 2: No.
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  Speaker 4: My sources said that there's no correlation between cost and
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  Speaker 4: efficacy when it comes to skincare products. Here's dermatologist Fane
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  Speaker 4: Fry who tests skincare products and post results to her
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  Speaker 4: consumer guide called fryface dot com. There is no correlation,
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  Speaker 4: not one bit, between how much you spend on.
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  Speaker 3: A product and how well it works.
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  Speaker 4: And all of my sources said is that you can
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  Speaker 4: get really good quality products a fair price wherever skin
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  Speaker 4: care products are sold, like walgrains target, even at the
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  Speaker 4: grocery store. Now that's not to say that expensive products
• 10:07
  Speaker 4: are bunked. There are certainly some brands that create high quality,
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  Speaker 4: effective skin care. It's just that you don't need to
• 10:13
  Speaker 4: spend a lot of money to get perfectly good products
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  Speaker 4: that will support the health of your skin and also
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  Speaker 4: offer some of those extra benefits that we seek.
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  Speaker 1: All right, take Away three. When it comes to skincare,
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  Speaker 1: more expensive does not necessarily mean more effective. You can
• 10:29
  Speaker 1: get products that work in your price range, but Kelly
• 10:33
  Speaker 1: says you also want to keep your expectations realistic.
• 10:36
  Speaker 4: Over the counter skin products are really only going to
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  Speaker 4: do so much to improve the appearance of your skin, right.
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  Speaker 4: They're going to moisturize it, which is super important for
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  Speaker 4: both the health and the appearance of your skin, and
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  Speaker 4: some of the ingredients like antioxidants, exfolians, retinols, they can
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  Speaker 4: provide some visible improvements over time, but the changes won't
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  Speaker 4: be dramatic, and you're also going to need to keep
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  Speaker 4: using these products to maintain those results. Like in def so,
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  Speaker 4: you may notice that your skin looks a bit brighter,
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  Speaker 4: a big fresher, and that's not nothing, right, I mean,
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  Speaker 4: that may be all you need to feel better about
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  Speaker 4: the way you look, but it is important to know
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  Speaker 4: that these over the counter products are not designed to
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  Speaker 4: erase yours from your face. Here's what Michelle Henry says.
• 11:18
  Speaker 8: When we're just starting to see lines, and they surely
• 11:20
  Speaker 8: are fine lines, we can get some improvement with topicals,
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  Speaker 8: or we can delay the need for more aggressive treatments
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  Speaker 8: with things like your retinoid, your vitamin C. Once it's
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  Speaker 8: much deeper than fine, then you're probably gonna need something
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  Speaker 8: a little bit more aggressive. You might need some injectables
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  Speaker 8: botox and or filler or lasers, things that can stimulate
• 11:39
  Speaker 8: collagen in a more robust manner.
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  Speaker 1: Take Away four, There's only so much that over the
• 11:45
  Speaker 1: counter topicals can do to change how your face looks.
• 11:48
  Speaker 1: And while we think you look beautiful just as you are,
• 11:51
  Speaker 1: this is about how you feel. If you're looking for
• 11:54
  Speaker 1: more results, see your dermatologist.
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  Speaker 5: So that's where things.
• 11:58
  Speaker 1: Stand with skincare here in twenty twenty. Now there is
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  Speaker 1: a lot of research happening in the skincare space.
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  Speaker 4: And specifically on how to maintain skin health at the
• 12:06
  Speaker 4: molecular level. And I'm told that over the next decade
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  Speaker 4: there will be advances in ingredients and products to slow
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  Speaker 4: skin cell aging, and that will trickle down to cosmetic skincare.
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  Speaker 4: But when it comes to what we know works well
• 12:19
  Speaker 4: right now, it's not complicated and for me that was
• 12:22
  Speaker 4: just really helpful to learn.
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  Speaker 5: Okay, Kelly Walsh, thank you so much for doing this.
• 12:27
  Speaker 5: Are you welcome? Mary Love is a pleasure.
• 12:29
  Speaker 1: Now, before I get into a recap about that newsletter series,
• 12:33
  Speaker 1: it is four parts and it goes way more in
• 12:35
  Speaker 1: depth on this topic. For instance, you'll learn about what
• 12:38
  Speaker 1: ingredients are effective for different skin concerns, like if you
• 12:41
  Speaker 1: want brighter looking skin, use these topicals. If you want
• 12:44
  Speaker 1: plumper skin, use these. Kelly also talks more about medical
• 12:48
  Speaker 1: interventions and what specifically a dermatologist can do for you
• 12:52
  Speaker 1: on that front, and much more. You can sign up
• 12:55
  Speaker 1: at NPR dot org slash skincare, and the link is
• 12:59
  Speaker 1: also in our episode description. All right, now it's time
• 13:04
  Speaker 1: for a recap. Take Away one. If your primary concern
• 13:08
  Speaker 1: is healthy, comfortable, functional skin, you don't need much. Use
• 13:13
  Speaker 1: a gentle cleanser, a moisturizer, and sunscreen, along with other
• 13:17
  Speaker 1: sun protection like hat, scarves, sunglasses.
• 13:20
  Speaker 5: Those are the basics. Take Away two aesthetics.
• 13:24
  Speaker 1: If you want to limit some signs of aging, sunscreen
• 13:27
  Speaker 1: and moisturizer great place to start, but there are other
• 13:30
  Speaker 1: topical ingredients too, like for brighter, smoother looking skin, look
• 13:34
  Speaker 1: for products with antioxidants and exfoliance. For fewer fine lines,
• 13:39
  Speaker 1: look for products with retinoids. You can get the less
• 13:42
  Speaker 1: powerful version over the counter and the more powerful but
• 13:45
  Speaker 1: also potentially more irritating version by prescription. If you have
• 13:48
  Speaker 1: mild acne, you can use over the counter topicals, but
• 13:51
  Speaker 1: if it's more severe, see a dermatologist.
• 13:54
  Speaker 5: Take Away three.
• 13:55
  Speaker 1: When it comes to skincare, more expensive does not necessarily
• 13:58
  Speaker 1: mean more effective. Can get products that work in your
• 14:01
  Speaker 1: price range. And take Away four There's only so much
• 14:04
  Speaker 1: that over the countertopicals can do to change your face.
• 14:08
  Speaker 1: And while we think you're beautiful just as you are,
• 14:11
  Speaker 1: this is about what you want and what you're comfortable with.
• 14:14
  Speaker 1: So if you're looking for more results, again, see your dermatologist.
• 14:20
  Speaker 5: This episode of Life.
• 14:21
  Speaker 1: Kit was produced by Claire Marie Schneider. It was edited
• 14:24
  Speaker 1: by Rebecca Ramirez and our digital editor is Malica garib.
• 14:27
  Speaker 5: Our visuals editor is c. J.
• 14:29
  Speaker 1: Rikolon, Megan Kane is our senior supervising editor, and Lauren
• 14:33
  Speaker 1: Gonzalez is our executive producer. Our production team also includes
• 14:37
  Speaker 1: Andy Tagle, Margaret Sarino, and Sylvie Douglas. Engineering support comes
• 14:41
  Speaker 1: from Tiffany Vea Castro. Fact checking by Sacio Davis Fasquez.
• 14:46
  Speaker 1: I'm Mary el Sagarra. Thanks for listening.
• 14:57
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