Answered questions
Skin
72 answered questions · 438 studies
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Does slugging (smearing your skin with petroleum jelly) actually work?
Petroleum jelly genuinely works as a sealing layer that reduces moisture loss, but for structurally dry skin or barrier repair…
Yes · Moderate evidence
Does skin cycling really work better for your skin?
Skin cycling as a method has never been clinically tested, so it cannot be said to work better than a regular routine. If you…
Insufficient evidence
Does a vampire facial (PRP) work against skin ageing?
PRP has a modest, probably real effect on skin thickness and elasticity, but does little for wrinkles or pigmentation spots.…
Moderate evidence
Does castor oil work for your eyelashes and skin?
For eyelid inflammation and dark circles there are small positive studies, but the evidence is too thin for firm conclusions.…
Preliminary evidence
Does rosemary oil really work for hair growth?
Rosemary oil performs as well as minoxidil 2% in one small study, but dermatologists do not yet recommend it; feel free to use…
Preliminary evidence
Is beef tallow good for your skin?
There is no scientific evidence that beef tallow is effective for the skin in cases of acne, eczema or psoriasis. The online…
Insufficient evidence
Do gua sha and microcurrent devices work against skin ageing?
Both gua sha and electrical devices show measurable effects on skin ageing in small studies, but they work in different ways:…
Yes · Moderate evidence
Do copper peptides (GHK-Cu) work in skincare?
GHK-Cu shows positive effects on collagen and skin in the lab, but clinical evidence in humans is absent. Do not expect too…
Preliminary evidence
Does snail mucin actually work for your skin?
Snail mucin shows promising effects in laboratory and cell studies, but clinical evidence in humans is still largely absent.…
Preliminary evidence
Do exosomes in skincare really work?
There are preliminary indications that exosomes may do something for the skin, but the clinical evidence is very thin: one…
Preliminary evidence
Do polynucleotide or salmon DNA facial treatments actually work?
There are cautious indications that polynucleotide injections may improve the skin around the eyes, but well-controlled…
Preliminary evidence
Does red orange extract (Red Orange Complex) help against skin ageing and pigmentation spots?
One small study shows a striking reduction in pigmentation spots and skin redness after 15 days of 100 mg red orange extract,…
Preliminary evidence
Does microneedling work for wrinkles and scars?
Microneedling demonstrably works for wrinkles and acne scars, with radiofrequency microneedling being the variant with the…
Yes · Moderate evidence
Do chemical peels with fruit acids help against skin ageing?
Chemical peels demonstrably help against sun damage, wrinkles, and pigmentation spots, but for brown spots laser treatments…
Yes · Moderate evidence
Does taking glutathione make sense, or does it get broken down in your gut?
Oral glutathione measurably raises levels in your blood, but only for as long as you take it and only in readily accessible…
Preliminary evidence
Does taking collagen supplements actually work against wrinkles?
Taking hydrolysed collagen reduces wrinkles and improves hydration and elasticity, although the effects are modest and no…
Yes · Moderate evidence
Does your body odour change as you get older?
Yes, your body odour changes from around your forties onwards because a substance forms on your skin that is barely detectable…
Can an unhealthy gut contribute to skin problems such as acne or eczema?
A disrupted gut microbiome is associated with acne and eczema, although that association has not yet been proven to be cause…
Does fasting or calorie restriction make the skin look younger?
Fasting and calorie restriction appear to protect the skin in animal research, but direct evidence in humans that your skin…
Preliminary evidence
Does smoking age a smoker's skin on the inside too, or only on the outside?
Smoking does not only age the outside of your skin; it damages blood vessels, protective barriers and inflammatory regulation…
Does astaxanthin help protect your skin from the sun?
Astaxanthin likely offers some protection against UV damage, but the studies are too small and too commercially funded to…
Preliminary evidence
Do cold showers really make your skin tighter?
Cold showers do not make your skin tighter; frequent showering can actually damage the skin barrier and cause dry skin,…
No · Preliminary evidence
Can using too much retinol actually damage your skin?
Doses that are too high or built up too quickly can damage the skin barrier and cause irritation; start low and increase…
Yes · Preliminary evidence
Does resveratrol in skin cream actually do anything?
Resveratrol in skin cream demonstrably reaches the skin and has antioxidant activity, but whether it produces any visible…
Preliminary evidence
Is mineral sunscreen better for your skin than chemical sunscreen?
Both types of sunscreen protect your skin, but there is no direct comparative study that identifies mineral sunscreen as the…
Preliminary evidence
Does physical inactivity accelerate skin ageing?
Based on the available studies, nothing can be said about whether physical inactivity accelerates skin ageing. If you want to…
Insufficient evidence
Does sunlight affect your hormones, and if so, how?
Sunlight affects multiple hormones simultaneously: it stimulates vitamin D and beta-endorphin, suppresses melatonin, and can…
Yes · Moderate evidence
Does a healthy gut microbiome lead to better skin?
There is clear evidence suggesting that a balanced gut flora contributes to healthier skin, but the evidence is still…
Yes · Preliminary evidence
Does chronically poor air quality age your skin?
Chronic exposure to air pollution measurably accelerates skin ageing, and the evidence for this is reasonably consistent. If…
Does red light therapy really help against skin ageing?
Red light therapy shows positive effects on wrinkles and skin quality in small studies, but without large controlled trials it…
Preliminary evidence
Do people with dark skin age more slowly than people with light skin?
Dark skin ages visibly more slowly than light skin, primarily because greater amounts of higher-quality melanin limit sun…
Yes · Moderate evidence
Does zinc help with acne and healthier skin?
Zinc demonstrably reduces inflamed spots, but works less well than the usual treatments such as benzoyl peroxide. It is most…
Yes · Moderate evidence
Does a cotton versus silk pillowcase really make a difference for wrinkles?
Based on the available study, nothing can be said about this. The source contains no information about pillowcases or…
Insufficient evidence
Does omega-3 from fish or flaxseed help give you better-looking skin?
Omega-3 shows preliminary indications of an effect on skin inflammation in conditions such as eczema and psoriasis, but the…
Preliminary evidence
Does a low-fat diet slow down skin ageing or make it worse?
There is no good research directly comparing a low-fat diet with a high-fat diet on skin ageing in humans. Focus on the type…
Insufficient evidence
Does drinking coffee dry out your skin?
Drinking coffee does not dry out your skin: the available research points rather in the opposite direction, but the studies…
No · Preliminary evidence
Do AHAs or BHAs really help against wrinkles and blemishes?
The sources provided contain no information about AHAs or BHAs, so no conclusions can be drawn from them. A well-supported…
Insufficient evidence
Does resveratrol really help protect cells against ageing?
Resveratrol protects cells impressively in the lab, but whether that also works in practice for you is uncertain: the body…
Preliminary evidence
Does screen time (blue light) age your skin?
Whether your screen meaningfully ages your skin has not been proven; the light doses used in research were far higher than…
Preliminary evidence
What does chronic stress do to your DNA?
Chronic stress damages your DNA through multiple pathways simultaneously, and this is biologically well supported. How large…
Does a face mask really work, or is it mostly just a treat for yourself?
An LED mask or a mask containing active ingredients such as salicylic acid works measurably better than doing nothing, but the…
Yes · Moderate evidence
Does urban pollution accelerate the ageing of your skin?
Urban pollution probably accelerates skin ageing, primarily through increased pigmentation spots and a weakened skin barrier.…
Is expensive face cream better than a cheap one?
A higher price says nothing about how well a face cream works; it is better to choose based on product type and the…
No · Preliminary evidence
Can your skin get used to retinol so that it becomes less effective?
Your skin gets used to the side effects of retinol, such as flaking and redness, but not to the effect itself; the active…
Do peptides in skincare actually do anything?
Peptides in skincare probably help to some degree, particularly for sun-damaged skin, but the effect is modest and cannot be…
Yes · Moderate evidence
Does menopause accelerate skin ageing?
Menopause noticeably accelerates the loss of collagen, moisture retention and skin thickness, but spots and skin cancer are…
Does your skin get thicker or thinner as you age?
Your skin thins at two levels with age: that is well established. Retinoid creams have the most support if you want to slow…
Does using a night cream help?
A night cream improves hydration and, with consistent use, can also have a visible effect on wrinkles, pores, and skin tone.…
Yes · Moderate evidence
Does your skin age faster than your organs?
There is no direct evidence that the skin ages faster than your internal organs, but the skin does have a specific and…
Does a high SPF really protect better than SPF 30?
SPF 50 offers slightly more protection than SPF 30 in theory, but in practice the way you apply sunscreen makes more…
Preliminary evidence
Do facial expressions cause more wrinkles?
The available studies do not answer this question, so no conclusion can be drawn from them. If you want to know, look for…
Does bakuchiol work as well as retinol but more gently?
Bakuchiol appears to target skin aging through biological pathways similar to those of retinol and is clearly gentler on the…
Preliminary evidence
Does sleep deprivation age your skin faster?
Sleep deprivation demonstrably worsens your hydration, elasticity, and wrinkles, after as little as one poor night. Aim for…
What happens to your DNA when you get too much sun?
Too much sun demonstrably damages your DNA and increases the risk of skin cancer. Protect your skin, especially if you have a…
Does creatine cause hair loss?
Creatine does not cause hair loss: direct measurement of hair follicle health and the DHT hormone showed no difference…
No · Moderate evidence
Does rapamycin reverse or prevent gray hair?
Cell and animal research shows that rapamycin can activate pigment cells, but there are no studies in healthy humans and the…
Insufficient evidence
Does rapamycin improve skin aging?
Topical rapamycin showed promising signs for skin ageing in a small study, but the evidence is still too thin to justify…
Preliminary evidence
Does collagen help your joints and your skin?
For joint pain, particularly in knee osteoarthritis and active athletes, oral collagen (approximately 10 grams per day) has a…
Yes · Moderate evidence
What causes age spots and can you prevent them?
Years of sun exposure is the clearest cause of age spots. Consistent sun protection is the smartest prevention; for existing…
Yes · Moderate evidence
Can you still repair sun damage to your skin?
Partial repair is possible, but full reversal is not. So start now with UV protection, sleep well and eat enough protein.
Preliminary evidence
Does niacinamide (vitamin B3) visibly benefit your skin?
Niacinamide cream (5%) demonstrably improves ageing skin and skin tone, and is safe to use. For people with a history of skin…
Yes · Moderate evidence
Does drinking a lot of water really help against dry skin and wrinkles?
Drinking extra water barely helps against dry skin and demonstrably does not help against wrinkles. Collagen peptides at 1000…
No · Moderate evidence
How much sun is safe, and does the tanning bed really cause skin cancer?
Tanning beds demonstrably increase your risk of melanoma and other skin cancers, as does too much sun. A little daily sun…
Yes · Strong evidence
Does sugar accelerate skin ageing through glycation?
The biological mechanism is rock solid: chronically high blood sugar levels accelerate the breakdown of collagen and elastin…
Does hyaluronic acid applied to your skin actually help against dryness and wrinkles?
Hyaluronic acid on your skin genuinely helps against dryness. Injections work most powerfully against wrinkles. A pill or…
Yes · Moderate evidence
Does a vitamin C serum help against pigmentation spots and ageing?
Vitamin C serums likely reduce pigmentation spots and early signs of ageing, but the studies are too small or lack control…
Yes · Moderate evidence
What do smoking and alcohol do to the ageing of your skin?
Smoking demonstrably accelerates skin ageing through oxidative stress and inflammation. There are indications for alcohol, but…
What is the best-proven remedy for wrinkles: retinol or vitamin C?
Retinol has the more concrete evidence base for wrinkle reduction. A direct comparison with vitamin C is lacking. Start at a…
Moderate evidence
What actually works against skin aging?
Using sunscreen daily is the best-supported way to slow skin ageing, supplemented by not smoking, moderate alcohol consumption…
Moderate evidence
Do collagen supplements work against skin ageing?
Taking 2.5 to 10 grams of hydrolysed collagen daily for at least 8 weeks produces demonstrable but modest improvements in skin…
Yes · Moderate evidence
Does retinol help against wrinkles?
Retinol demonstrably works against wrinkles and improves skin texture, although tretinoin is more potent for those who can or…
Yes · Moderate evidence
Does sunscreen also protect against skin ageing?
Using broad-spectrum sunscreen daily demonstrably slows sun-induced skin ageing; anyone with concerns about chemical filters…
Yes · Moderate evidence