Answered questions
Skin
74 answered questions · 480 studies
All topicsNutrition & preventionMuscles & movementHeart & vesselsBrain & memoryCancerInterventionsSleepAging clocksCells & DNAGut & microbiomeSkinHormonesImmune systemBonesMetabolism
What do we know about berberine patches?
Berberine patches show interesting results in laboratory and animal research for wounds, eczema, psoriasis and joint…
Preliminary evidence
What are the proven health benefits of snail mucus for the skin?
Snail mucus shows potential in small and preliminary studies for hydration, anti-ageing and wound healing, but large clinical…
Preliminary evidence
Does omega-3 protect your skin from sunburn?
Omega-3 offers some protection against the sunburn response, but the effect is limited and no proven protective dose is known.…
Yes · Moderate evidence
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 injections produce a modest, likely genuine improvement in skin texture and elasticity, but do not work for everything…
Yes · 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
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?
There is positive evidence from multiple small human studies that 100 mg of red orange extract per day reduces pigmentation…
Yes · Moderate 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 is it broken down in your gut?
Oral glutathione measurably raises levels in blood and cells, so it is not entirely pointless. Whether that rise also produces…
Yes · Moderate 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 noticeably with age: from your forties onwards your skin produces a compound that adds a greasy,…
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 (3-6 mg/day) appears to give the skin some additional UV resistance, but should never replace your sunscreen: the…
Yes · Moderate 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?
Too much retinol can irritate and damage your skin, but at a low dose and with a gradual build-up you can benefit from its…
Yes · Moderate 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?
Mineral sunscreen has a favourable safety profile and tinted varieties may offer additional protection, but it is not…
Moderate evidence
Does physical inactivity accelerate skin ageing?
Physical inactivity is associated with factors that accelerate skin ageing, and a small intervention study showed that 16…
Yes · Preliminary 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 are several indications that a healthy gut microbiome is beneficial for your skin, but how best to achieve that and…
Yes · Moderate 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 measurably reduces wrinkles and skin roughness, with the strongest support coming from professional…
Yes · Moderate evidence
Do people with dark skin age more slowly than people with light skin?
Dark skin ages more slowly in terms of visible sun damage, but ageing itself does not stay away: the signs are different, not…
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 improve skin appearance?
For people with eczema, psoriasis or acne, multiple reviews indicate that fish oil containing EPA and DHA may reduce…
Yes · Moderate evidence
Does a low-fat diet slow skin ageing or make it worse?
A low-fat diet is not necessarily better for your skin: the type of fat counts more than the amount, and monounsaturated fats…
No · Preliminary 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?
Both AHA (glycolic acid) and BHA (salicylic acid) demonstrably help against acne, blemishes and, to a lesser extent, wrinkles,…
Yes · Moderate 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?
Blue light from screens almost certainly causes no measurable skin aging under normal use; the doses that caused damage in…
No · Moderate evidence
What does chronic stress do to your DNA?
Chronic stress accelerates the wear of your DNA protectors (telomeres) in a way that corresponds to years of extra cellular…
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 an expensive face cream better than a cheap one?
A higher price does not make a face cream more effective or safer. It is better to pay attention to the ingredient list than…
No · Moderate 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 creams have a plausible mechanism on paper, but clinical evidence for topical use is thin. If you want to do…
Preliminary 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?
It has not been proven that skin as an organ naturally ages faster than your internal organs, but it is more vulnerable to sun…
Does a high SPF really protect better than SPF 30?
SPF 100+ protects better than SPF 50+ in genuinely sunny conditions, but always check the UVA label on the packaging as well,…
Yes · Moderate evidence
Do making lots of facial expressions cause more wrinkles?
Repeated facial expressions probably contribute to wrinkle formation, but sunlight is the best-documented factor. Sun…
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 spend too much time in the sun?
Too much sun damages your DNA in a way that can demonstrably lead to skin cancer; sun protection and monitoring medication use…
Does creatine cause hair loss?
There is no firm evidence that creatine causes hair loss, but the studies are small and partly industry-funded. If you have a…
Preliminary evidence
Can rapamycin reverse or prevent grey hair?
Rapamycin shows interesting effects on pigmentation in the lab and in a rare hereditary disease, but there is no evidence…
No · Preliminary 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 repair sun damage to your skin?
Sun damage can be partially repaired: prescription tretinoin cream has the strongest evidence base, but consistent sunscreen…
Yes · Moderate 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 lots of water really help against dry skin and wrinkles?
Drinking extra water barely helps against wrinkles and improves skin moisture only slightly, particularly in people who were…
No · Preliminary evidence
How much sun is safe, and does the tanning bed really cause skin cancer?
Tanning beds genuinely cause skin cancer: the evidence is causal and strong. Short, regular sun exposure is beneficial for…
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 treatment for wrinkles: retinol or vitamin C?
Retinol (and tretinoin in particular) has a far stronger clinical evidence base than vitamin C. Vitamin C may be a useful…
Yes · 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?
Whether collagen supplements genuinely work against skin ageing is contested: independent research of higher quality shows no…
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