Plastic Surgeons Reveal What Actually Works in Skincare | Beauty and the Beasts Podcast

Dr. Sam Jejurikar and Dr. Sal Pacella break down what actually works in skincare, and what is just marketing. In this episode of Beauty and the Beasts, Dr. Sam Jejurikar explains why "medical grade" skincare is not an FDA recognized category, why the sunscreen you actually apply every day beats the expensive one sitting in your drawer, and how to build an effective regimen for around one hundred dollars a month.

The conversation covers the four pillars Dr. Jejurikar recommends to patients: daily broad spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher, retinoids transitioning to retinols for maintenance, an antioxidant such as vitamin C, vitamin E, or niacinamide, and a moisturizer. Dr. Pacella adds his take on physical blockers with zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, and why hydration and nutrition matter more than most people think.
They also get into why the peeling and redness from tretinoin is a sign it is working rather than an allergy, why exosomes are heavily marketed but thin on evidence, and how to think about laser resurfacing for sun damaged skin. Ablative versus non-ablative. Fractionated versus full field. CO2 versus erbium. Plus the honest rule of thumb that the efficacy of a laser treatment tends to track with its downtime.

The episode closes with the sun protection blind spots almost everyone misses: the eyelid margins, the reflected light coming off pavement under the brim of a hat, the sunglasses that focus ambient light back onto the skin, and the ears.

Chapters
0:00 The largest organ you cannot replace
1:05 The 200 billion dollar skincare industry
2:36 The single most important product
5:06 Chemical versus physical sunscreens
7:36 Retinoids, retinols, and what they actually do
10:25 Antioxidants and pigmentation
11:00 Exosomes and the evidence problem
12:30 Laser resurfacing and skin prep
13:32 Ablative, fractionated, CO2, erbium
15:19 Sun protection blind spots

Dr. Sam Jejurikar is a board certified plastic surgeon in Dallas, Texas. Dr. Sal Pacella is a board certified plastic surgeon in San Diego, California.

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