In the world of skincare, trends come and go, but not all of them are created equal. While some may seem harmless, others can do more harm than good to your skin. As an expert editorial writer, I've analyzed the top 10 skincare trends that dermatologists want you to stop following, and here's why.
One trend that has gained popularity is DIY chemical peels at home. While lemon juice, baking soda, and apple cider vinegar may seem like natural alternatives, they lack the precision and expertise of a dermatologist. A professional calibrates a peel to your skin type and monitors its reaction, whereas a bottle of vinegar doesn't know or care what your skin can handle. Burns, pigmentation, and scarring are more common outcomes than the promised 'glass skin'.
Another trend that dermatologists warn against is layering every active ingredient in one routine. Skin doesn't need more ingredients thrown at it; it needs the right ones, spaced out and introduced one at a time. Overloaded actives can show up as redness, flaking, or a barrier that takes weeks to calm down.
Beauty filters have also reset what people consider normal skin. Pores are smoothed to nothing, texture disappears, and patients arrive asking to fix things that were never actually problems, just features a filter had erased. Dermatologists now counsel patients on how to distinguish a real skin concern from a filtered expectation.
Skipping sunscreen because a product claims to have built-in SPF is another trend to avoid. Tinted moisturisers, foundations, and powders that mention SPF on the label often don't deliver the promised protection in real-world use. Relying on it as your only sun protection can lead to stubborn pigmentation years later.
Ice facials and extreme cold therapy are also not recommended. While rubbing ice cubes over the face may temporarily tighten the skin and make pores look smaller, it can trigger redness and irritation on sensitised or broken skin. A cool compress in moderation is fine, but turning it into a daily ritual isn't necessary.
Following a routine because it worked for someone else's skin is another mistake. Skin isn't generic, and what clears one person's acne can trigger another person's rosacea. Treating every red mark as acne and reaching for stronger actives without a proper diagnosis can make things worse before they get better.
Chasing natural as a synonym for safe is also misleading. Some of the most common allergic reactions dermatologists treat come from ingredients marketed as gentle simply because they're plant-derived. Buying treatments based on before-and-after photos alone can be misleading, as lighting, skin type, concurrent treatments, and duration of aftereffects are not considered.
Waiting for a quick fix before an event instead of building a routine is another trend to avoid. Good skin is built over months of small, consistent habits, not last-minute treatments. Dermatologists spend a lot of energy trying to convince people of this.
The root of most of these trends is a solution arriving before a diagnosis. Something that looked good on a screen was applied to a face without anyone first asking what that face actually needed. Dermatologists aren't against trying new things; they're against skipping the one step that makes any of it safe: understanding your own skin before you change what you're doing to it.
In my opinion, the best advice is to ask a professional whether your skin actually needs a new trend before trying it. That one question tends to save people more time, money, and irritation than any product ever could. And if you do reach for something to put on your skin, let it earn that trust first. A product is only as good as the evidence behind it: tested in a lab, not just tagged in a reel, and recommended by a professional who's actually looked at your skin rather than a caption that's looked at nothing. Anything customised to your specific concern, on your doctor's advice, will always outperform whatever's trending this week.
