Skincare Trend Reality Check

Skincare on social media can feel like a nonstop emergency: one day red light masks are “the secret,” the next day exosomes are “the future,” and somewhere in the middle you’re told sunscreen is poison. We wanted to slow that down. We’re joined by board-certified dermatologist Dr Dustin Portella to talk through why people are increasingly turning to TikTok, Instagram, and quick searches for skincare answers and what that shift looks like inside real clinic visits.

We dig into red light therapy with a clear lens: where it may help, what at-home devices can realistically do, and why it should never crowd out the basics that actually protect skin over time like daily SPF, antioxidants, and topical retinoids. Then we tackle exosomes skincare, including the big questions patients are already asking about sourcing, regulation, safety, and whether the evidence has caught up with the marketing.

From there we get into K-beauty skincare routines, not just the ingredients and hydration benefits, but the ritual and psychology of self-care and why “more steps” is not always better. We also address sunscreen myths and the way sound bites distort research, plus the supplement boom and why there’s rarely a true shortcut for skin health.

If you’ve ever felt pulled between curiosity and skepticism, this conversation gives you a calm framework for evaluating viral skincare trends without losing your mind or your money. Subscribe, share with a friend who lives on skincare reels, and leave a review telling us which trend you want us to myth-bust next.

Transcript

Welcome And Guest Introduction

SPEAKER_03 0:00

Welcome to the Dermatrotter Don't Swear About Skin Care podcast. We've got an exciting episode here for you today because we're tackling social media trends with Dr. Dustin Portella. He's a board-certified dermatologist dedicated to all things skin. Social media is his champ, so you've got to check him out on all the major platforms. And he's also a podcast host of Skin Influence with Dr. Dustin Portella. Dustin, welcome to the podcast. It's great to have you here. Well, you are an expert in this field and you're teaching me much about it as well as I'm newer to the social media front. So I know as you've had experience with this, I wanted to kind of introduce, you know, just the scene here with talking about why is the public really turning to social media, especially for skincare, and how are you seeing this affecting your patients? You can go on and look anything up. Maybe you're embarrassed, you know, and like you said, just that lack of trust, and you can just find it in a heartbeat. Sometimes the information, you know, not so accurate. And that's kind of what we wanted to talk about today. Some of the trends that are out there, what you think is real, what's not real. And I've got to talk about this because it's all the rage now, you know, looking at red light, right? Like everywhere you look, I feel like red light, red light, red light. And you know, I think there can be a little confusion about there, you know, out there about what is good with red light, what's in the office, what's at home. So I wanted to, you know, kind of pick your brain a little bit about, you know, your thoughts on it, what you're telling your patients, and um really where some of the misunderstandings lie. And that's why I like what you commented on is that you know, these are usually people that are doing other things for their skin. So it's maybe just like an extra, you know, bonus or an a carb item, you know, on the menu that might give you that little bit of an extra oomph or improvement, but not a replacement for the basics that we still recommend, like sunscreen or antioxidant use, or even using, you know, topical retinoids as well. So I think people out there are just so obsessed, like anyone else. Like, I'd like to find sort of the the cure, the pansia for everything skin. And I think that's where red light's kind of trended for people, where you know, to go and buy a device and use it once or twice a week, but not do any of the other things you mentioned too, you know, could lead to some, you know, challenges down the road for good skin too, which I think we're always looking for that perfect fix, right?

SPEAKER_00 5:28

Right.

SPEAKER_03 5:40

No, I agree. I have had patients with the same issue and sort of caution them if they do tend to hyperpigment or have molasses, maybe not the best solution, but everyone probably wants to know do you have a red light device to use one yourself?

SPEAKER_00 6:02

No. Yes.

SPEAKER_03 6:24

Hey, you're a derm after my own heart, because I'm the same way. I've got three little kids running around, just not doable. But I also have a red light device at home, and I agree. I think my kids use it more to play and have sword fights than they actually, I get to use it for my own skincare regimen. So I get it.

SPEAKER_02 6:40

I get it.

Exosomes Promise And Safety Questions

K-Beauty As Ritual And Hydration

SPEAKER_03 6:52

It's the one-time regifting is allowed. Red light devices, I think, I think people would appreciate that. You know, those you know, crazy colored socks that Aunt Lucy gave me last Christmas, probably not, probably not. No, along with red light, I think exosomes are the next, you know, big thing on everyone's mind. And I think there's some confusion, just you know, maybe about what are they truly? And are we even ready for this? You know, a lot of people were questioning, are they regulated? How do we actually use them? Do we have like safety? What about the sourcing? And so I I think I wanted to get your idea of like where are we now with this? Is this something you're jumping on? Are you telling people to be a little cautious with? Can you explain a little bit like you know, with the exosome thing, like what is it about exosomes that you know that I guess makes them different from maybe something else that's out there, like a traditional like antioxidant, like using vitamin C or something else that somebody might put on their skin? Like what makes exosomes so unique that makes them so buzzy? Yeah, and I think that's where, you know, it's gone on pretty quickly from what I understand. Lots of offices, you know, people are utilizing these across the board, but all the concerns you raise, I think it has given us a little pause, you know, on exactly how safe are they, how well are they gonna work. And I expect there'll be more coming out, more research to support sourcing animal sources versus like you said, can we get these from plants? Can it make sense? Can they be just as effective? So I think too, like waiting for more data on a lot of this will be helpful and kind of guiding what we do, but there's always been people trying it before the data's there, right? So I think you know, caution our patients and educate them on the possible, you know, dangers associated with it, are useful. But I think there's a lot of promise there potentially, but giving that information be helpful. But I know one thing people have jumped on, and even myself, guilty as charged, K beauty, right? I've got some still amusement, I gotta tell you, like I have seen some value in my skin and utilizing it for hydration. I do think the components, although may lacking, again, some of these nice clinical trials we'd like to always see to validate it. I've seen some of the benefits. Uh, first off, guilty confessional, used any K-beauty products, something that you've loved, and think this is a it's here to stay.

SPEAKER_00 11:21

Yeah, I'm not sure.

Wild Trends And Misinformation

SPEAKER_03 12:56

No, I don't agree with you. I I I talked with, you know, Dr. Lily Park. We were talking about this and just, you know, where KBD's gone and the steps. I said, you know, it's just daunting to me. You know, I do love the products, some of the feel, some of the texture, some of the components too that are very innovative that people hadn't utilized in some of the products we have here in the States, and how cost effective. I said, which is great. You know, I think you know they've got some really nice advantages. But it's the 10 steps, it's hard to sell me on it. But I agree the ritual part, you know, the fact that it's embedded in their culture to care for their skin in this very ritualistic way, I think it's quite admirable. Yeah, I said, you know, here, you know, the way we take care of brush our teeth, work out. I said, I love how they approach skincare though in that fashion and it's so part of their culture. I said, maybe we can shift, you know, folks here to think about skin in the same way. I mean, maybe we'll see that shift too, where it's just second nature that we want to do that. And I always think there's benefit sometimes in that ritual part, like it's just the self-care. Is there a good clinical trial to show that's beneficial? But there's a psychological benefit, right? You're taking care of yourself. And that's why sometimes, like, well, you know, if I don't believe it's necessarily doing you harm and you get benefit from that time with yourself, do it. It could be meditative. And you may not take the 10 minutes to zone out and truly do the meditation, but skincare can be meditative, I think, for a lot of people in that way. Yeah, and I think it's kind of here to stay. I told people I'm I'm curious to see where it goes to and what other innovation comes out of there too. But and I have to tell you, with my my kids too, they're in the K-pop demon hunters. I don't know if you're familiar with that. Oh, yeah. I think they you know the I know the songs by heart and it's gonna be here to follow just as good, just as good. So I've got to ask you though, like crazy trends though. I mean, you are consuming social media probably massively as you're out there, obviously commenting on it. What are some of the craziest trends that you've seen that you're like, wow, and how to kind of stop in your tracks or really, you know, kind of battle against and re-educate the public on?

unknown 15:17

Yes.

Sunscreen Fear And How It Spreads

Supplements And The No Easy Fix Rule

SPEAKER_03 18:20

You know, you support people making their own decisions, but you want them to have the facts laid before them. And I think that's I mean, you're you're trying to give people an idea of what's accurate, but you also support people like saying, hey, that's the right choice for me, either this treatment or not doing this, but you don't want them to be misled by all the things that just aren't accurate that are out there. I'm curious with the sunscreen. What do you feel like? I mean, obviously, you've mentioned mistrust. Do we feel like the sunscreen, like I've seen it's like sunscreen's poison, it causes cancer? Do you feel like it's really based on our components of sunscreen and fear of you know chemical filters, or is it just stem for people that feel like we just don't simply need it? Because I've also seen this movement where sun obviously is healthy and people link it obviously to vitamin D activation and kind of go that route. Where do you think like the foundation of that argument even came from? Yeah, I think it's fascinating where some of those arguments have come from, and you're exactly right. You know, people just hear sound bites or little tidbits, and they don't really dive deeper into how the studies were done or some of the limitations that could really explain, I think, the situation. And people have a different perspective, I think, on a lot of those things. So it's so good, you know, that you're out there, you know, trying to educate people in that fashion because I think that's where people jump on you know that trend without even really thinking twice about it. Same way I think we've seen a little bit too with the supplement industry, right? Like I feel like in the States, like supplements have just gone crazy. And I do take supplements. I I am gonna you know admit fully out here. I I take you know, omega 3s to get my fish oils in. I do take a multivitamin, you know, I've got some calcium vitamin D on board and even a probiotic. So I will flat out admit, you know, that I have jumped on some of the value that I've seen in things that I take. But what are your thoughts on that? Because I feel like it's almost an industry trying to take advantage of our society at times. Yeah, and I think sometimes the supplements, you know, we make poor lifestyle changes, like we don't eat well, we don't exercise, but we'll we'll be willing to take the supplement, right? Thinking that's going to fix everything. I think that's the misleading piece about it, too. It can be a part of a more holistic approach, if you will, to overall well-being. But I agree with you if somebody doesn't need to take it, because I do have folks coming with the biggest bag of pills they've ever seen and thinking, oh my gosh, we want so many prescriptions, and it's nothing but supplements, nothing but supplements. So I do think it's a challenge that we have to kind of educate patients on. And like I said, I sometimes get worried we're taking advantage of uh folks in our society with that too. And this goes for better health instead of maybe looking collectively at what we do and how we take care of our bodies.

SPEAKER_00 24:56

Right. And I think people forget with less vigorous testing, right? Yeah, I mean, exactly, exactly.

2026 Trends To Watch

Separating Fact From Fiction Online

SPEAKER_03 25:04

Right. Yeah, so I definitely think there's some danger there that we need to caution patients with. And there's no easy fix for about anything in life, including a lot of skin conditions. So, you know, beware of the supplements, but again, for some people can be the right fit, but a part of a more, you know, sort of inclusive plan of taking care of your health. So as we move into 2026, I know we're only about well, almost a quarter of the way in, you know, what trends are you seeing as we kind of talk about what for what do you want people to look out for? And do you have anything you want to tell people like, hey, this is definitely on the horizon, good or bad, maybe trends? And then we talk more about the negative sometimes, but maybe some of the good trends you see coming our way. I mean, it is a buzzword, so I think you're right. There's a lot more to come on that to really validate, you know, what some of these products can offer. And I have a suspicion they're gonna work with the oldies but goodies you just mentioned, but maybe in a different way to maximize efficacy for people. And then I guess, you know, fine the last few minutes we have. If you have people out there to trying to separate fact from fiction on social media, what advice do you give your patients that you would give our listeners out there as well? Love to have you come back on periodically and maybe do some myth busting about what's out there on social media. Well, thanks again for coming on the podcast. And stay tuned for the next episode of Dermot Trotter Don't Swear About Skin Care.