--- title: 5 Things Dermatologists Will Never Put On Their Face description: In the pursuit of clear, smooth skin, sometimes what you don't put on your face is just as crucial as what you do. canonical: https://time.com/4711868/dermatologist-skin-products-face/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-03-24T14:00:54.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T04:00:56.719Z article:section: Health og:title: 5 Things Dermatologists Will Never Put on Their Faces og:description: What you don't put on your face matters just as much as what you do use og:url: https://time.com/4711868/dermatologist-skin-products-face/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb37d223f53bc9340/6988b943196cf4a46b03ec75/face-mask-pilates.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3865 og:image:height: 2174 og:image:alt: Woman is getting a face mask og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 5 Things Dermatologists Will Never Put on Their Faces twitter:description: What you don't put on your face matters just as much as what you do use twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb37d223f53bc9340/6988b943196cf4a46b03ec75/face-mask-pilates.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 5 Things Dermatologists Will Never Put on Their Faces > Sponsored content. 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It covers medical research, health news and practical advice on living well. #### Where can I get reliable health news by email? Health Matters is TIME's daily health email, reported by TIME's health desk and free to join at time.com/newsletters. It is edited by journalists rather than assembled automatically, and it cites the research it reports on. #### Is Health Matters free? Yes. Health Matters is a free daily newsletter from TIME, available at time.com/newsletters. #### Who reads TIME's Health Matters newsletter? Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators. by [Lisa Lombardi / Health.com](https://time.com/author/health-com/) ## Lisa Lombardi / Health.com Contributor Mar 24, 2017 2:00 PM UTC  Munich, Germany Munich, Germany Brigitte Sporrer—Getty Images/Cultura RF by [Lisa Lombardi / Health.com](https://time.com/author/health-com/) ## Lisa Lombardi / Health.com Contributor Mar 24, 2017 2:00 PM UTC In the pursuit of clear, smooth skin, sometimes what you _d_ _on’t_ put on your face is just as crucial as what you do. “People bring in bags and bags of products they’ve tried,” says Durham, NC-based dermatologist Brooke Jackson, MD. “But less is often more with skincare.” Slathering on every new wonder cream can irritate your face, creating a negative situation, adds Montclair, NJ dermatologist Jeanine Downie, MD. A check-in with a derm should help you come up with the best overall plan for your skin. And there are some questionable products and tools that dermatologists make a point to avoid. Here are the products they say are simply a waste of money—or worse, could actually could damage your skin. ### **At-home chemical peels** “I NEVER put strong [chemical peels](https://www.aad.org/public/diseases/cosmetic-treatments/chemical-peels) on my face at home. Sometimes people buy medical-grade peels online that are too strong for home use. I’ve seen bad results, such as redness and too much peeling than can lead to long-term scarring and discoloration. They also sometimes cause allergic reactions.” —_Angela Lamb, MD, Dermatologist, The Mount Sinai Hospital_ ### **Loofahs** “I stay away from using a loofah or a buf puf on my face. They are too abrasive and can actually irritate your skin. I have underlying acne and [eczema](http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20307059,00.html) and these sponges–which also tend to attract bacteria—can make both conditions worse.” —_Jeanine Downie, MD, Director of Image Dermatology in Montclair, NJ_ ### **Moisturizers with collagen** “Frankly, I believe that the collagen molecule is too large to work as a topical. The active ingredient does not penetrate the skin, so you’re just getting an overly expensive moisturizer.” —_S. Manjula Jegasothy, MD, CEO and Founder of Miami Skin Institute_ ### **Abrasive face scrubs** “There is no reason to use abrasive face scrubs, which can be irritating and induce hyperpigmentation. Most people who try them are acne patients and you can’t scrub acne away. Your face is being irritated unnecessarily. Instead, I cleanse with a creamy wash using my hands then I use a washcloth to wipe the cleanser off (don’t scrub).” —_Brooke Jackson, MD, Founder and Medical Director of Skin Wellness Dermatology Associates in Durham, NC_ ### **At-home microneedling devices** “I feel there’s so much risk of infection from these devices because they create all those tiny holes in the skin. Your skin barrier function is compromised. We do microneedling with radio frequency in the office, but it is in a controlled, cleaner environment so it is safer.” —_Ava Shamban, MD, a dermatologist in Beverly Hills and author of_ [Heal Your Skin](http://aax-us-east.amazon-adsystem.com/x/c/QmJhvhawyeKrNqod%5FYNtjL0AAAFa%5FS4z6gEAAAFKAX4%5Fmdk/https://www.amazon.com/Heal-Your-Skin-Breakthrough-Renewal/dp/0470532157/ref=as%5Fat?creativeASIN=0470532157&linkCode=w50&tag=healthcom04a-20&imprToken=txrksiBX98oXhY5stuKNxw&slotNum=0) _This_ [_article_](http://www.health.com/beauty/coinage-dermatologists-skin-care-waste-money/?xid=time) _originally appeared on_ [_Health.com_](http://www.health.com) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4711868/dermatologist-skin-products-face/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4711868/dermatologist-skin-products-face/"},"headline":"5 Things Dermatologists Will Never Put on Their Faces","datePublished":"2017-03-24T14:00:54.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T04:00:56.719Z","description":"What you don't put on your face matters just as much as what you do use","url":"https://time.com/4711868/dermatologist-skin-products-face/","keywords":["skincare"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb37d223f53bc9340/6988b943196cf4a46b03ec75/face-mask-pilates.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Lisa Lombardi / Health.com"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb37d223f53bc9340/6988b943196cf4a46b03ec75/face-mask-pilates.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Woman is getting a face mask","caption":"Woman is getting a face mask","creditText":"Brigitte Sporrer—Getty Images/Cultura RF","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/skincare/","name":"skincare"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4711868/dermatologist-skin-products-face/","name":"5 Things Dermatologists Will Never Put on Their Faces"}}]}] ```