WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif. − I was relaxing by a pool, surrounded by beautiful actors, influencers and models, when I saw the ugliest photo of me ever taken.
I was attending a wellness retreat inspired by ” The White Lotus” at the Fore Seasons Westlake Village in Southern California. As part of the event, Kiehl’s − one of the brand partners − set up “Derma-Reader” stations outside, where attendees could get high-tech images taken of their skin to reveal potential issues lurking beneath the surface.
As a skincare enthusiast, I couldn’t resist the opportunity to get a deeper look at my skin’s health. And besides, I know I take great care of my skin anyway. What could go wrong?
When I got my photos back, my heart sank. Has my skincare routine been off this whole time? I spoke to dermatologists to get to the bottom of it. Thankfully, there’s a lot more to the story.
How does the Derma-Reader work?
My own distress aside, the Derma-Reader uses some cool technology.
With fancy lights and advanced algorithms, the Derma-Reader analyzes skin across several categories, including wrinkles, dark circles and texture. It can also look below the surface, taking photos of UV damage and clogged pores you wouldn’t see otherwise.
After taking these images, the machine then compares your results against those of 16,000 other skin profiles in its database. A representative told me the machine measures your skin specifically against other people in its database with similar skin profiles to you, giving a percentage score based on where you rank among them.
Dr. Anthony Rossi, a dermatologist in New York, isn’t familiar with Kiehl’s machine, but says he uses similar machines on his patients − and they really do work, so long as the analyses are done in the right context and the results are compared to a large enough sample size.
“That’s the problem with these machines,” he says. “If they’re not rigorous enough, they don’t always give you the best data.”
My Derma-Reader results shocked me
I wasn’t the only one who got a rude awakening from a Derma-Reader at the retreat. Other attendees expressed similar shock at their results throughout the day. “Were you also traumatized by the skin machine this morning?” I overheard one woman say to another after dinner.
OK, my results weren’t that bad − at least that’s what one of the Kiehl’s representatives told me. All my scores, even the lower ones, she said, are still in the “green” zone, meaning none are actually in bad shape.
The machine also gave me some good news too. I scored 100% in the “clogged pores” category, meaning my pores are, allegedly, nearly entirely free of blockages that could cause acne. Acne has been my biggest skin concern since I was a teenager, so that news came as a relief. My skin has been pretty clear for the past couple years, so maybe my breakouts era is finally behind me.
The score that stopped me in my tracks, however − and sent me into mild panic − was my UV damage result. My uncle died after a melanoma diagnosis about a year ago, so I know how important sun protection is not just for your complexion, but also for your overall health. The machine gave me a 74% in UV damage − not horrible, the Kiehl’s representative said, but, ideally, someone around my age should be at 80% or higher. I diligently apply an SPF mineral sunscreen to my face and neck − including my ears and eyelids − every day and reapply it if I spend time outside or sweat, so I found this score disheartening. Did I do something wrong?
I brought these concerns to two separate dermatologists − Rossi and Dr. Brooke Jeffy − to get some answers.
Should I be worried?
First off, Rossi told me, context can impact results. My analysis was done outside in the sun and in the morning, before I had water, so my scores were likely to skew dehydrated.
Still, the Kiehl’s representative said I do have room to improve, especially in the hydration department. My lowest scores − a 68% in wrinkles, a 64% in hydration and a 59% in crow’s feet (I smile, sue me) − all could stem from dehydrated skin. I’ve been hitting the anti-acne products pretty hard since adolescence, which may be drying me out too much. Now could be the time to pivot my routine to focus on retaining moisture.
Also, in order to get a more accurate reading, these analyses should be done on clean skin. My analysis was done after I’d already applied sunscreen for the day. I asked the Kiehl’s representative onsite if this was OK, and she said it wouldn’t make a difference.
Rossi, however, begs to differ.
“To really get a perfect reading, you want to have really nothing on your skin,” he says. “Even the UV damage, it’s hard because, if you have a sunscreen on you, it’s going to reflect the light differently.”
Also, a lot of my UV damage could have accumulated in childhood, before I started taking skincare seriously. I grew up in sunny Los Angeles and didn’t start wearing sunscreen daily until I was 23.
Still, Jeffy says, I shouldn’t be discouraged.
“I would say you’re actually doing really well,” she says. “How much exposure you had when you were much younger (might) play a role.”
My takeaway
This experience did teach me a few things.
For starters, hydration is key, and I’ll be prioritizing it in my skincare routine moving forward. Now that my acne is mostly under control, I’m not going to be afraid to reach for moisturizing products. Dr. Jeffy says it might also be time to incorporate retinol into my regimen.
I’m also going to stay diligent with sunscreen and reapply it more frequently. It’s possible I sweat off more of it than I realize.
UV damage can also look worse than it actually is when viewed through a black-and-white filter, which is how it appears in Derma-Reader images. Based on how my skin looks outside these photos, Rossi says he suspects my UV damage isn’t at a level that should overly concern me.
“I wouldn’t say your UV damage is very bad,” he says. “You don’t have a ton of brown spots, and you don’t have a ton of obvious wrinkles.”
