Beware the 'glow trap': Dermatologist warns TikTok is driving the rise of painful 'influencer inflammation'

"A leading dermatologist is speaking out against some viral skincare routines, warning that Gen Z's obsession with online beauty hacks is leaving their faces red, raw and burning with "influencer inflammation." "One patient recently came in convinced she had 'sensitive skin' for the first time in her life," Dr. Sandy Skotnicki, author of Beyond Soap and co-host of Skin To It podcast, told The Post. "In reality, she had irritant dermatitis from overdoing actives she saw on TikTok.""

""They're often well-informed and genuinely interested in skincare, but that curiosity gets hijacked by influencer marketing and peer pressure," she said. But it's not just women. Skotnicki said more men are experimenting with multi-step routines - and when they overdo it, their skin flares up the same way. "When I ask about their routine, they're often using a foaming cleanser, followed by glycolic acid toner, vitamin C serum, niacinamide and retinol - sometimes all in one go," she said."

""When we stripped her routine back to basics - gentle cleanser, moisturizer, sunscreen - her skin calmed within weeks," Skotnicki said. Product elimination and skin cycling: your new BFFs The protocol, known as the product elimination diet, has patients switch their hair and face care products to fragrance-free, essential oil-free and formaldehyde-free formulas before slowly adding them back one at a time. "They typically get better and then reintroduce one per week to see what combination works for them," she said."

Gen Z and many young adults are developing inflamed, stinging skin from adopting viral multi-step skincare routines and overusing active ingredients. Patients present with redness, rawness, and irritant dermatitis after layering cleansers, glycolic acids, vitamin C, niacinamide and retinol. Both women and men experience similar flares when combining too many actives. Calming skin requires stripping routines to basics — gentle cleanser, moisturizer and sunscreen — and using a product elimination diet to switch to fragrance-free, essential oil-free and formaldehyde-free formulas. Reintroducing products one per week helps identify combinations that trigger irritation and supports skin recovery.

Read at New York Post