Obsessed with skincare? How much is too much?

It’s a thin line between a harmless interest in skincare products and treatment and a full-blown obsession called dermorexia

By Anu Prabhakar

Published: Fri 18 Oct 2024, 7:15 AM

Skin, we were once taught, is an organ but in 2024, it’s meant to be glass-like; blemish free and luminous. The hashtag #glassskin has over 1.2 million posts on Instagram and skincare influencers have convinced netizens to aspire to have skin that is so clear that it can reflect light. Words like ‘retinol’, ‘niacinamide’ and ‘hyaluronic acid’ have entered casual conversations and every skincare routine now seems to have at least 10 steps.

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Dubai resident Tooba Chaudhry once “fell down a rabbit hole” in her quest for hydrated, youthful-looking skin, while focusing on reducing hyperpigmentation. “Growing up with brown skin comes with its own set of struggles, especially around issues like hyperpigmentation,” she says. “I tried a tonne of products and wasted a lot of money, but I eventually realised that it wasn’t getting me anywhere. My skin looked the same and I was getting more frustrated with the whole process.”

She decided to take a step back. “I slowed down and stuck to the basics — like double cleansing, sunscreen and hydration — and adopted the one-product-at-a-time rule. It helped me to figure out what actually works for my skin and now, I’m much happier with my routine and approach.”

Multiple factors like social media and its misleading beauty filters, peer pressure, the rise of skinfluencers, and ‘Hallyu’ or the ‘Korean Wave’ (described as a ‘global craze for Korean culture’ including K-Pop, K-Dramas and K-beauty, which popularised ‘glass skin’), have all contributed to a surging interest in skincare products and treatments. And while beauty content on social media can be fun and informative, experts warn that if one isn’t careful, it could spread misinformation and lead to an obsession with far-reaching consequences.

How much is too much?

About 20 percent of Dr Akreti Sobti’s patients walk into her clinic, Athena Dermatology Clinic, for a skincare routine. Some of these patients, who are as young as 16, have no skin ailments and the dermatologist has had to decline requests for procedures like lip fillers and skin lightening treatments on such young skin.

They also, rather unrealistically, desire to resemble Korean stars. “They want a slimmer nose and face, and a more chiselled jawline. Sometimes, depending on the anatomy of their body, it’s easy or even medically necessary but sometimes it’s not physically possible due to differences in ethnicity, skin types and skin colour,” says Dr Sobti.

Her clientele also include patients who struggle to manage the side-effects of overusing products like topical creams laced with steroids. “A patient might use it initially to treat a rash and then notice that it gave him/her fairer and glowing skin in six months. They begin to overuse it and suddenly, they are left with dry red patches on their skin,” she explains.

Dr Sobti recalls working with a 30-year-old patient who spiralled out of control while self-treating acne with every product that promised blemish-free skin. But that only wreaked further damage on her skin and it took the doctor several months to help the patient even with the right treatment plan.

Alefiyah Johar, co-founder of FC beauty and partner at Fakhree Al Hindi Co LLC

She points out that the Covid-19 pandemic, too, had a role to play in the rise of this worrying trend as during the lockdown, people consumed more beauty content online than ever before. “The marketing and branding of skincare products has also changed, with companies now using subtle pale purple, pink and pastel shades to attract teenage girls,” she continues. Gullible youngsters often end up purchasing perfume or scent-heavy creams that cause acne, eczema, and puberty changes as “they may have had some amount of hormonal imbalance to begin with”. And the use of the current rage, the ubiquitous lip plumping balms, carries its own risks. “Most of them have harmful chemicals that cause a bit of lip swelling but they can also lead to dermatitis, which may ultimately damage the lips,” she warns.

Alefiyah Johar, co-founder of FC beauty and partner at Fakhree Al Hindi Co LLC, started her career as a junior interior designer. The job entailed spending long hours outdoors and her skin developed cystic acne. “I had clear skin throughout my childhood and teens so when I began to get these acne spots and scars all over my face, I got really upset and frustrated,” she says. “It affected my confidence.” She visited a dermatologist — “the best decision I ever made,” she says — who treated the acne.

However, the acne marks and spots remained. She went on to join her family’s beauty business and began to research and try out skincare products for work. “At that point, it was something new and fascinating to me. And when I began to see results, I thought I could use it to clear up my skin,” she says. “That’s when I started to use different local and international brands — not only the brands that I was bringing in, but other brands as well because I wanted to get that ‘glass-skin’ sort of thing.” Her skin didn’t react well to the products. “That’s when I realised that I don’t need to follow every trend and that I just need to stick to the basics.”

Today, Johar does not use more than five products: toner, serum, suncream, moisturising cream, and essence. “When it comes to skincare, less is more,” she points out. “People are trying everything to achieve glass skin. And the beauty industry is capitalising on that interest by coming up with new products.”

Dr Mahra Lutfi, dermatologist and plastic surgeon

Understanding dermorexia

In extreme cases, people splurge all their money on expensive skincare products and treatments, leaving them with little to no money to afford basic necessities like groceries, and even rent. Experts even have a relatively new term for it — dermorexia. According to a September 2024 article in Grazia magazine, dermorexia (the term was reportedly “coined by beauty journalist Jessica DeFino in her Substack newsletter The Review of Beauty”) is also “a preoccupation with perceived imperfections pertaining to skin such as acne or scarring”. It is, however, important to note that doctors cannot clinically diagnose it.

“It’s a body dysmorphic disorder where people perceive themselves depending on their appearance and body image, and do excessive skincare routines and treatment,” explains dermatologist and plastic surgeon, Dr Mahra Lutfi. “Such patients avoid social interactions and going out in public, wearing swimwear … It can lead to emotional distress and affect your mental health very deeply.”

There’s a thin but clear line between a harmless interest in skincare and a full-blown obsession. “You begin to get too obsessed about your skin and look at yourself constantly in the mirror, pricking your skin,” says Dr Lutfi. Such people are fixated on imagined ‘flaws’, undergo frequent dermatological procedures and keep up with their favourite skinfluencers by buying every product that they advertise. “They invest a lot of time and money in it,” she adds. “I usually try to calm down such patients and try to make them feel good about themselves.”

One of her patients, a 16-year-old girl, was so obsessed with her skin that she would spend about three to four hours every day cleansing and exfoliating it. “She spent a lot of money on products and experienced low self-esteem, social withdrawal, anxiety and depression,” recalls Dr Lutfi. There were physical manifestations of the obsession as well — she suffered from red, inflamed skin as the products didn't suit her.

In such instances, Dr Lutfi suggests that the patient consult a therapist — which she did, in this case. “It can develop into a psychological obsession if you don’t treat it on time, especially in young people who are so influenced by social media and beauty trends.” She remained in touch with the patient and is pleased to see that the teenager enjoys a healthier relationship with her body and skin today.

When approached in the right manner — using high-quality skincare products, following a simple yet effective routine, or opting for safe, age-appropriate procedures that enhance one’s features — skincare can boost self-esteem and confidence. However, going overboard can result in an all-consuming desperation to meet unrealistic beauty standards. “You have to adopt a balanced approach towards skincare,” adds Dr Lutfi.

Top tips for a healthy skin

1) Don’t buy every product that's advertised on social media, advises Dr Mahra Lutfi. “Some of them are off the shelves and influencers promote them. But remember they are influencers, not doctors.”

2) Limit your time on social media. Exercise can also give you healthy, glowing skin so instead of doom scrolling for hours, go for a jog.

3) Follow a simple skincare routine. “Eat healthy and sleep well,” she adds.

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