Dermatologists share their no. 1 tip to get healthier, glowing skin

If you want to start the new year with healthier, glowing skin, there’s one major change dermatologists want you to make to your skin care routine.

When TODAY.com polled six dermatologists for their top skin-care tip to take into 2025, they all said the same thing: Leave the DIY social media trends behind.

“Leave behind TikTok DIY skincare trends, like making your own sunscreen at home or putting all sorts of stuff on your face,” Dr. Joyce Park, board-certified dermatologist and founder of Skin Refinery Clinic, tells TODAY.com. Ingredients like baking soda, lemon juice and beef tallow have been recommended on social media, she says, but don’t have the proper evidence behind them.

Additionally, some DIY trends, like homemade sunscreen or chemical peels, can be genuinely harmful to your skin. And they may end up doing the exact opposite of what you’re hoping for, the experts warn.

Avoid social media DIY skin-care trends

“Ditch the DIY,” Dr. Shasa Hu, associate professor in the department of dermatology and cutaneous surgery at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, tells TODAY.com. “No more DIY sunscreen, hair bleaching or at-home microneedling,” she says.

These activities “often do more harm than good,” Hu says, adding that they can trigger allergic reactions and skin infections or lead to lasting skin pigmentation, scarring or increased sensitivity to the sun.

Sunscreen is definitely not something you should be DIY-ing, Dr. Shari Lipner, associate professor of clinical dermatology at the Weill Cornell Medical Center, tells TODAY.com.

“Some TikTok influencers are advocating for making sunscreen at home that also has anti-aging ingredients,” she says. “The harm in doing that is that these sunscreens are not regulated and may result in sunburn, skin aging and increased risk of skin cancer, and may also irritate your skin.”

Lipner also cautions against creating a chemical peel at home. In fact, the Food and Drug Administration issued a warning in July that some at-home chemical peels “may have high concentrations of harmful ingredients that could scar your skin,” Lipner says. For best results, consult with a board-certified dermatologist instead, she adds.

You should also avoid social media’s new favorite “natural” moisturizer: beef tallow, Dr. Fatima Fahs, a board-certified dermatologist based in Michigan and founder of Dermy Doc Box, tells TODAY.com.

“Put down the beef tallow and pick up the well-formulated, science-backed moisturizer instead,” she…