Huberman LabHow to Improve & Protect Your Skin Health & Appearance | Dr. Teo Soleymani
At a glance
WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT
Dermatologist Reveals Science-Backed Strategies For Lifelong Healthy, Youthful Skin
- Stanford-trained dermatologist and skin cancer surgeon Dr. Teo Soleymani joins Andrew Huberman to explain how skin actually works, what really ages it, and how to prevent both cosmetic damage and serious disease. They cover the impacts of stress, light, alcohol, nicotine, and diet on skin, and detail evidence-based routines for cleansing, moisturizing, and sun protection. Soleymani strongly favors mineral sunscreens and physical barriers, explains why prescription retinoids and certain lasers uniquely rebuild skin, and debunks many expensive skincare myths. The conversation also addresses major skin conditions (acne, psoriasis, eczema, rosacea, vitiligo), their immune and microbiome links, and modern treatments including biologics, phototherapy, and emerging vaccines for skin cancer.
IDEAS WORTH REMEMBERING
5 ideasPrioritize stress management because stress visibly and biologically ages skin.
Acute stress causes vasoconstriction and pallor; chronic stress via cortisol breaks down collagen and elastin and thins vessel walls, accelerating visible aging and hair loss. People literally look worse in periods of high stress, and often markedly better after vacations or stress reduction. Practical implication: treat stress management (sleep, psychological tools, time outdoors, exercise) as a primary skincare intervention, not an afterthought.
Use simple, fragrance-free cleansers and avoid over-cleansing to protect the skin microbiome.
Excellent options like unscented Dove bar, Cetaphil, and CeraVe are cheap, effective, and preferred by dermatologists. Over-washing—especially with harsh, antibacterial, or alcohol-based products—strips sebum and eradicates beneficial skin microbes, opening niches for pathogens and irritation. Many people can cleanse less than daily, especially older or dry-skin individuals; shower frequency should be driven by sweat, oiliness, and breakouts, not habit or marketing.
Choose moisturizers and shampoos based on your skin/scalp type, not price.
Ointments (e.g., petrolatum/Aquaphor) are best for very dry/eczema-prone skin but can worsen acne; creams are intermediate; lotions are lightest. Look for “non-comedogenic,” “fragrance-free,” and fewer preservatives. For dry or flaky scalp, address seborrheic dermatitis or psoriasis with zinc or ketoconazole shampoos and anti-inflammatory topicals—these do not damage hair shafts, which are dead structures. Expensive skincare almost never outperforms simple, well-formulated drugstore products.
Favor sun exposure in moderation plus physical and mineral protection over fear or heavy chemical sunscreen use.
Soleymani believes some sun is beneficial for mood, circadian health, and vitamin D (often 15–20 minutes on forearms is enough), and that total sun avoidance is not healthy. Physical barriers (clothing, hats, shade) and mineral sunscreens (zinc/titanium dioxide, SPF ≥30, broad-spectrum) are safest and often more effective than creams alone. Chemical sunscreens (oxybenzone, octocrylene, octinoxate, etc.) are systemically absorbed at levels far above FDA thresholds and show endocrine and neuroactivity in preclinical data, leading him to avoid them, especially in children.
Use prescription-strength retinoids and consider evidence-based laser treatments for real anti-aging and cancer-prevention benefits.
Topical prescription retinoids (tretinoin, adapalene, tazarotene) accelerate turnover from ~28 days to 7–9, increase dermal collagen/elastin, reduce actinic damage, and lower non-melanoma skin cancer risk. Over-the-counter “retinol” is usually underdosed, unstable, and largely ineffective. Fractional non-ablative lasers (e.g., Fraxel) and ablative resurfacing can remove or remodel sun-damaged tissue, improve texture, and in studies cut non-melanoma skin cancer risk by ~20%, with gene-expression patterns reverting toward youthful profiles.
WORDS WORTH SAVING
5 quotesYou have brand new skin every 28 days. It’s one of the few organs that can truly regenerate.
— Dr. Teo Soleymani
Most of the time when you get outdoors on a sunny day, you feel better—and although you can’t quantify that in a test tube, you see it in skin health.
— Dr. Teo Soleymani
You don’t have to spend a lot to have excellent skincare, and you don’t need a multi-step routine. Often, the more steps there are, the more chances something will go wrong.
— Dr. Teo Soleymani
Everybody should be on a prescription-strength retinoid. It protects your skin, keeps you looking young, and reduces skin cancer risk.
— Dr. Teo Soleymani
For every one melanoma we diagnose, there are ten non-melanoma skin cancers, and this year squamous cell carcinoma will kill about three times as many people as melanoma.
— Dr. Teo Soleymani
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