WorksEvidence grade A
Daily Sunscreen
Randomized evidence that daily use measurably slows visible aging over years.
Skin & PreventionReviewed 15 September 2026
The index
Does It Actually Work?
Every treatment below has been graded on the quality of its human evidence and given a verdict in plain language. Each entry carries its citations and the date I last read the literature on it.
I have a commercial interest in some of these treatments, which is exactly why the grades and the citations are on the page. Where the evidence is thin for something I perform, the entry says so.
Showing 20 of 20 treatments
| Claim | Detail | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Sunscreen | Prevents visible skin aging, not only skin cancer. | Works | Evidence grade A | 15 September 2026 | |
| Fractional CO2 Resurfacing | Improves sun damage, texture, fine lines and mild laxity in a single treatment. | Works | Evidence grade B | 15 September 2026 | |
| Topical Retinoids | Reverses photoaging: fewer fine lines, more even pigment, thicker dermis. | Works | Evidence grade A | 15 September 2026 | |
| Chemical Peels | Resurfaces skin, evens pigment and softens fine lines for far less than a laser. | Modest | Evidence grade B | 15 September 2026 | |
| Injectable Skin Boosters | Microinjections of low-crosslinked hyaluronic acid that hydrate skin from within and improve elasticity and fine lines. | Modest | Evidence grade C | 15 September 2026 | |
| IPL Photofacials | Evens tone, clears sun spots and broken capillaries, and rejuvenates skin. | Modest | Evidence grade B | 15 September 2026 | |
| Microfocused Ultrasound | Non-surgical lifting of the brow, jawline and neck through focused deep heating. | Modest | Evidence grade C | 15 September 2026 | |
| Microneedling | Stimulates collagen and improves texture, scars and fine lines with minimal downtime. | Modest | Evidence grade B | 15 September 2026 | |
| Radiofrequency Microneedling | Tightens skin and remodels the deep dermis without the downtime of ablative resurfacing. | Modest | Evidence grade B | 15 September 2026 | |
| Red Light Therapy | Stimulates collagen, softens fine lines, reduces redness and speeds healing. | Modest | Evidence grade B | 15 September 2026 | |
| Topical Vitamin C | Brightens pigmentation, protects against free radical damage, and supports collagen. | Modest | Evidence grade C | 15 September 2026 | |
| Oral Collagen Supplements | Drinking hydrolyzed collagen improves skin elasticity, hydration and wrinkle depth. | Mixed | Evidence grade C | 15 September 2026 | |
| At-Home LED Masks | Clinic-grade light therapy at home, for collagen, acne and redness. | Thin evidence | Evidence grade C | 15 September 2026 | |
| Facial Exercise Programs | Building facial muscle restores youthful fullness and lifts the face without surgery. | Thin evidence | Evidence grade D | 15 September 2026 | |
| PDO Thread Lifts | A non-surgical lift that repositions sagging tissue and stimulates collagen, lasting one to two years. | Thin evidence | Evidence grade C | 15 September 2026 | |
| PRP and PRF for Skin | Your own growth factors, injected or applied, rejuvenate skin and improve texture and tone. | Thin evidence | Evidence grade D | 15 September 2026 | |
| Topical and Injected Exosomes | Cell-derived signalling vesicles that regenerate skin, boost collagen and accelerate healing after procedures. | Thin evidence | Evidence grade D | 15 September 2026 | |
| Topical Growth Factor Serums | Applied growth factors signal skin to rebuild collagen the way young skin does. | Thin evidence | Evidence grade D | 15 September 2026 | |
| At-Home HIFU Devices | Clinic-strength focused ultrasound lifting, from a handheld device. | Doesn't | Evidence grade D | 15 September 2026 | |
| Gua Sha and Facial Massage | Lifts and sculpts the face, drains fluid and stimulates collagen. | Doesn't | Evidence grade D | 15 September 2026 |
Results
WorksEvidence grade B
Fractional CO2 Resurfacing
The most reliably effective resurfacing tool available, with a recovery that matches the size of the effect.
Energy & ResurfacingReviewed 15 September 2026
WorksEvidence grade A
Topical Retinoids
The strongest-evidenced topical in dermatology, and the one most people give up on too early.
Skin & PreventionReviewed 15 September 2026
ModestEvidence grade B
Chemical Peels
Depth is everything. Superficial peels do a little; medium-depth peels do a lot and carry matching downtime.
Energy & ResurfacingReviewed 15 September 2026
ModestEvidence grade C
Injectable Skin Boosters
A real, measurable improvement in skin hydration and fine texture that fades on a predictable schedule.
Skin & PreventionReviewed 15 September 2026
ModestEvidence grade B
IPL Photofacials
Genuinely good at pigment and vessels. Close to useless for texture or lines, which is half of what it is sold for.
Energy & ResurfacingReviewed 15 September 2026
ModestEvidence grade C
Microfocused Ultrasound
A measurable millimeter-scale lift of the brow in the right candidate, and very little in the wrong one.
Energy & ResurfacingReviewed 15 September 2026
ModestEvidence grade B
Microneedling
Consistent, modest improvement in texture and acne scarring across several sessions.
Energy & ResurfacingReviewed 15 September 2026
ModestEvidence grade B
Radiofrequency Microneedling
Real deep-dermal remodeling in mild to moderate laxity, and consistently oversold as a facelift alternative.
Energy & ResurfacingReviewed 15 September 2026
ModestEvidence grade B
Red Light Therapy
Real but small, and only with consistent use at an adequate dose.
Skin & PreventionReviewed 15 September 2026
ModestEvidence grade C
Topical Vitamin C
A real but small effect on pigmentation, resting on seven small trials and a formulation that has to stay stable.
Skin & PreventionReviewed 15 September 2026
MixedEvidence grade C
Oral Collagen Supplements
A number of positive trials, almost all funded by the companies selling the peptides.
Longevity & Facial AgingReviewed 15 September 2026
Thin evidenceEvidence grade C
At-Home LED Masks
The same mechanism as clinic red light, usually at a dose nobody will tell you.
Skin & PreventionReviewed 15 September 2026
Thin evidenceEvidence grade D
Facial Exercise Programs
One small trial found a modest change in cheek fullness. The mechanism argues against most of what is claimed.
Longevity & Facial AgingReviewed 15 September 2026
Thin evidenceEvidence grade C
PDO Thread Lifts
A small, short-lived repositioning effect that is consistently oversold as an alternative to surgery.
Facelift & NeckReviewed 15 September 2026
Thin evidenceEvidence grade D
PRP and PRF for Skin
Most of the studies behind it are uncontrolled, and the reviews that pooled them rate their own confidence as low.
Skin & PreventionReviewed 15 September 2026
Thin evidenceEvidence grade D
Topical and Injected Exosomes
Genuinely interesting biology, almost no controlled human facial data, and a regulatory position most clinics do not mention.
Skin & PreventionReviewed 15 September 2026
Thin evidenceEvidence grade D
Topical Growth Factor Serums
Large molecules, an intact barrier, and small manufacturer-run studies. The mechanism has a delivery problem.
Skin & PreventionReviewed 15 September 2026
Doesn'tEvidence grade D
At-Home HIFU Devices
Either the energy is too low to do what is claimed, or it is high enough to be a burn risk without imaging.
Energy & ResurfacingReviewed 15 September 2026
Doesn'tEvidence grade D
Gua Sha and Facial Massage
A short-lived reduction in fluid, and no evidence for anything structural.
Skin & PreventionReviewed 15 September 2026
What the verdicts mean
WorksConsistent, clinically meaningful benefit in good studies.
ModestReal but small, or real only under specific conditions.
MixedStudies disagree, or the benefit depends heavily on the operator.
Thin evidencePlausible mechanism, not enough good human data to call it.
Doesn'tThe claim as marketed is not supported.
Grades A to D describe the quality of the human evidence, not how much I like the treatment. The full grade definitions are in the editorial policy.
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