How to choose a Skincare Expert you can trust

It seems like nowadays everyone is a skincare ‘expert’. 👀 (Update: This post is referring to medical professionals only)

Consumers are literally inundated with information from all sorts of people claiming they know what’s good and bad and which brand is the best and which is the worst. Who do you trust? Who do you believe? Who is just trying to sell you stuff to make money? Who actually genuinely wants to educate and help people?

One way to differentiate people is by education/training/qualifications.

By far the most educated and qualified people when it comes to the skin are Consultant Dermatologists. In the USA the equivalent is a Board-Certified Dermatologist. To become a Consultant Dermatologist in the UK you have to do the following:

1. Graduate from Medical School

2. Do at least 4 years of general medical training in the NHS (at SHO grade) and gain membership to the Royal College of Physicians by passing 3 exams

3. Go through a competitive selection process to get a National training Number in Dermatology (competition ratio is 1 training post per 27 applicants!)

4. Complete 4 years of Dermatology Training as a Registrar

5. Pass a 6 hour written exam

6. Hopefully be seen as competent by an independent panel and given the title Consultant Dermatologist.

To become a Consultant Dermatologist took me 14 years of studying and training, with tons of written exams, oral exams, clinical exams, and lots of other stuff in order to demonstrate my knowledge and ability as a Dermatologist.

You can check any doctor's credentials by going to gmc-uk.org and typing in their name. If they are Consultant Dermatologists it should say ‘on the dermatology specialist register.’ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

There are lots of doctors who are ‘pretend’ dermatologists - they use the word ‘dermatologist’ to describe themselves though they never did steps 3 to 6 above. The word ‘dermatologist’ is not a protected title so anyone can use that word. Be wary of anyone who refers to themselves by the following terms: dermatologist, dermatology doctor, cosmetic doctor, aesthetic doctor, skin doctor. You have no idea what type of qualifications or training these doctors have had based on the use of this title.

Basically, a real Consultant Dermatologist will always always always refer to themselves as a Consultant Dermatologist because it is proof of qualifications.

When seeking skincare advice, your best bet is a Consultant Dermatologist first and foremost. Don’t settle for anything less because in the long run you will just be wasting time and money. You would be amazed how much some non-Consultant 'dermatologists' charge for consultations (often far more than Consultant Dermatologists which is really quite shocking) so don’t let price of consultation be your guide. A fair price for a consultation with a decent Consultant Dermatologist should not cost you more than £300 (in London - possibly closer to £200 outside of London).

But one BIG CAVEAT to this: in my opinion, you should be weary of any Consultant Dermatologist who is associated with a Big Skincare brand. If the doctor is a spokesperson for Vichy or Bioderma or Clinique, I would steer clear. This presents a huge conflict of interest and also (IMHO) a lack of integrity on the part of the doctor.