A Holistic Plastic Surgeon Debunks This “Sign Of Aging” In Your 20s & 30s

So first and foremost, Youn is no normal plastic surgeon: Where most M.D.s see syringes of Botox and filler, he sees lifestyle fixes. He’s deemed his specialty holistic plastic surgery, which basically means he incorporates lifestyle fixes, alternative medicine, and a less-is-more aesthetic. 

But back to the video. In it, the fellow TikToker, beauty influencer Sarah Palmyra who is in her 20s, talks about how she’s “aging backwards” by focusing on hydration. In the video Youn confirms that if you are in your 20s and even 30s, fine lines on the forehead, under eyes, and nasolabial folds are usually the result of extremely dehydrated skin, rather than aging. “Think of your skin like a grape. When it’s hydrated, it looks like a ripe grape. When it’s dehydrated it looks like a raisin,” says Palmyra, who Youn agrees with. 

To help with skin dehydration, first and foremost stay hydrated internally. The advice “drink lots of water,” tends to get several eye-rolls, but I wouldn’t say it if it wasn’t true. Then, layer hydrating topicals for a cushiony effect, that ideally keeps your skin brimmed with moisture all day long. Look for humectants—which hold in moisture in the skin—and top it off with occlusives to seal it all in.

Now, for those north of 30? Youn suggest you may need to focus on additional healthy aging topicals, too, that support the skin structure (read: don’t go overboard with harsh options). “This can be true if you are young and relatively wrinkle free, but if you’re older—it’s not just dehydration that causes wrinkles. Hydrating the skin can reduce the visibility of wrinkles temporarily, but it isn’t a solution,” he says. “Make sure to use a retinoid, vitamin C, exfoliate, and consider non-invasive options like IPL and microneedling with PRP for real aging reversal.”