The Guru IndexReviewers208SkinDoc
208SkinDoc
Dermatologist

208SkinDoc.

Dustin Portela, DO, reviews skincare products and addresses circulating skin hacks and misinformation across his channels, bringing a practicing dermatologist's eye to both everyday routines and the claims that tend to travel furthest online. His willingness to engage with popular products rather than speak in general terms is what makes his takes useful to watch.

Why Are They A Guru?
Board-certified dermatologic surgeon certified through the American Board of Dermatology.
Founder · Mantle
27Products
21 approved91% approval rate
2 skippedDoesn't pull punches
1 hot takesWhere they break from the pack
By the numbers

What they review most.

Against the grain

208SkinDoc's hot takes.

Products where their take diverges from the rest of the gurus.

208SkinDoc: Skip vs gurus 65% Approved
I don't like how close under the skin this is. Immediately it looks like there's going to be nodules. Hopefully, this is a very, very thin filler and it will intercalate into the tissue. Otherwise, this is going to be lumpy and bumpy under the skin. I don't love doing under eye filler with this technique.
Every take, in full

Every review.

All 27 products 208SkinDoc has reviewed, grouped by product type. Click a product to see the full guru consensus.

All takes Approved only Skip only Against the gurus
Other11 reviews
"This patient's a candidate for Accutane. They've got a lot of acne and they're at risk of scarring. They really need a treatment plan to go ahead and prevent future scarring from really bad acne. Accutane can be a great option in those circumstances."
Approved
72%approval rating
All 2 takes on Accutane
Dermatologist Reacts: Laser Fails & Skin Treatment Dangers
"This patient's a candidate for Accutane. They've got a lot of acne and they're at risk of scarring. They really need a treatment plan to go ahead and prevent future scarring from really bad acne. Accutane can be a great option in those circumstances."
Crazy Skin Treatment Reactions by Dermatologist!
"I might actually just put a patient on Accutane and really try to dry up those oil glands so that they're not getting this recurrently because topical medications like retinol are although effective can only go so far if you have this many forming on the skin you might need to treat it from the inside and Accutane can be a really good option and because there's not a ton of inflammation it's not inflammatory cystic acne a course of Accutane is probably going to take a little longer but ultimately it would give you a really good result."
"This looks like a CO2 laser, which is a resurfacing laser of the skin. And if you look close, you can see the skin tighten around the little holes where they are firing the laser. It targets water in the skin and is one of the best treatments to improve the appearance of the skin and take years off of your appearance."
Approved
85%approval rating
All 3 takes on CO2 laser
Dermatologist Reacts: Laser Fails & Skin Treatment Dangers
"This looks like a CO2 laser, which is a resurfacing laser of the skin. And if you look close, you can see the skin tighten around the little holes where they are firing the laser. It targets water in the skin and is one of the best treatments to improve the appearance of the skin and take years off of your appearance."
Dermatologist Reacts to Viral Skincare Videos – What’s Safe & What’s a Disaster?
"This is a CO2 laser and they're treating acne scars. This uses CO2 laser to vaporize the water in the skin, it tightens and helps to build new collagen so that those acne scars will be less prominent after each treatment."
Crazy Skin Treatment Reactions by Dermatologist!
"The CO2 laser uses CO2 laser to target water in the skin and create these small channels. You can see the skin tighten up around each one of those squares. One of the best procedures for tightening the skin, it can help to remove superficial pigmentation on the skin with pretty low downtime settings. This is probably not going to be too bad to recover from. I love performing CO2 laser."
"They're using a plasma pen. Now this is not my favorite way to remove a mole. Hopefully this person is numb. This can be done. Cosmetic results probably going to be pretty good. I just hope that they're sending that off for pathology because it's never a good idea to remove something and then throw it in the garbage."
Skip
58%approval rating
All 2 takes on Plasma pen
Doctor Reacts to Skin Tag Removals, Pimple Pops, and Extractions
"The plasma pen does coagulate as you cut through the skin it just takes a lot of passes to get there but there's no bleeding. This is not my favorite way to remove moles."
Reacting to Viral Laser Skincare – What’s Actually Safe?
"They're using a plasma pen. Now this is not my favorite way to remove a mole. Hopefully this person is numb. This can be done. Cosmetic results probably going to be pretty good. I just hope that they're sending that off for pathology because it's never a good idea to remove something and then throw it in the garbage."
"they're putting Vaseline on there as a skin protectant"
~Mixed
73%approval rating
All 2 takes on Original Healing Jelly
Removing a Tattoo With a Banana?! | Doctor Reacts
"they're putting Vaseline on there as a skin protectant"
Dermatologist Reacts: Accutane Waxing Fail and Other Skincare Disasters!
"you can also use plain Vaseline"
"She's doing Aquafor, that's about the best that you can do at this point. There's no infection so stay away from triple antibiotic, stay away from Neosporin. You can also use plain Vaseline or my personal favorite on wounds like this is Dr. Rogers Restore."
Approved
86%approval rating
"In this case I might recommend Polysporin if you're just going to do this at home."
Approved
65%approval rating
"When you're putting an adhesive on the skin every day it does overtime increase your risk for a contact allergy to the adhesive. When you're buying them every day the price does add up over time and I'm not sure how much money you're saving over just doing Botox in that area. But some people don't like needles and that's okay, so you can use Frownies if you want, but it's not my choice for reducing wrinkles on my forehead."
~Mixed
63%approval rating
"I'm going to use my hypochlorous acid spray. Hypochlorous acid spray is a great disinfectant for the skin."
Approved
78%approval rating
"We've got a Bioré pore strip on a mostly willing participant here, but pay attention as it comes off because these are not just normal sebaceous filaments."
~Mixed
68%approval rating
"If you guys want to be able to do extractions safely at home, the device that I recommend is the Shark Beauty FacialPro Glow. This can actually do it safely, just like a home hydrafacial experience at home."
Approved
Notverified
All 6 takes on FacialPro Glow
What Causes Blackheads & Milia? A Dermatologist's Professional Breakdown
"If you guys want to be able to do extractions safely at home, the device that I recommend is the Shark Beauty FacialPro Glow. This can actually do it safely, just like a home hydrafacial experience at home."
Why Acne Picking Can Lead to Scarring (Dermatologist Explains)
"The Shark Facial Pro Glow is a home hydroacial style device. You prep the skin and then this actually has suction. You put water in here and it sucks the gunk out of your pores. It has a second step where you put in a hyaluronic acid peptide mix that infuses hydration into your skin and sucks gunk out once more. You can actually see all of the stuff that comes out of your pores in that tank. I've tried this myself several times. I like it. If you want something to safely remove gunk from your pores at home rather than using dirty fingernails, this is a good option."
Dermatologist Breaks Down Professional Pimple Popping Techniques - TikTok Reaction & Safety Tips
"I think would be a good candidate for the Shark Beauty Facial Pro Glow. I've tried it myself and even though I don't have a lot of acne, I don't feel like I have prominent sebaceous filaments, I still saw stuff in that tank that it pulled out of my skin. I was impressed."
Dermatologist Reacts to TikTok's Most INSANE Pimple Pops (Don't Try This at Home)
"I recommend the Shark Beauty FacialPro Glow. I have done a collaboration with Shark in the past, but this is not sponsored to put it in the video. I genuinely just like this device. It's easy to use at home to give yourself a hydroacial-like experience at home, but this actually sucks the gunk out of your pores. And you can see it in this tank at the end. You can see what comes out of your face. I do like this device quite a bit and it's fairly easy to use."
Dermatologist Reacts to the Most INSANE TikTok Pimple Pops (Don't Try This at Home)
"If you guys want a solution to help do extractions at home safely, I recommend the Shark Beauty FacialPro Glow. This is an at-home hydrafacial device and you can get it and do your own hydrafacials. It sucks stuff out of your pores. If you guys want a safe way to do this kind of stuff at home, I recommend the Shark Beauty FacialPro Glow."
Dermatologist Tests Shark Beauty's FacialPro Glow - You Won't Believe What Came Out of My Pores
"This is incredibly easy to use. It only takes about 10 minutes, and the extraction results speak for themselves. This satisfies that same urge that we get while watching pimple popping videos, but it's actually good for your skin. The hydration boost from the products is real, and the deep puffy attachment, I think, is genuinely innovative. This device costs $399. However, it pays for itself after just three uses because professional facials in the dermatology office can cost $150 or more. And unlike those monthly appointments, this is available whenever your skin needs it. That said, if you have very sensitive skin, active rosacea, or other skin conditions, or if you're using strong retinoids, I would recommend consulting with your dermatologist before using this device."
"The Shark Beauty Depuffy attachment, I think, is genuinely innovative. This device is incredibly easy to use. It only takes about 10 minutes, and the extraction results speak for themselves. This satisfies that same urge that we get while watching pimple popping videos, but it's actually good for your skin. The hydration boost from the products is real. At $399, it pays for itself after just three uses because professional facials in the dermatology office can cost $150 or more. And unlike those monthly appointments, this is available whenever your skin needs it."
Approved
66%approval rating
Body & Tan2 reviews
"Nivea is a good brand. I don't have anything to knock against that. But the reality is that moisturizing the skin, having a healthy skin barrier can help with acne. But there's nothing miraculous about this product specifically for acne."
~Mixed
77%approval rating
"Neutrogena Norwegian Formula is a good hand cream. It's really really hydrating."
Approved
88%approval rating
Haircare2 reviews
"You can also do niserol shampoo available over the counter or by prescription."
Approved
82%approval rating
"I would recommend picking up some Head and Shoulders shampoo or some ketoconazole shampoo which you can get over the counter and use that as a body wash, wash it onto the skin, lather up and let it sit for about five minutes and that's going to help kill that little yeast that is causing the tinea versicolor. And even when you're totally clear, just do that once a week and it'll help prevent it from coming back because people that tend to get tinea versicolor often have it come back, you know, often every summer. So using that as a preventative tool can be very helpful."
Approved
73%approval rating
Moisturizers2 reviews
"This is a very popular product. It hydrates very well. Definitely has a little bit thicker texture to it, but even with that thicker texture, I'm not seeing a lot of it gunk up in the beard. I do like this product."
Approved
87%approval rating
"Skin Better Science is an amazing company with my favorite retinol, the one that I use every night called AlphaRet. This is a retinoic acid, very similar to prescription tretinoin, but it's combined with lactic acid and even glycolic acid to give you a little extra exfoliation. That sounds like it could be drying, but it's so gentle. I use it most nights without even using a moisturizer, and I don't get any dryness or irritation. It is a little bit more expensive than your typical over-the-counter retinol, but it will last you 5 months because one pump is all you need every night, and there's 150 treatments in that bottle. If you're looking for a very good retinol that is not irritating, check out SkinBetter Science AlphaRet Overnight Cream."
Approved
85%approval rating
All 2 takes on AlphaRet Overnight Cream
TikTok’s Most Unsafe Pimple Pops: Dermatologist Reacts to Wild Cysts & Scalp Mysteries
"Skin Better Science is an amazing company with my favorite retinol, the one that I use every night called AlphaRet. This is a retinoic acid, very similar to prescription tretinoin, but it's combined with lactic acid and even glycolic acid to give you a little extra exfoliation. That sounds like it could be drying, but it's so gentle. I use it most nights without even using a moisturizer, and I don't get any dryness or irritation. It is a little bit more expensive than your typical over-the-counter retinol, but it will last you 5 months because one pump is all you need every night, and there's 150 treatments in that bottle. If you're looking for a very good retinol that is not irritating, check out SkinBetter Science AlphaRet Overnight Cream."
TikTok Pimple Pops: Dr. Dustin Breaks Down What’s Really Happening
"If you want my favorite retinol, it is from SkinBetter Science. It's called AlphaRet. It's equivalent to 0.025% tretinoin."
Serums2 reviews
"The Neutrogena Hydroboost Water Gel is a very lightweight product, but provides great hydration to the skin. It has a much lighter texture. I generally like the Hydro Boost even though my skin is a little more normal to dry, but with facial hair, this works really well. It doesn't clump up."
Approved
87%approval rating
"One of the stronger exfoliants I used was mandelic acid. This is an alpha hydroxy acid, it is a little more gentle than some of the other AHAs you can use, but it's a good way to help turn the skin over and help sort out the scars. It's important to wear SPF when you're doing any type of exfoliation whether you're using mandelic acid or glycolic acid."
Approved
83%approval rating
Sunscreen2 reviews
"The one that I've been using recently and really liking is Bioma. Bioma is an inexpensive line of skin care. This is an SPF 30 broadspectrum UVA, UVB, and it's an ultra light face fluid. It's pretty lightweight. Wearing sunscreen will also help to limit your risk of developing dark marks if you're still getting acne because when you get a little bit of redness from a pimple and you go out in the sun, it generally will get darker and that discoloration will stick around for a lot longer period of time."
Approved
79%approval rating
"She's just as lovely in person as she is through all of her videos guys"
Approved
71%approval rating
Tech2 reviews
"I've been using this for the past several weeks and my skin is genuinely improved. As someone who spent years telling patients to skip the gadgets, that kind of surprised me. I can't overstate the comfort of this mask. The eye pads on this mask actually lift the mask off your skin for a way more comfortable fit. The reflective technology on the inside means as much of the light as possible reaches your skin. The battery pack that it comes with means that I'm not tethered to a wall. LED therapy is one of those things where consistency is everything and for me, this one fits easily into my routine. The Ulike ReGlow mask is FDA cleared and has 272 LEDs, which is double what most other competing masks have. More LEDs mean more coverage, more intensity, and faster results. It has four different treatment modes: glow mode with red, infrared, and yellow light for pigmentation and skin tone; firm mode with red and infrared for collagen stimulation; rejuvenate mode with yellow and infrared to boost skin barrier; and clear mode with blue, red, and infrared for acne-fighting. In a 28-day study there was a 20% reduction in fine lines and wrinkles around the eyes, a 20% improvement in skin texture, and a 61% improvement in acne. In the first 1 to 2 weeks you'll notice your skin feels a little smoother. By weeks 3 and 4, texture improvements become more obvious and tone starts to even out. After 6 to 8 weeks there's firmer skin, reduced fine lines, and noticeably better overall skin quality. I recommend using it three to six times a week for 10 minutes. At-home LED therapy lives in the middle between basic skincare and professional treatments. It is a genuinely effective way to maintain and improve your skin and it's something you can do consistently at home without booking an appointment. For at-home skin maintenance, the Ulike ReGlow, in my opinion, is that thing. It is cheaper than professional treatments over time and is a one-time purchase with no subscription, no refills, and no ongoing payments. However, you have to use it consistently, results take weeks not days, and if you're not the kind of person who's going to use it consistently, you shouldn't buy it. It's not for use during pregnancy or if you're on certain photosensitive medications. This is not technically a medical device, it's an FDA cleared over-the-counter device. Individual results will vary."
Approved
Notverified
All 2 takes on ReGlow LED Mask
Do LED Face Masks Really Work? Dermatologist Explains (Ulike ReGlow Review)
"As a dermatologist, I've seen more LED devices than a DJ at a nightclub. Most of the ones that have been sent to me have ended up as a white elephant gift, but this one actually made me raise my eyebrows in a good way. First up is the 360° mirror reflection technology. This is actually patented by Ulike. It's not just fancy marketing speak. It has a mirror on the inside that boosts the radiance of the LEDs by 77.4%. It's kind of like the difference between a flashlight and a laser pointer. You're definitely getting a bigger boost of light when you use the Reglow from Ulike. Another reason that I actually like the Ulike Reglow LED mask is it has four different treatment modes. And each treatment mode doesn't just use one of the LED types. It actually mixes and matches depending on what you're trying to accomplish for your skin. The glow mode uses red plus infrared plus yellow light to actually help reduce pigmentation in your skin. I've been using the Reglow LED at home between procedures for brown spots. The firm mode uses the red plus the infrared light for when gravity is winning the war against your jawline. This is going to help stimulate collagen production and give your skin a more firm appearance and reduce fine lines."
A Dermatologist's Honest Confession About LED Masks... | Red Light Therapy Mask at Home
"I've been using this for the past several weeks and my skin is genuinely improved. As someone who spent years telling patients to skip the gadgets, that kind of surprised me. I can't overstate the comfort of this mask. The eye pads on this mask actually lift the mask off your skin for a way more comfortable fit. The reflective technology on the inside means as much of the light as possible reaches your skin. The battery pack that it comes with means that I'm not tethered to a wall. LED therapy is one of those things where consistency is everything and for me, this one fits easily into my routine. The Ulike ReGlow mask is FDA cleared and has 272 LEDs, which is double what most other competing masks have. More LEDs mean more coverage, more intensity, and faster results. It has four different treatment modes: glow mode with red, infrared, and yellow light for pigmentation and skin tone; firm mode with red and infrared for collagen stimulation; rejuvenate mode with yellow and infrared to boost skin barrier; and clear mode with blue, red, and infrared for acne-fighting. In a 28-day study there was a 20% reduction in fine lines and wrinkles around the eyes, a 20% improvement in skin texture, and a 61% improvement in acne. In the first 1 to 2 weeks you'll notice your skin feels a little smoother. By weeks 3 and 4, texture improvements become more obvious and tone starts to even out. After 6 to 8 weeks there's firmer skin, reduced fine lines, and noticeably better overall skin quality. I recommend using it three to six times a week for 10 minutes. At-home LED therapy lives in the middle between basic skincare and professional treatments. It is a genuinely effective way to maintain and improve your skin and it's something you can do consistently at home without booking an appointment. For at-home skin maintenance, the Ulike ReGlow, in my opinion, is that thing. It is cheaper than professional treatments over time and is a one-time purchase with no subscription, no refills, and no ongoing payments. However, you have to use it consistently, results take weeks not days, and if you're not the kind of person who's going to use it consistently, you shouldn't buy it. It's not for use during pregnancy or if you're on certain photosensitive medications. This is not technically a medical device, it's an FDA cleared over-the-counter device. Individual results will vary."
"The Ulike Air10 IPL is absolutely one of the better at home IPL devices that I've tested, primarily because of the safety features and the ice cooling technology. The price point of $399 puts it in the premium category for at home devices, but when you compare it to the cost of professional treatments, it's reasonable if you're committed to using it. It's not going to replace professional treatments, but it is a solid option for hair reduction if you are the right candidate. You will need to use it consistently for 8 to 12 weeks to really start to see the best results because of the hair growth cycles you're going to need to treat over time."
Approved
Notverified
Cleansers1 review
"I often recommend to my patients to start with a gentle cleanser. This is just one example that we're using for this video, the CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser. One of my favorites because it really leaves my skin feeling soft and well cared for, not overdrying, not stripping. It actually has some properties that help to hydrate the skin with essential ceramides and hyaluronic acid. This one doesn't foam up a ton, and that's okay. It doesn't need to foam to be effective."
Approved
83%approval rating
Eye Care1 review
"I don't like how close under the skin this is. Immediately it looks like there's going to be nodules. Hopefully, this is a very, very thin filler and it will intercalate into the tissue. Otherwise, this is going to be lumpy and bumpy under the skin. I don't love doing under eye filler with this technique."
Skip
65%approval rating
Masks & Peels1 review
"this person had the VI Peel and they're removing the dead skin as it comes off with scissors rather than peeling it off. If you peel it off you're going to be removing the skin that isn't ready to come off yet, so just trim carefully."
Approved
80%approval rating
Retinoids1 review
"Differin gel is your magic product. That's going to be the biggest heavy lifter in your skincare routine if you have acne. Now, the complaint is that retinols can sometimes lead to some drying on the skin. And you don't want to trade acne or oily skin for super dry, flaky skin. So, what we're going to do is give this a couple of minutes to kind of soak into the skin. Once your face feels dry, we're coming in with a moisturizer."
Approved
78%approval rating
All 2 takes on Adapalene Gel 0.1%
Dermatologist's $20 Acne Routine That Prevents 80% of Breakouts (Over-the-Counter Only)
"Differin gel is your magic product. That's going to be the biggest heavy lifter in your skincare routine if you have acne. Now, the complaint is that retinols can sometimes lead to some drying on the skin. And you don't want to trade acne or oily skin for super dry, flaky skin. So, what we're going to do is give this a couple of minutes to kind of soak into the skin. Once your face feels dry, we're coming in with a moisturizer."
Dermatologist Explains: Pimple Popping Reactions & Advanced Laser Treatments
"The product I want to feature today is Differin Gel. This used to be a prescription and it is a full-on retinol, not a retinol derivative that has to be converted in the body. This used to be a prescription only retinol. You can now get it over the counter. If you're going to use retinol in your skincare routine, wash your face at night with a gentle cleanser. And then once your skin is dry, pat dry, air dry for a few extra minutes, take a pea-sized amount, and that's all you need to cover your whole face. Dot your forehead, chin, cheeks, and nose, and then rub that in. After a few minutes, go ahead and apply a moisturizer so you don't get the dryness and irritation. Using a retinol, I recommend starting out just two to three times a week, and then slowly you can build up to daily use."

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