Mayo Clinic Dermatologist: 5 Daily Habits That Are Aging Your Skin Faster & What to Do Instead

Mel introduces Dr. Saranya Wyles, a Mayo Clinic dermatologist, physician-scientist, associate professor, medical director, and leader of regenerative dermatology and skin-aging research. Wyles says skin is not merely a beauty scorecard: it is a two-way conduit between the outside world and systemic health, and changes can reveal autoimmune dysfunction, inflammation, kidney disease, diabetes, or chronic liver dysfunction. She calls skin a “check engine light.” A new brown spot, redness, flushing, or fine line that seems to appear “all of a sudden” may reflect damage developing for months. Wyles tells patients, “Skincare is healthcare,” using psoriasis as an example: severe psoriasis has been associated in one study with roughly six-fold higher 10-year heart-event risk.

Wyles explains that skin is the largest living and regenerative organ, renewing roughly every 30 days, although repair slows with age. Its functions include wound healing; secretion of oil and sweat and absorption of topical medicines; sensation and touch; barrier defense against UV, pollution, particulate matter, and chemicals; vitamin D synthesis supporting bones and the brain; immune surveillance through its own microbiome and localized immune system; and thermoregulation. Aging reflects a two-way exchange: the external “exposome”—UV, pollution, ozone, smoking, and particulate matter—acts from the outside in, while metabolism, hormones, and genetics act from the inside out. Wyles cites studies linking perceived age with health: AI analysis of more than 6,000 cancer patients correlated appearance with prognosis, while a Danish twin study linked the older-looking twin with poorer cognition, physical function, shorter telomeres, and shorter survival.

Mel undergoes an AI facial scan measuring spots, wrinkles, texture, pores, UV spots, brown spots, and red areas. Her spots, wrinkles, and texture scores are each around the ninth percentile, which Wyles says can reflect hydration and the need for antioxidants, retinoids, or retinols. Mel’s pores score in the 77th percentile, while UV spots score 83% and brown spots 94%, suggesting good pigmentation resilience and effective sunscreen use despite her childhood sunbathing. Her red-area score is 46%; Wyles says redness can reflect low-level inflammation, broken blood vessels, circulation, flushing, or rosacea, and notes that perimenopause and menopause commonly increase it. The scan calculates Mel’s skin age as 61, but Wyles stresses that the number is information rather than a final verdict because skin barriers and function can be influenced.

Wyles says skin can reset by responding to internal health, stress management, sleep, diet, hydration, environmental protection, and topical treatments. She organizes the approach into five interconnected pillars: sleep; diet and hydration; movement; stress reduction or recovery from stress; and topicals and treatments. Mel asks what someone can do after decades of sun exposure and excessive products, and Wyles answers that the goal is not perfection but becoming 1% better each day. The conversation emphasizes that products are only one part of skin health: the skin also responds to sleep cues, metabolic health, hydration, exercise, stress resilience, and environmental exposures. Wyles later returns to each pillar with studies and practical examples.

Wyles says skin follows a circadian clock. During the day it enters defense mode, protecting against UV, pollution, visible light, and other damage; at night it shifts into repair and regeneration rather than simply “sleeping.” Good sleepers—typically those getting seven to nine hours—showed 30% better epidermal-barrier recovery than poor sleepers. In another study of 24 middle-aged women, two consecutive nights of only three to four hours of sleep reduced hydration and increased water loss through the skin barrier. Mel connects her own poor skin during early parenthood and perimenopause to repeatedly interrupted sleep, and Wyles agrees that disrupted sleep prevents adequate recovery. Wyles says magnesium L-threonate, taken roughly one to two hours before bed, may support sleep and skin-related matrix production, though Mel’s discussion remains educational rather than individualized medical advice.

Wyles describes a skin-gut axis: in a randomized 12-week acne trial, a low-glycemic, lower-sugar, lower-carbohydrate diet improved acne flares by 23%, including stress- and hormone-related acne. Excess sugar can glycate—stick to collagen and elastin—and gradually damage the skin matrix. Fiber may blunt glucose spikes; a 2025 UK Biobank analysis of more than 200,000 people associated higher fiber intake with fewer psoriasis flares. Wyles also links eczema’s leaky skin barrier with gastrointestinal problems and says some eczema-prone patients benefit from reducing gluten, especially with celiac or autoimmune disease. Her grandmother’s “ABCs” smoothie uses apples, beets, and carrots, often cooked in a slow cooker, then combined with coconut water, one or two tablespoons each of flaxseed and chia, turmeric, and optional protein. Apple peel supplies quercetin; chia provides fiber and calcium; turmeric supports anti-inflammatory pathways.

Wyles says drinking water alone does not adequately hydrate the skin barrier because only a portion reaches the skin; moisturizer is also necessary. She estimates women need about two liters daily—roughly 10 to 12 cups, with around eight cups as a baseline—and men need about two additional cups. Perimenopause and menopause can increase baseline water loss, making hydration especially important. For topical hydration, she recommends looking for humectants and barrier-supporting ingredients such as glycerin, ceramides, beta-glucans, and colloidal oatmeal. Colloidal oatmeal is FDA-approved and can calm broken or eczema-prone skin. Wyles prefers thicker products in tubs because pump lotions require more water to dispense and may evaporate more quickly. She also tells shoppers to seek both “fragrance-free” and “unscented”: unscented products may contain fragrance ingredients to mask an odor.

Wyles says exercise sends beneficial signals throughout the body, including to skin, through circulation and extracellular vesicles or exosomes—“text messages” between cells that can support repair and reduce inflammation. In a small randomized study of older adults, the exercising group healed wounds an average of 10 days faster than the non-exercising group. A 16-week study of 56 middle-aged women found that resistance training improved skin elasticity and the upper skin layer containing collagen and elastin. Wyles says cardio and resistance exercise both matter, but resistance training plays the larger role because muscle and skin are closely interconnected. She particularly recommends strength training for people taking GLP-1 medications, since maintaining muscle may help preserve skin elasticity and support the underlying structure during weight loss.

Wyles explains that skin contains cortisol receptors and its own neuroendocrine system because it acts as frontline defense against external stress. High altitude, UV exposure, and emotional stress can all be perceived by skin. In a study of 28 healthy women aged 21 to 45, marital separation impaired epidermal water-loss recovery after injury, showing that divorce-related stress could be measured through the skin. Hair cycles through growth, rest, and shedding, with somewhat greater normal shedding in spring and fall; major stressors such as bereavement, illness, surgery, or work crisis can shift hair into shedding three or four months later. Wyles says hundreds of hairs may be lost during washing. She cites a 24-week study in men in which 400 mg of pumpkin seed oil appeared to improve male-pattern hair loss pathways. Nails can reflect nutrition, aging, fungal infection, liver dysfunction, or melanoma risk; new dark brown or black pigment should be assessed by a dermatologist.

Wyles describes peptides as short amino-acid chains—“little Legos”—that can act as keys opening biological pathways. Although GLP-1 medications are clinically tested peptide drugs, most wellness and longevity peptides are not FDA-regulated or adequately studied. Injectable combinations should therefore be treated as personal experiments unless supported by clinical evidence and medical supervision. She specifically rejects the popular injectable “glow stack” of BPC-157, TB-500, and GHK copper peptide for skin: the first two lack skin-regeneration data, while GHK copper has better topical rationale, and injections raise questions about copper levels and safety testing. Wyles is interested in topical copper peptides because evidence suggests they may support the dermal-epidermal junction and collagen. She recommends evidence-based trials rather than relying on anecdotes.

Wyles divides skincare according to the circadian cycle. In the morning, she recommends antioxidants such as vitamin C with vitamin E and ferulic acid, plus broad-spectrum SPF 30 or higher with regular reapplication. Mineral sunscreen reflects or blocks UV; chemical filters absorb UV and convert it to heat; tinted sunscreen contains iron oxides that also help protect against visible light, making it useful for melasma-prone skin. In an on-camera UV test, mineral, chemical, and tinted sunscreens all produced protective dark lines, while coconut oil and beef tallow showed no UV protection and could increase burning risk. Wyles recommends keeping sunscreen in the car because UVA and UVB can reach drivers through side windows; she cites a truck driver whose window-facing left side showed dramatically more sun damage. At night, she recommends copper peptides, tolerable retinoids or retinol, and barrier moisturizers, reducing retinoid frequency if peeling becomes excessive.

To explain jowls, Wyles uses a layered cake: the epidermis is the top layer, the dermis contains collagen and elastin, the hypodermis contains fat, the superficial muscular aponeurotic system and ligaments act like support “Spanx,” and facial bones form the platter underneath. With age, bone loss from osteopenia or osteoporosis lowers the foundation, while changes in fat compartments, muscle, and dentition alter facial support and allow descent from gravity. Brushing, flossing, leafy greens, vitamin D, calcium, and strength training support the broader system, but cannot fully reverse structural descent. After systemic factors are optimized, Wyles mentions high-frequency microfocused ultrasound as a noninvasive tightening treatment that may require multiple sessions and works for some people.

Wyles uses a second cake with its fatty bottom layer removed to illustrate what some people call “Ozempic face.” She estimates that every 20 pounds lost on a GLP-1 medication can correspond to about 10% facial-volume loss, although the effect varies. The medical explanation is not necessarily accelerated aging: rapid weight loss can remove healthy facial adipose support, particularly midface volume associated with youthful cheeks, leaving looser skin and a more perceived-older appearance. Wyles emphasizes that GLP-1 medications have been transformative for many patients, while facial-volume loss is a possible side effect. She recommends beginning strength training early during weight loss to preserve muscle and supportive signaling, then considering biostimulation, radiofrequency microneedling, or microfocused ultrasound after weight stabilizes rather than during the fastest phase of loss.

Wyles’ central message is that skin is a bidirectional health conversation: it gives clues about systemic function, and sleep, food, hydration, movement, stress recovery, and topical care can influence the skin and distant organs in return. She asks listeners to be more forgiving because skin performs many jobs beyond appearance. Her closing line is, “The face gets the marketing budget, but the whole organ deserves the care,” meaning skincare should be treated as healthcare rather than a product-driven beauty contest. Wyles says she had hoped to share this research publicly and then met Mel by chance in an elevator three months later. Mel turns the coincidence into a lesson about saying hello, stating intentions, and taking opportunities. The episode ends with a disclaimer that it is educational and not a substitute for professional medical advice.