Skincare as an Investment: What Actually Pays OFF, According to a Dermatologist

Summary

Podcast Summary: Networth and Chill with Your Rich BFF

Episode: Skincare as an Investment: What Actually Pays OFF, According to a Dermatologist

Host: Vivian Tu
Guest: Dr. David Kim, Board-Certified Dermatologist and Founder of Lightsaber Suncare
Date: December 17, 2025

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Episode Overview

Vivian Tu sits down with Dr. David Kim to explore the truth behind skincare as an investment. The episode tackles common dilemmas like whether expensive products are worth it, what treatments actually work, the rise of skincare trends among younger consumers, medical tourism, and what it takes to be a successful dermatologist in today's influencer- and TikTok-driven beauty economy.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Skincare as Investment vs. Money Pit

• Vivian confesses confusion about which products or treatments are worth her money, setting the episode's focus on practical, expert-backed advice (00:43).
• Dr. Kim emphasizes prevention and smart basics over trends:

  "You need a good sunscreen… the best way and most affordable, smart way to treat skin is prevention." (06:00)

2. Vivian’s “Free Consult” and Dr. Kim’s Honest Approach

• Dr. Kim assesses Vivian’s skin and notes she has a "very even complexion" and pigmentation is "hardly visible" (02:56).
• He explains energy-based treatments like Ultherapy and Zirf, both promoting collagen with gradual, natural effects:

  "They stimulate collagen production so that you get a gentle lift… Over the course of four to six months, you will see a gentle lift and people love it." (03:30)

3. The Dangers of Overdoing It & Social Media's Impact

• Many waste money by following trends and overusing actives, leading to “damaged skin barriers”:

  "Everyone comes in with really red, inflamed, flaky skin because they're using so many Actives all at once." (05:14)

• Key starter routine for teens: just cleanse, moisturize, and SPF—no need for elaborate regimes or potent actives early on (08:17).
• On social media’s role:

  "People who have the best skin are the ones who don’t follow trends and use the same holy grails they always go back to." (08:17)

4. Drugstore vs. High-End: How to Spend $50

• Dr. Kim would prioritize a good cleanser and sunscreen over expensive serums or trendy creams. "Cleansing is really good—it’ll set you up for success." (06:00)
• "When it comes to skincare, prevention is smarter than chasing a fix later." (06:52)

5. Myths, “Medical Grade,” and What Really Works

• On “medical grade” skin care:

  "It could suggest clinical trials but ‘medical grade’ sounds misleading. Clinical skincare is a more appropriate term. There are very few brands I trust—SkinMedica is one." (11:09)

• Clean beauty skepticism:

  "Not everything natural is good. Poison ivy is natural. That’s not good." (39:18) "There’s a lot of fear mongering. Vaseline is safe and has been used for decades.” (39:18)

6. Minimalism vs. Over-Consumption

• Dr. Kim’s daily routine is simple: water, vitamin C serum, light moisturizer, sunscreen in the morning; cleanser and retinol two nights a week. (14:41–16:27)
• Lip favorites: Vaseline Lip Therapy, Homeoplasmine (nipple cream used as a hydrating balm), Edem lip balm. (15:17–15:59)

7. Sunscreen Facts:

• "The best sunscreen is the one you’ll actually use—chemical or mineral." (17:05)
• SPF 30 = 97% protection, SPF 50 = 98%; the difference is minimal and reapplication is key: "You have to reapply every two hours, especially if you're outdoors." (17:56–18:00)

8. The Global Obsession with K-Beauty & Medical Tourism

• Why K-Beauty?:

  "K Beauty is affordable, innovative, and the culture around it—K-pop, Korean entertainment—creates a halo effect." (20:14)

• Medical tourism and new treatments (e.g., “salmon sperm DNA” injectables) are expanding as regulations lag in the US (21:21)
• Vivian and Dr. Kim bond over shared Asian-American experiences around sun protection and colorism (18:49–19:30)

9. Dermatology as a Profession & Medical Training Reality

• Dr. Kim highlights long pathways, intense training, and under-compensation in medical careers. Recommends tuition-free med school for attracting top talent and promoting equity (27:49–29:59).

  "You don’t go to medical school to make money… It’s just not a profession that really compensates you considering all the years of training." (28:47)

10. Influencer Dermatologists & Ethics

• Dr. Kim is transparent about only working with brands after thorough self-testing:

  "I have turned down deals that were very lucrative, like six-figure deals, because I didn't believe in it." (36:54)

• Vivian appreciates his minimalist, not-product-pushing approach and his philosophy that no one should know you’ve had 'work done'—especially spouses! (33:59, 34:15)

11. Clean Beauty & Fear Marketing

• Skepticism toward premium pricing based solely on “clean” labels (39:11–40:16).
• Importance of evidence and keeping perspective:

  "If there’s fear mongering, that’s bad. If it makes brands curate their formula better, that’s good." (39:18–40:16)

12. When to See a Dermatologist

• Try products for 6 weeks; if no improvement, see a professional—don’t endlessly rotate new products (40:17–41:23).

13. Overhyped Products & Treatments

• Lasers for “curing” acne and creams promising a “lift” are usually not worth it. Real lifting requires stimulating collagen or addressing structural facial changes—not just applying topical products (41:41–43:28).

14. The Crisis of Distrust in Science

• Concern about declining trust in science and frozen research funding:

  "Scientists are not good at lobbying themselves… It’s going to be important for us to be more vocal about what is accurate, what is evidence-based." (44:05)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the real skincare investments:

  "Cleansing is really good… and good sunscreen. If you’re preventing sun damage, you’re going to be so much more successful." – Dr. David Kim (06:00)

• On social media trends:

  "People who have the best skin are the ones who don’t follow trends." – Dr. David Kim (08:17)

• On minimalist skincare:

  "Cleanse with water, vitamin C, light moisturizer, SPF. That’s it in the morning." – Dr. David Kim (14:56)

• On clean beauty:

  "Not everything natural is good. Poison ivy is natural. That’s not good." – Dr. David Kim (39:18)

• On medical school and equity:

  "You don’t go to medical school to make money… The best way to make that better is to make medical school tuition free." – Dr. David Kim (28:47–29:02)

• On brand deals and ethics:

  "I have turned down six-figure deals because I didn’t believe in it." – Dr. David Kim (36:54)

• On skepticism and science:

  "Doctors… we’re just not confrontational. We’re not good at lobbying ourselves." – Dr. David Kim (44:05)

• On overhyped products:

  "Any skincare product that promises you’re going to get a lift in one or two months—I don’t think that’s really going to work…" – Dr. David Kim (42:19)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Intro & Episode Setup: 00:37–01:41
• Vivian’s Skin Consult: 01:41–04:26
• How to Spend $50 in Skincare: 05:51–06:49
• Cleansing, Frequency, and Oily vs. Dry Skin: 07:01–07:29
• Social Media's Impact on Teen Skincare: 07:52–09:27
• Medical Grade Myths: 11:07–12:13
• Dr. Kim’s Favorite Products/Routine: 14:41–16:27
• Sunscreen, SPF Facts and Myths: 16:41–18:00
• Colorism and Asian Beauty Standards: 18:49–19:30
• K-Beauty & Global Skincare Trends: 20:14–21:12
• Medical Tourism & Salmon Sperm DNA: 21:12–22:50
• Clean Beauty Skepticism: 38:52–40:16
• When to See a Derm: 40:17–41:23
• Overhyped Treatments Discussion: 41:41–43:28
• Science Skepticism & Funding: 44:05–47:17
• Wrap Up and What’s Next for Dr. Kim: 47:17–47:41

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Conclusion

This episode delivers actionable, sensible advice for anyone overwhelmed by the skincare industry’s promises and trends. Dr. Kim provides clarity on what truly matters—prevention, simplicity, and evidence-based care—while debunking common myths and affirming that the most effective regime may be the least flashy. The conversation balances practical skincare guidance with candid reflections on the medical profession, influencer ethics, and current challenges facing science and healthcare.

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For more:
Follow Dr. David Kim on Instagram and TikTok at @drdavidkim
Find Vivian Tu at @YourRichBFF

Transcript

[Dr. David Kim]

If you want to get skincare recommendations, go to someone who used to have really bad skin. I think people are so obsessed and they love following trends. And I see so many patients who have damaged their skin barrier because they've over exfoliated and they're overusing acids and retinol and they're doing. There are a lot of other brands who position themselves at medical grade, but there are very few that I actually trust and recommend. I think there's a lot of fear mongering and I think that's the bad part. Not everything they watch on the news or read on the paper may be accurate.

[Vivian Tu]

Foreign. What's up rich friends?

[Podcast Host]

And welcome back to another episode of Net Worth and Chill with me, your host, Vivian Tu, AKA Urich, BFF and.

[Vivian Tu]

Your favorite Wall street girly. Like every single person out there, I'm always on the hunt for the best products, remedies, tinctures that are going to give me the glass skin that I've always wanted and frankly deserve. But here's the thing. I walk into Sephora, I'm staring at a $15 moisturizer next to $150 moisturizer. And honestly, I have no idea if I'm investing in my skin or just getting scammed by pretty packaging. And don't even get me started on trying to figure out if I should be spending my hard earned money on threading laser treatments, peels, or just like getting a really good retinol and calling it a day. So today I brought in an expert to help us separate the skincare investments from the money pits. He's a board certified dermatologist, the founder of lightsaber sun care at Sephora, and the minimalist skincare king with almost 700,000 followers who actually knows what the hell he's talking about. Everyone, please welcome Dr. David Kim.

[Dr. David Kim]

So nice to meet you.

[Podcast Host]

So nice to meet you.

[Vivian Tu]

Thank you so much for being with me here today. So now that I have you in person, I'm going to be very selfish. This is mostly a podcast episode for me. What are the treatments and products you think I should do or invest in? Look at my skin right now. Dr. Oh my gosh, this is my free consult.

[Podcast Host]

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[Dr. David Kim]

Am I. Can we be honest?

[Vivian Tu]

Yeah.

[Dr. David Kim]

Okay. And are there any questions I can't ask?

[Vivian Tu]

No.

[Dr. David Kim]

No. Okay. Are you at a stable weight?

[Vivian Tu]

Yeah, I think so.

[Dr. David Kim]

Any plans to have kids anytime soon?

[Vivian Tu]

No.

[Dr. David Kim]

No. Okay. Can you sit up straight? Have you done anything?

[Vivian Tu]

I'm going to hurl myself off a cliff. Okay.

[Dr. David Kim]

So I can see your face. Chin down a little bit. Have you done any treatments?

[Vivian Tu]

I occasionally, like a couple times a year will get a little bit of Botox elevens, but I'm due.

[Dr. David Kim]

Okay. I mean, you look great. Your skin quality is great. Your pigmentation is really hardly visible. You have very even complexion. You could start doing things that are energy based treatments that are lifting. So ultherapy, great. Ultrasound based lifting treatment. FDA cleared. It's a great treatment. You do it just once a year. And there's another treatment called Zirf that just came out. It just got fda. It just got FDA clearance just recently. It's a radiofrequency based treatment and I think doing that once or twice a year will make a big difference in the long term.

[Vivian Tu]

What, what is, what do those two things do?

[Dr. David Kim]

They stimulate collagen production so that you get a gentle lift. And the best thing is they're super gradual so you don't see a big change overnight. Over the course of four to six months, you will see a gentle lift and people love it.

[Vivian Tu]

Okay, so when can I come in to your office so we can do this?

[Dr. David Kim]

Immediately, right after the podcast.

[Vivian Tu]

Perfect. Perfect. Amazing. I'm so thankful that you weren't like, actually, I have 18,000 things. I'm about to fix it on your kid. No, that's great.

[Dr. David Kim]

No, you look so great.

[Vivian Tu]

Thank you.

[Dr. David Kim]

You clearly take care of yourself.

[Vivian Tu]

I do try to take care of my skin, but you know what it is? It's because I've had really bad skin over the course of my lifetime. I did a round of Accutane in college. I struggled with my skin for a very, very long time. I think after the Accutane it was a lot, a lot better. But I'm still, you know, using a, like prescription retinol. I still have like a skincare regimen. I slug, I moisturize, I try my best.

[Dr. David Kim]

It's, it shows. And also it's really interesting. I've been on Accutane not once but twice because I horrendous acne.

[Vivian Tu]

I'm looking at your skin and there's like, not a pore in skin.

[Dr. David Kim]

That's not true, is it? I'm. All I'm wearing is, like, a light moisturizer and sunscreen. That's it. I don't have any makeup on, and I microdose Accutane still.

[Vivian Tu]

You do?

[Dr. David Kim]

Yeah, because I still flare a little bit here and there, and it just keeps everything at bay. But I always tell my patients, if you want to go see someone, if you want to get skincare recommendations, go to someone who used to have really bad skin because they know what they're talking about.

[Vivian Tu]

Yeah, I don't want to talk to someone who's never had a pimple because you don't even know what it's like.

[Dr. David Kim]

I know. Exactly.

[Vivian Tu]

And so speaking of all these kind of different things that we're doing to our skin, the beauty and skincare industry is worth billions of dollars. And from a dermatologist perspective, where do see people wasting money on their skin? And where should they actually be investing?

[Dr. David Kim]

Oh, my God. That's such a good question and a hard question to answer. I think people are so obsessed and they love following trends. And I see so many patients who have bar who have damaged their skin barrier because they've over exfoliated and they're overusing acids and retinol, and they're doing been there. Yeah, been there, done that. All of us. Right? And so now that's what I see a lot. Everyone comes in with really red, inflamed, flaky skin because they're using so many Actives all at once. So I. I think it's better to just take a step back, start using one or two Actives at a time and see how your skin responds, you know, because we don't really need all those Actives all at once.

[Vivian Tu]

Okay, if I give you $50 and I say, Doctor, please, let's go to the nearest drugstore, how are you spending that $50?

[Dr. David Kim]

You know, $50 doesn't get you that far these days. I mean, even if you go to CVS and do and reads everything is like 20, $25. I will say, number one, one of the most underrated things that people don't think about is cleansing. I feel like so many patients or so many women, men go to bed without cleansing their face, which is really gross. You know, like. And so cleansing is really good, clean, you know, clean skin. It will set you up for success. And good sunscreen. You need a good sunscreen. I feel like when it comes to skincare A lot of people try to treat a condition, whether it's acne, rosacea or wrinkles. But the best way and the most affordable, like, smart way to do that is prevention. So if you're preventing sun damage, if you're preventing and taking care of your skin, you're going to be, you're going to be so much more successful.

[Vivian Tu]

Yeah, yeah. It's easier to prevent than to fix later.

[Dr. David Kim]

Yeah, exactly. That way you don't have to do all these lasers and all these injectables. You will just look so much more glowier and radiant and more natural too.

[Vivian Tu]

Amazing. I feel like that's really good advice. And how often should we be cleansing? Because I'm not 100% sure. I feel like I used to.

[Dr. David Kim]

You don't cleanse well?

[Vivian Tu]

No, I do. So, like I wash my face. You know, I used to wash my face every morning and every single night and I found that it would actually break me out more. And now I've just gone to washing my face with a cleanser at night and then in the morning I'll rinse it with some water and then do like a hypochlorous spray.

[Dr. David Kim]

Yeah, that's perfect. So if you have oily, acne prone skin, cleanse twice a day. But if you have dry, regular skin cleansing with water, especially in the fall and winter when it gets really dry, it's perfectly fine. So like water in the morning, cleanser at night. But there's so many cleansers these days too, you know, like there's ones with benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid and all these acids. And I think you just have to find one that's really gentle on your skin that will do the job without over stripping your skin.

[Vivian Tu]

Yeah. And there's so much misinformation about skincare on social media. And I know as a doctor, as an actual expert, it probably drives you nuts because every single teen girl in, you know, their bedroom is like suddenly a skincare expert. Like, how do you see that impacting consumer spending? And what does it mean for a dermatologist? Like trying to build trust with an audience when everyone else just seems to be like, kind of like pushing product.

[Dr. David Kim]

I know, right? It's interesting. It's so fascinating that there's so much interest around skincare and skin in general and cosmetic treatments. But if you actually talk to the patients and if you go to conferences, at the end of the day, people who have the best skin are the ones who don't follow trends and people who use the same products, the holy grails that they always go back to. And it doesn't have to be an expensive $300 moisturizer. You know, there are so many good drugstore brands. And so for younger tweens who are getting into skincare, and I get this ass all the time, the best way to start is to do three things. Cleanser, moisturizer, spf, and start with that and see how your skin responds and build on top of it. When you're 13, 14, you don't need retinol for anti aging, but you could use Adaptolin for acne. Right. So it's like picking and choosing. And a lot of times you don't need exfoliating acids. You don't need Kojic acid or Butin to brighten your skin. You have no sun damage on your skin. Yeah. There's nothing.

[Vivian Tu]

You're 13.

[Dr. David Kim]

Yeah, you're 13. Exactly. Just. And at the end of the day, you don't want to damage your skin barrier, so that's. You should focus on just keeping your skin barrier intact.

[Vivian Tu]

Yeah. Why do you think the skincare space has gotten younger and younger and younger? I feel like when I was growing up, like, skincare ads were largely targeted to people like my mom's age. And now you've got the tweens rolling into Sephora, selling out like, drunk elephant. Like, why?

[Dr. David Kim]

I have no idea. Do you think it's TikTok? Yeah, of course I think it's TikTok.

[Vivian Tu]

Social media certainly always has something to do with it.

[Dr. David Kim]

I think social media plays a huge role. And now we are so attached to our phones. We spend so many hours every single day scrolling, and I think that's what we see because the algorithm feeds you what you want to see.

[Vivian Tu]

Yeah.

[Dr. David Kim]

And I think people do want to have this glowy, effortless, perfect skin. But it's interesting. There's. I think there is a limit to, you know, when it becomes a little excessive.

[Vivian Tu]

Right.

[Dr. David Kim]

And that's not always a good thing.

[Vivian Tu]

Yeah, yeah. To, like, set that, like, expectation. Always looking perfect.

[Dr. David Kim]

Exactly.

[Vivian Tu]

I remember being that age and, like, I was weird.

[Dr. David Kim]

So was I.

[Vivian Tu]

These kids are not going through that awkward, ugly phase anymore.

[Dr. David Kim]

Maybe they are behind the scenes. You don't think?

[Vivian Tu]

I don't know.

[Dr. David Kim]

Yeah.

[Vivian Tu]

I look at some of these girls and I'm just like, wow. Like, you didn't ever have glasses or braces or acne, like, that built character.

[Dr. David Kim]

I went through all those phases.

[Vivian Tu]

Right.

[Dr. David Kim]

All of that.

[Vivian Tu]

And another kind of hot button topic that we get into, and I See on social media is med spas.

[Dr. David Kim]

Oh, yeah.

[Vivian Tu]

So they're kind of this in between of, you know, just going to a drugstore or a beauty supply store versus going to a board certified dermatologist. There's these med spas popping up all over touting medical grade skincare.

[Dr. David Kim]

Yeah.

[Vivian Tu]

What does that even mean?

[Dr. David Kim]

That's a good question. It's a very controversial topic.

[Vivian Tu]

Talk to me.

[Dr. David Kim]

I don't think it really means anything. I think it could suggest that they've done clinical trials to show the efficacy, but medical grade kind. Medical grade sounds a little misleading because it sounds like a prescription cream, but it's not.

[Vivian Tu]

It sounds like you would be giving that to the doctor.

[Dr. David Kim]

Yeah, exactly. I think clinical skincare is probably more appropriate. There are a lot of pharmaceutical companies that are actually getting into the skincare game too. So like the, the pharmaceutical companies that make Botox and fillers, they have their own skincare line which, by the way.

[Vivian Tu]

I've used Skin Medica, which is from that brand. And I love it.

[Dr. David Kim]

It's great, right?

[Vivian Tu]

It's a really great brand. I feel like it doesn't damage my skin barrier and it's like it goes on. Nice.

[Dr. David Kim]

Yeah, exactly. So gentle. And they have so much data to show the efficacy. So even though it's a little bit pricier, I think it's definitely worth it. But there are a lot of other brands who position themselves at medical grade, but it's. There are very few that I actually trust and recommend. Yeah. Skin Medica being one of them.

[Vivian Tu]

Yeah. Can I know what do you use on your face?

[Dr. David Kim]

I'm trying things all the time. You are, you try things all the time on your face?

[Vivian Tu]

No. Yeah, I do, but that's because I'm like chaotic and I'm like, oh, I want to try this because this was like a purple bottle or like this bottle was glow in the dark.

[Dr. David Kim]

No, that's not true. You're. You read, you do.

[Vivian Tu]

But like, I don't. You know what I mean? Like, if it smells nice and it looks good, I'll try it. And then sometimes it's really bad. I mean, I found out like I had a lanolin allergy just a couple months ago.

[Dr. David Kim]

You can't use Aquaphor.

[Vivian Tu]

Well, so for some reason Aquaphor is okay, but I was using actual, like lanolin, like Lanolips. And this is a product, by the way, that a lot of my friends swear by. And I was like, oh, well, like all of my friends love this product. Turns out I have a lanolin Allergy. And I was using it to slug, like last winter. And I put it all around my lips. I put a little bit under my eyes, and I was like, oh, I've got some dry patches on my face. I'll put it there, too.

[Dr. David Kim]

Oh, my God.

[Vivian Tu]

I woke up the next day and I looked like Will Smith in a hitch. I was like, what is going on with my face?

[Dr. David Kim]

Oh, my gosh. And you had no idea before?

[Vivian Tu]

I had no idea.

[Dr. David Kim]

Was it itchy or did it just swell?

[Vivian Tu]

It swelled and my skin flaked off.

[Dr. David Kim]

Yeah.

[Vivian Tu]

I will say, though, after all of my skin flaked off, it looked amazing.

[Dr. David Kim]

Yeah.

[Vivian Tu]

I was like, new baby.

[Dr. David Kim]

Because it's a baby.

[Vivian Tu]

Yeah.

[Dr. David Kim]

New baby skin. That's interesting. I get sent a ton of products.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Dr. David Kim]

And I always try them.

[Vivian Tu]

You do?

[Dr. David Kim]

Yeah, I try them all because I want to know if they're if. Because I'm always looking for new products, too. I'm curious. There are ingredient new ingredients that are coming out all the time, but I know right away if I'm going to like something or not in, like, within two seconds.

[Vivian Tu]

What are you judging it on?

[Dr. David Kim]

Texture. Yeah, I get texture and scent, and those things are the two most important things because I just know my skin really well. And then I will. If I really. If. If it passes that first stage, then I will use it for about three days. And then if I still like it and now I'll use it for a week. And then if I really like it, then I'll continue to recommend it to patients. But I. Yeah, but I try all the products and. But right now my routine is very simple. In the morning, I'll cleanse with water, and then I use Augustus Bader. I think that's how you say Augustus Botter. Bader.

[Vivian Tu]

Augustine is bader.

[Dr. David Kim]

Augustus Botter.

[Vivian Tu]

You like that?

[Dr. David Kim]

Oh, yeah. The light cream. So there's a rich cream, the cream, and the light cream. But the light cream is really lightweight, super hydrating. Okay. So I do that one.

[Vivian Tu]

I was gonna say the rich cream made me break out.

[Dr. David Kim]

Oh, the rich cream is very heav.

[Vivian Tu]

Yeah.

[Dr. David Kim]

Yeah, yeah.

[Vivian Tu]

I didn't like it.

[Dr. David Kim]

Yeah. Another one that I really like, I recently discovered is Medicate. The vitamin C serum is actually super nice. It's very different from the C Frolic or any of those, like, vitamin Cs. It's more of a serum. So it's super hydrating, but it's not sticky and it's not irritating to the skin. And then I'll do a sunscreen that's it? So I will do cleanse with water, vitamin C, light moisturizer, spf. That's it. In the morning.

[Vivian Tu]

Oh, simple.

[Dr. David Kim]

Yeah. Super simple. And then for the lips, I would do one of three things. Vaseline lip therapy. The best lip balm, really, in the world. It comes in tiny packs. They work so well. There's another one, French pharmacy one called Homeoplasmic. Have you heard of that one? It's a nipple cream.

[Vivian Tu]

Oh, really?

[Dr. David Kim]

It's a nipple cream. It's actually super fascinating. It was actually developed for people who are getting radiation in their breasts.

[Vivian Tu]

Yeah.

[Dr. David Kim]

People who are developing irritation from the radiation to repair that. That's why people are using Homeoplasmic. But if you use it on your lips, it's super calming and super hydrating.

[Vivian Tu]

Yeah.

[Dr. David Kim]

And it's a big tube. It lasts you for years. And then Edum. Is it Edam? How do you. Is that how you say E A.

[Vivian Tu]

D, E, M. E, A, D, E, M. I've never even heard of this.

[Dr. David Kim]

Oh, really? It's a brand. They are at Sephora. Their lip balm, I think, is one of the only lip balms in the market that's not drying. Yeah. I feel like all the other lip balms, I find them very dry. Yeah.

[Vivian Tu]

And you then have to, like, use more and more.

[Dr. David Kim]

Yeah, exactly. And you're lip balm. Yeah. And your lips actually end up being really chapped. And then at night, I'll cleanse. I always do retinol. Retinol twice a week. That's all I can do. And I always tell my patients the goal is to use it every day, but if you can't do it every day, that's okay. Like, do it twice a week.

[Vivian Tu]

That's.

[Dr. David Kim]

That's enough. And then the brightening serum and lights moisturizer.

[Vivian Tu]

That's it. Well, Dr. David is very humble. So he didn't mention that you actually launched your own sunscreen brand. You didn't plug that?

[Dr. David Kim]

No, I didn't plug that.

[Vivian Tu]

Okay. But your sunscreen brand. Lightsaber. Yeah, it's actually in Sephora, which I think we are all underestimating how challenging it is to actually get a product into Sephora. So first off, congratulations.

[Dr. David Kim]

Thank you.

[Vivian Tu]

And you're obviously the expert. So, like, what should we be looking for when we're buying sunscreen? I feel like the chemical mineral debate, the spray lotion debate. I don't even know what I'm supposed to be looking for.

[Dr. David Kim]

I know. Sunscreen is the most important skin care product. It's the best Anti aging skincare product you can ever use. But really the best sunscreen is the one that you're actually going to use. Whether it's chemical, whether it's mineral. Really find the one that you like and actually use it every day, especially if you're traveling a lot. If you live in sunny areas, it's so important to protect your skin. The American Academy of Dermatology recommends using sunscreen with SPF 30 and higher with broad spectrum UV protection. Oh, my God.

[Vivian Tu]

I'm using 70.

[Dr. David Kim]

But can I ask you, do you know the difference between SPF 30 and 50?

[Vivian Tu]

Yeah, I thought that is how many minutes can go by before I have to reapply.

[Dr. David Kim]

Yes, that's true. But do you know how much UVB protection it provides?

[Vivian Tu]

No, of course not.

[Dr. David Kim]

So SPF 30 provides 97% UVB protection.

[Vivian Tu]

Okay.

[Dr. David Kim]

SPF 50. Guess what?

[Vivian Tu]

It is like 97 and a half.

[Dr. David Kim]

98.

[Vivian Tu]

Okay.

[Dr. David Kim]

So there's 1% difference between.

[Vivian Tu]

So it doesn't really matter.

[Dr. David Kim]

It doesn't matter. That's why the ad recommends SPF 30 and higher. And that's the most important part. And actually using it and reapplying it every two hours, Especially if you're outdoors, playing sports, having a picnic or on the beach. And just keep using it.

[Vivian Tu]

Wait, two hours?

[Dr. David Kim]

Every two hours?

[Vivian Tu]

FPF 30. I can go two hours. I don't. I don't have to reapply every 30 minutes.

[Dr. David Kim]

No. Have you been doing that?

[Vivian Tu]

No.

[Dr. David Kim]

I mean, you're a rock star. You're a role model.

[Vivian Tu]

Well, I just feel, like, very nervous about my skin because I don't know. And this is also a very different conversation. But growing up, my mom was always very sensitive about me getting very dark during summer swim team. And so she was always lathering me up with sunscreen. And I felt like it was so annoying.

[Dr. David Kim]

Were you like a white ghost?

[Vivian Tu]

Yeah, always.

[Dr. David Kim]

Always.

[Podcast Host]

But then by the end of the.

[Vivian Tu]

Summer, like, you know, I tan. I really do tan. And I think being Chinese, being Asian, there is a lot of, like, honestly, just like, colorism in the community.

[Dr. David Kim]

Oh, yeah. 100%.

[Vivian Tu]

Like, you want to be a ghost. I mean, like. Yeah, you see the Chinese version of TikTok Douyin, and all of the girls have this filter on that make them look, like, not super pale.

[Dr. David Kim]

Yeah.

[Vivian Tu]

Like they look like ghosts.

[Dr. David Kim]

Yeah.

[Vivian Tu]

Whereas in America, I feel like the beauty standard is to have like a nice glowing tan.

[Dr. David Kim]

Yeah.

[Vivian Tu]

Spray tanning is a thing here.

[Dr. David Kim]

Yeah.

[Vivian Tu]

But that's, you know.

[Dr. David Kim]

Yeah, it's interesting. I mean, I Grew up in Korea.

[Vivian Tu]

Yeah.

[Dr. David Kim]

Until I was 14.

[Vivian Tu]

And Koreans have the exact same beauty standard.

[Dr. David Kim]

Exact same. Yeah. But some protection is huge. Like, from a very early age, you're all, like, putting on sunscreen as a routine and as a family. And I think it's something that we can start. We should start to do here in the States.

[Vivian Tu]

Yeah. Can I ask. I feel like over the past maybe decade, Korean skincare has had such a meteoric rise. And frankly, not just Korean skincare, but, like, Korean, Japanese, even European skincare. Like, when I go to Europe, my friends are like, buy us some La Roche Posay at the drugstore. I'm like, you can get La Roche Posay here. And they're like, it's different. Like, why are we so in love with Korean, Japanese, European skincare? Like, why is American skincare just not as good?

[Dr. David Kim]

Well, there are actually a lot of really good American brands, too. But I was having dinner with Kathleen Howe. Shout out to Kathleen. She's the editor at Elle magazine. And we were talking about this and why K Beauty has blown up so much. And we were thinking that it's not just K Beauty. It's the culture. There's so much happening with K Pop, with Korean entertainment, movies and shows, squid games, and I think it's all of that having halo effect and Korean beauty. K Beauty actually is very innovative. They have very good ingredients. They have really good storytelling. And it's not just cute packaging. The products actually do work. And most importantly, they're affordable. You know, they're like, 20, $25. They're not 60, $80. And you can get them, like, now at Sephora and now at Ulta. They're everywhere. Right. And so I think it's a great place to start, especially if you're curious and you want to try all these different active ingredients.

[Vivian Tu]

What is your thought on, like, medical tourism? Because I know so many. I'm not gonna name names. Y' all better.

[Dr. David Kim]

Y' all better be nice to me.

[Vivian Tu]

I'm not gonna name names, but I know a number of, like, pretty high profile, like, talent influencer celebrities who are taking trips to Korea. I know to get the salmon sperm facial, to get the thing that they're not legally allowed to get here in their neck to get rid of the wrinkles. And, like, I'm just like, this. This sounds so cool. Should I go next?

[Dr. David Kim]

Do you want to go together? Yeah, I'm going at the end of the month.

[Vivian Tu]

Oh, are you really?

[Dr. David Kim]

Yes, I'm going.

[Vivian Tu]

Yeah. I'm tagging along on this one.

[Dr. David Kim]

I actually am. I love Reguran, the salmon sperm DNA. Yeah.

[Vivian Tu]

Yeah.

[Dr. David Kim]

I may actually do it on my face for the first time.

[Vivian Tu]

Oh yeah.

[Dr. David Kim]

I'm kind of curious.

[Vivian Tu]

Will you send me a before and after I can see.

[Dr. David Kim]

But you're supposed to do it like three times, two weeks apart. So you can, you know, unless you're there for a while. But it really does make a difference. And resuron, the salmon sperm DNA, it's been, it's been available in Korea for almost 10 years. So this is not new. You know, it's. It's just that the world is finding about it or the west is finding about it. And same thing with all the other lasers and injectables that are available in Korea that's not FDA approved here. So that you can't get it here. Even like the salmon spring. You can apply it topically. You can pair it with laser treatments or micro needling and apply topically. It still makes a huge difference. But it's different from getting it injected. Yeah. In your face and your neck. You know, some people will do it on. You'll be shocked on their arms, on their chest to hydrate and because you have wrinkles on your arms.

[Vivian Tu]

I don't know.

[Dr. David Kim]

I know maybe I'm. These are the things that. Yeah. And guess what? Above the knee you get. Some people get wrinkles above the knees and people will do redron and fillers.

[Vivian Tu]

That feels like a lot. That feels really excessive.

[Dr. David Kim]

It's really interesting. Yeah. But it really works. And there's so many devices that they have there that we don't have here.

[Vivian Tu]

Yeah.

[Dr. David Kim]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host]

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[Vivian Tu]

Now, is it just like the science is better or like.

[Dr. David Kim]

I think Korea focuses a lot on innovation, so they're pouring a lot of money in R and D and making the next best thing. Like Zurf is another device that's been around in Korea for I think for about a year and two. And now it just got FDA approved here. They're going to launch, and I think they recently launched here. It's the new radio frequency based device and it really does show results immediately and it gives you a gentle lift and you stimulate your skin cells to produce collagen. So now a lot of, I think devices are trying to break into the American market too. Kind of like what K Beauty has done. So we'll see what happens.

[Vivian Tu]

Oh, I love that. I mean, I can't wait.

[Dr. David Kim]

But the FDA is so slow, so it may take forever, you know, it may take years.

[Vivian Tu]

Yeah, fair enough. And I want to talk a little bit more about your background as well. I have heard a rumor. It's not a rumor. My friend is a plastic surgeon and she told me this, but like, dermatology is one of the most lucrative medical specialties.

[Dr. David Kim]

Okay.

[Vivian Tu]

And this tells me you got a near damn perfect like, board score or like you were at the top of your class. Is that true?

[Dr. David Kim]

I worked really, really hard.

[Vivian Tu]

Oh, that's how someone said I was the smartest guy in my life.

[Dr. David Kim]

No, but that's not true, actually. I've been so lucky. I don't know if you ever felt this way. I felt like when I was in college, so I went to Duke for undergrad. I felt like the dumbest person in the room. And I loved having smart friends who were exceptional and brilliant at what they did.

[Vivian Tu]

I also went to public school, like growing up. And so it was very easy for me, I felt, to do well in school.

[Dr. David Kim]

Oh, really?

[Vivian Tu]

I got to the University of Chicago and all of a sudden, like, there are kids who have just been at a higher level of education than I have. And I was like, am I dumb?

[Dr. David Kim]

Yeah, I know that feeling. I mean, I grew up in Korea. I went to a local school and it was very different from Go. And then I went to Toronto for high school and middle school and high school, and I was in ESL for five years. So, like, it was like a big change. And when I came to the. When I came to the States for college, that was also another big change. And same thing with Stanford. When I was at. In medical school at Stanford, I Felt like actually not the smartest person in the room. I had so many classmates who all went to Harvard and Yale and MIT and Stanford, and they were brilliant. But I love being surrounded by brilliant people because it really makes you work harder, want to be smarter, want to be more disciplined, and it makes you. It inspires you to be better. So I actually benefited a lot from my classmates, and I still stay in touch with all of them. They're all my best friends. I love that. Yeah. But I did work really hard. I was always the first person to get to the library, last person to leave. And there's a funny story. So at Stanford, I used to go to the law school to study, because the law schools always have the best chairs. Wait, I would go to business school, law school, med schools. We don't have money. So the chairs are, like, wooden, and they're, like, 50 years old, and they're so uncomfortable. The cushion's dirty. And then you go to the law school, the chairs are the. They have the nicest chairs. They're so comfortable. They're cushiony.

[Vivian Tu]

Y.

[Dr. David Kim]

But at midnight, the librarian walks around and kicks out everyone who's not part of the law school. So I had to hide in the bathrooms and pretend that I was a law student. And then once the librarian left, I would stay there and study till, like, 3am and then go home.

[Vivian Tu]

That is so funny.

[Dr. David Kim]

And then sometimes I would get Starbucks gift cards and give to the librarian and be like, can you please let me stay and study? And then I would negotiate with them, and then I would stay there and study.

[Vivian Tu]

That is honestly genius, life hack. But I feel like Stanford Law School is now about to close this loophole for all the other students.

[Dr. David Kim]

They better not. No, please don't. You didn't hear this here. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm not doing.

[Vivian Tu]

Allegedly. Allegedly, Dr. David Kim did this. Cannot confirm or deny. That's so funny. And can you talk to me a little bit about, you know, where you see the medical profession going? Like, I see it just because one of my closest girlfriends is a surgeon.

[Dr. David Kim]

Okay.

[Vivian Tu]

But, you know, you get your undergrad degree.

[Dr. David Kim]

Yeah.

[Vivian Tu]

Then you got to go to med school, then you got to do your residency.

[Dr. David Kim]

Yeah.

[Vivian Tu]

And she's been broke this whole time.

[Dr. David Kim]

I know.

[Vivian Tu]

And the hope is that once you finally, you know, get out of residency, maybe you have to do a fellowship, so you're still broke that year, but then maybe you become an attending, and you, in fairness, do make a very healthy living. But does that system really serve one? People who want to go into medicine, but to the rest of us, because that kind of really eliminates a certain subset of the population that doesn't feel comfortable taking on near damn half a million dollars in debt just to become a doctor.

[Dr. David Kim]

Yeah, it's really interesting. So if you go to medical school and speak to anyone there.

[Vivian Tu]

Yeah.

[Dr. David Kim]

No one will say, I think, and I love physicians, I have a lot of patients who are physicians too. And most people will never say, if not all that they're there for money.

[Vivian Tu]

Right.

[Dr. David Kim]

You don't go to medical school to make money. Right.

[Vivian Tu]

There's easier ways.

[Dr. David Kim]

Yeah, there are easier ways. And like, I think it's just not a profession that really compensates you in the way, considering all the years of schooling and training that you have to.

[Vivian Tu]

Do, because it's like a decade of extra schooling.

[Dr. David Kim]

I actually think the best way to make that better is to make medical schools tuition free. I think if you can make medical schools tuition free, that will make a huge difference. And I think you are seeing that NYU is now tuition free. I think Stanford is also tuition free. Hopkins is tuition free. And I think they see the value in that not only attracting talent, because a lot of times when you're applying to schools, you also have to apply for financial aid and scholarships. And even if you get into a better ranked school, you may end up going to a school that offers you a better financial package. And so if the schools offered all tuition for all the medical students, which I think will be incredible and I think it will be really critical actually. They would actually be able to draw more talent and train them so that they don't have to. Yeah, the best talent and they don't have to worry about paying off their student debt. Right? Yeah. The loans and making ends meet. Yeah, exactly.

[Vivian Tu]

Because it's crazy that, like, I know, you know a number of residents right now who work crazy hours, 100, 120 hours a week. They're like going on day three of, I'm like, have you gone home yet? And they don't. They're not even making minimum wage. If you break out the number of hours they're at the hospital.

[Dr. David Kim]

If I told you how much I made as a, as a second first year, second year resident, you'll be shocked. I would say.

[Vivian Tu]

How much were you making? Like an hour, do you think? Or like how much were you making?

[Dr. David Kim]

I was making like 51, $52,000.

[Vivian Tu]

A year.

[Dr. David Kim]

A year.

[Vivian Tu]

And you were working 100, 120 hours.

[Dr. David Kim]

Maybe not 100, but like close to 70 to 80 hours.

[Vivian Tu]

Wow.

[Dr. David Kim]

A week? Yeah. And so, and also I met, I, I saw my medical school roommate of five years. She's a cardiothoracic surgeon now in la. Badass, no pressure. Doing hair transplants like every, every week. And I saw her and I was catching up with her and she said she got off the, she left the hospital at 2 o' clock in the morning and she got paged and she had to go back in at 5 o' clock in the morning because her heart was getting flown in and she had to get the patient ready. And you're in surgery all day, you're doing an open heart surgery. Right. Have to make sure the surgery went well and you have to make sure the patient is stable afterwards. And you have to like, monitor them and like, that is her cycle. And you can only do that because you're so committed and dedicated and you.

[Vivian Tu]

Have to love it.

[Dr. David Kim]

You love it. But at the end of the day, we are human there. We need 24 hours in a day. You need your sleep, you need to eat. Right. So it's not sustainable. And she's doing that as a, as a fellow right now. And even then, like, it's really, really hard. Your body starts to break down a little bit. Right. So there's got to be a way to balance it. But I don't, I don't know the answer to that because, like, you need that intensity, you need that training, you need that, the number of hours to become really good at what you do because you're saving people's lives. Right.

[Vivian Tu]

I'm not letting someone who operate on my heart, who's only done it twice.

[Dr. David Kim]

Twice, exactly. Yeah. Yeah.

[Vivian Tu]

You better have done this a lot.

[Dr. David Kim]

Yeah, exactly. And then you're also learning. Even, even if you're done with your training and then attending, you're still learning. Right. You're going to conferences, you, you still learn from your seniors. And I think that is also very important. Just mentorship. I think mentorship is so important in medicine. Yeah.

[Vivian Tu]

Do you think that the route of making money for many dermatologists has actually been to launch their own brand? The one that I'm thinking of off the top of My head is Dr. Dennis Gross. He was a dermatologist here in New York City and now has the alpha beta peels that like every girl I know uses.

[Dr. David Kim]

Yeah. Yeah. Is the goal to launch their own brand?

[Vivian Tu]

Yeah. Do you think?

[Dr. David Kim]

I don't think so. Not everyone. I think people think about it and I think it's really fun. I think I encourage everyone to do it. If they really want to, but I don't think people should feel pressured to do it. There are already so many brands and so many products in the market. It's so saturated. It's really hard to stand out. And I think if there's one product or one idea that you're super passionate about, for me, it was sunscreen. Then I think, go for it, do it. You know, whether it fails or succeeds, it's really up to you and how you execute. But you should never feel, you know, influenced or pressured to create your own brand because it's so hard. It takes so much time and money, and you're. You're competing with Roads of the world.

[Vivian Tu]

Right.

[Dr. David Kim]

And how are you going to do that? You know, like, and you have to see patients, you're in clinic. And so it really depends on what your goals are.

[Vivian Tu]

Yeah. And speaking of which, you actually describe yourself as a minimalist. And what I really appreciate about you is that this entire time you haven't just been plugging product, you're actually like, yeah, you probably need, like, three or four things. But, like, where do you balance wanting to be a minimalist while also, like, running an affordable, like, and a profitable practice and skincare company?

[Dr. David Kim]

That's a really good question. It's a delicate balance, but I think it really comes down to your own philosophy. Right. I like when people look and feel their best and they look natural. And my patients, I will say pretty, like 100 of them will say, no one knows that I do anything.

[Vivian Tu]

Right.

[Dr. David Kim]

And that is my goal. Right. Like, I'm their hidden secret. I'm their little hidden weapon that they will come when they need a little pick me up. And I don't want anyone, including their husbands, to know they did anything. And really, some patients will hide that from their patients, too. Some patients will. Some patients will hide that from their husbands, too, or their significant others. Wow. Yeah. And that's the. My goal. I want them to walk out with no bruises. Although that does happen, you know, like, things like that. But the goal is to do a little bit at a time, because when you do like 10 treatment, 10 treatments all at once, you don't even know what's doing what. Right?

[Vivian Tu]

Yeah.

[Dr. David Kim]

So you. You start with something that's more gradual, more natural, that will take time, like all therapy and surface, and then have them come back after six weeks and you do little tweaks because that way you can use less number of syringes, of fillers, or less of anything, because you're waiting for your skin to kick in. And then you do little tweaks and then that will give you the lift and the look and the just a little pick me up that you want and you need. You don't really need it, but you want without looking crazy and without getting carried away. And I'm honestly, I spent a lot of time in my clinic saying no to treatments. So they will say, can I get more lip filler? Can I get more filler in the jawline, cheekbones? And then I'll show them the photos in the before and afters. Look how beautiful you look. If you did a little bit more, you're getting carried away and you'll look completely disfigured. So a lot of times it's just waiting. I'll tell them, come back in three to four months, we can reassess and we can do more. Then let your body metabolize it. But I want them to walk out feeling the best, not having anyone know that they did anything.

[Vivian Tu]

Yeah, no pillow face at Dr. Davis.

[Dr. David Kim]

You'Re gonna say no pillow face. Oh, my gosh. But that's going out of style too, right? Yeah, yeah. People, no one wants that.

[Vivian Tu]

Nobody wants that. And you're a part of this new wave of doctor creators. How do you juggle, like the brand sponsorships, the partnerships, like things in the medical space are there just like ethical lines that you won't cross?

[Dr. David Kim]

Yeah, I mean, so I'm so new to this. Like, you've been doing this for a while?

[Vivian Tu]

No, only like a little over four years.

[Dr. David Kim]

Is that right?

[Vivian Tu]

Not too long?

[Dr. David Kim]

Yeah, I just started this year.

[Vivian Tu]

Did you?

[Dr. David Kim]

Yeah, I haven't.

[Vivian Tu]

You have grown so fast.

[Dr. David Kim]

Well, yes, I've been so lucky and it's been really incredible. But I haven't done any brand deals or anything like that until this year. So I'm learning. I'm like navigating. I have people who are helping me navigate too now, which is really helpful. But the. It's always like, it's very structured. So like a brand will reach out and then there will be a specific product that they're interested in promoting. And then they will send me a sample. I'll try it the, you know, like try the texture, try it for three days, try for a week and make sure that I really like the product.

[Vivian Tu]

The way you test skincare, by the way, is literally the TikTok algorithm.

[Dr. David Kim]

Should I just do that? Yeah, do a video. And I have turned down deals that are. That were very lucrative, like six figure deals that I turned down because I don't, I didn't Believe in it. And so I think that's really important for me, like, my own soul and for my audience as well, that I will be super particular about the products that I choose that I believe in, that I promote. Same thing with the brands that I work with. But I'm still learning. I. I could probably use some advice from you.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah, we'll do tips right after this Promise.

[Vivian Tu]

Now that the holidays are coming up, what do you encourage people when they're thinking about, like, cute little stocking stuffers for, like, skincare? Like, what do you like to gift people?

[Dr. David Kim]

Oh, my God. So many things. I feel like a lot of people travel during holiday season, so little travel kits are really helpful. Like. Yeah, I think so. There's so many of them. Of course, sunscreen. You have to have sunscreen. I think lip. Lip products like Vaseline Lip therapy or Edam, those are really good products. Cleansers. Every time I travel, I feel like I can't find a cleanser that fits into the travel kit because I hate checking bags.

[Vivian Tu]

No, I never do.

[Dr. David Kim]

Yeah, I never do. I always have. Carry on. So cleansers are really good. Perfumes are really fun. I feel like colognes. I think those are really good products. But also, you know, holidays, like, people are very generous, and you're very, like, excited. And I think it's good to also splurge a little bit and then give them that beautiful candle that they wanted or beautiful moisturizer that they wanted just for the holiday time. Yeah.

[Vivian Tu]

Aw, that's thoughtful.

[Dr. David Kim]

And hand creams. I feel like hand creams are super underrated.

[Vivian Tu]

I know. Someone told me that I needed to start putting SPF on my hands, and.

[Dr. David Kim]

I said, you don't?

[Vivian Tu]

Well, I do now because I was like, I don't want to have wrinkly hands or sunspots.

[Dr. David Kim]

Yeah, exactly. And you have to extend it down to the neck and the chest.

[Vivian Tu]

Yeah, I go all the way down to the chest now.

[Dr. David Kim]

And all over the arms.

[Vivian Tu]

I don't do my arms because I'm so lazy.

[Podcast Host]

I'll get there.

[Vivian Tu]

I'll get there, I'll get there.

[Dr. David Kim]

Baby steps.

[Vivian Tu]

I have another question. So there's a phrase, clean beauty.

[Dr. David Kim]

Oh, oh.

[Vivian Tu]

The way they responded that, okay, clean beauty has been essentially, like, charging premium prices for. And I quote, I'm using air quotes. Natural products. From a dermatologist perspective, is this just marketing or is it actually better for your skin?

[Dr. David Kim]

Oh, gosh. I think it's interesting. It's complicated, but, you know, not everything natural is good.

[Vivian Tu]

Yeah.

[Dr. David Kim]

Poison ivy is Natural. That's not good, Yakko. Yeah, we don't want that. We don't know once that. So I think it's good to have higher standards. But I think there's a lot of fear mongering and I think that's the bad part. Like Vaseline Petroleum, amazing product, right. Have been using it for decades and now some groups are saying that it's really unsafe, that it's dirty. No, that's not true. It's filtered petroleum. That's super safe. We use it on babies because that's one of the few things that are actually safe to use on babies and infants. And so like you have to strike a balance a little bit. But now I think one good thing about the clean that aspect is that it has made all the brands make their formula a little bit more curated. So if there are specific ingredients that they don't want to use, they will be very intentional about that. And I think that's a good thing. If there's fear mongering, that's bad. But if it makes brands and the as the whole industry be better and I think that's okay.

[Vivian Tu]

I have another hot question.

[Dr. David Kim]

Yes?

[Vivian Tu]

When should someone start thinking about seeing an actual dermatologist versus trying to DIY something?

[Dr. David Kim]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I think that happens a lot with rosacea and acne and anti aging too. But with acne especially, I struggled with acne. I was there like I tried to fix it myself for a very long.

[Vivian Tu]

Time, which by the way, I feel like I use proactive for so long and that shit does not work.

[Dr. David Kim]

You don't think so?

[Vivian Tu]

I didn't think so.

[Dr. David Kim]

Okay. Some people really believe in it, but it's just a combination of benzoyl peroxide and maybe clindamycin. There's nothing fancy about it. They just make it really easy for you, you know, Cleanser serum. Yeah, exactly. That's it. So like. And it's so easy to subscribe and get the products and you never run out. Right. But the time you should really see a derm is after trying those products. Whether it's one brand or another. After trying those products for six weeks. If you don't see an improvement in your skin, you should definitely see a dermatologist because you're, it's. You're only going to get more pimples, you're only going to create more acne scars and that's going to be harder to treat. Yeah.

[Vivian Tu]

Oh, I like that. That's like a very like muted approach. Try it at home if you can't do it in six weeks. See it. See a professional.

[Dr. David Kim]

Exactly. Don't just like keep trying new products with new active ingredients because you may, that's. That may not be what you need. You may actually need prescription creams. You know.

[Vivian Tu]

Okay, fun one for you. What do you think is the most overhyped, overpriced treatment or product in the skin care market in dermatology right now?

[Dr. David Kim]

Oh my gosh, that's so hard. So there is, there are a lot of lasers coming out for acne to cure acne. I haven't seen enough data to really believe that that's going to be a good long term solution. It may help short term, but to properly treat acne, you have to treat the underlying cause.

[Vivian Tu]

Right.

[Dr. David Kim]

And doing a laser treatment superficially, is it going to really fundamentally, fundamentally change your sebaceous glands and your skin DNA and architecture? Probably not. So I would be literally, I am cautious of any lasers that are designed for acne and curing acne. Oh, lifting.

[Vivian Tu]

Lifting.

[Dr. David Kim]

Yeah, any, any skin care product that promises that you're going to get a lift in one month or two months. I don't think that's going to really work.

[Vivian Tu]

Awkward. I, I'm currently using like a cream that's supposed to be lifted. Lifting, like a, lifting my neck.

[Dr. David Kim]

Have you seen a difference?

[Vivian Tu]

No.

[Dr. David Kim]

Well, maybe you just have to use it longer, I don't know. But it's really hard to lift your skin with skincare products.

[Vivian Tu]

Got you.

[Dr. David Kim]

Yeah. Topically, you know, like you have to.

[Vivian Tu]

Actually do something to like the muscle or like the below.

[Dr. David Kim]

Exactly. Because a lot of times as we get older, people only think about the skin. But as we get older, our skin gets thinner, we lose fat on our face, our muscles shrink and our bones also shrink. So you're losing structure. Everything just falls inwards and forwards. Right.

[Vivian Tu]

Hate this.

[Dr. David Kim]

I know. Don't we love this? So you have to restore the volume, you have to create structures in your face and you have to stimulate collagen at a deeper level of your skin to really get a meaningful lift. You can only do so much by putting products on your skin. You know, if you start doing that really early on, like in your 20s, you will age slower, but you will eventually get there too. Right? Yeah. There's only so much a skincare product.

[Vivian Tu]

Can do and we're running out of time.

[Dr. David Kim]

Oh, no.

[Vivian Tu]

I have a very easy, definitely not controversial, not contentious question for my final thing that I want to talk to you about right now. It does feel like there's a little Bit of an attack on science and there is less credence being given to doctors. You know, there's defunding of scientific research. There is just a lack of belief in tried and true health policies. As a doctor, what concerns you the most so much?

[Dr. David Kim]

Number one innovation, A lot of the funding that has been traditionally begin. A lot of the funding that has traditionally been given by the NIH is on hold right now. I have a very good friend who recently got her grant from NIH and she was very excited to start her lab and it's on hold now because the funding has been frozen and that's going to hold us back. It may not affect us now, but we are going to feel this in 15, 10 to 15 years because that's how long research takes. Right. It takes decades to really start with a basic science research at a lab and then translate that into a medication and do clinical trials. That is something that takes 10 to 15 years. Every innovation that we are benefiting from right now is from years of research that has already been done for decades. Right. Number two, vaccine. That's a real problem. We are living in a society that is healthy and protected and immunized because they've done such a good job vaccinating all the children. And these are vaccines that been that have been studied and proven through clinical trials and in the healthcare system for decades. And now there's a lot of question about whether vaccines are safe or not. And I think that is kind of a scary thought and that's something that healthcare professionals really struggle with every day now, having that conversation, whether vaccines are safe, medical intervention or not. And that really scares me and so much more. You know, there's just so much fake news and fake science that's being shared online. And I think doctors just. We're just not confrontational. We're not, we're not good at lobbying ourselves. And I think it's going to become more and more important for us to be a little bit more vocal about what is accurate, what is true science, what is evidence based and what is science backed. But we'll see. It will. It will. We'll have to continue. This will continue for several years.

[Vivian Tu]

Yeah, yeah. I think that voices like yours who are, you know, legitimate doctors, but are also creators and like beloved.

[Dr. David Kim]

Yeah.

[Vivian Tu]

And easy to watch, frankly. I feel like you make it so easy to understand, are going to be absolutely integral in convincing the general public of like what true medical practitioners believe.

[Dr. David Kim]

That's an interesting point. A lot of times when I make these videos, I just I don't. I'm already, I'm like always shocked that someone cares and that people will actually watch the videos. But I've been thinking about this lately too. Like, you know, us as a society, as a healthcare professional, like, what does it mean this time, where we are now and how to use the platform to educate and get people to understand that not everything they watch on the news or read on the paper may be accurate. Yeah.

[Vivian Tu]

Thank you so much for being here with me, Dr. David Kim. Please tell everybody what's next for you. Like, where can we find you?

[Dr. David Kim]

Oh, gosh. So I'm starting my own clinic. I know. Which I'm really excited about. We're on, well under construction right now and hopefully will be done early 2026. So you can find me there. You can find me at Dr. David Kim on Instagram and Dr. David Kim on TikTok as well.

[Vivian Tu]

Amazing. Thank you so much.

[Dr. David Kim]

Thank you so much for having me. This was so fun.

[Vivian Tu]

So fun.

[Podcast Host]

Thanks for tuning into this week's episode of Net Worth and Chill, part of the Vox Media podcast network. If you liked the episode, make sure to leave a rating and review and subscribe so you never miss an episode. Got a burning financial question that you.

[Vivian Tu]

Want covered in a future episode?

[Podcast Host]

Write to us via podcastorrichbff.com follow Net Worth and Chillpod on Instagram to stay up to date on all podcast related news. And you can follow me at YourRichBFF for even more financial know how.

[Vivian Tu]

See you next week. Bye.

[Podcast Host]

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