Pop Apologists, Episode 306: Why No One Needs a $200K Facelift... or an Expensive Skin Care Routine ft. MRS DERM

Date: November 26, 2025
Hosts: Lauren (Pop Apologists, PodcastOne)
Guest: Melissa Coleman (@mrs.derm), skincare and dermatology advocate

Episode Overview

This episode cuts through the noise of the beauty industry, as Lauren is joined by Melissa Coleman—known as “Mrs. Derm” on Instagram—to break down the real essentials of skincare. Together, they challenge the myth that expensive routines, endless products, monthly facials, or even astronomical cosmetic surgeries are necessary to maintain great skin. Drawing on Melissa’s own experience as both a skincare influencer and the spouse of a dermatologist, the episode emphasizes science-backed, affordable, and minimalist routines. The conversation also takes on the culture of beauty marketing, predatory sales tactics in dermatology offices, and surging surgery costs that intimidate most people. The message: results come from simplicity, honesty, and realistic expectations.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Overwhelm and Marketing of Skincare

• Skincare confusion: Lauren shares her struggles with the overwhelming flood of products and marketing gimmicks in skincare, leading to analysis paralysis and avoidance (02:00–03:40).
  • “I was able to ride on the fumes of youth for quite a while. And then the car... just skidded to a halt.” —Lauren [02:29]
• Melissa’s philosophy: Melissa is direct—most products are unnecessary, and much of beauty marketing is predatory (03:38–04:32).
  • “I can do it without an eye cream, I can do it without a toner, and I can just use the same five or six products every day for years.” —Melissa [04:04]
• Facials and treatments: The two debunk the necessity of monthly facials and elaborate “miracle” treatments.
  • “One of my favorite things that you say is completely useless are facials.” —Lauren [05:24]
  • “The amount of rashes I treat from women who have had facials... it's just this, like, soup recipe for your face. And then they wake up... and they have a rash.” —Melissa [05:53]

2. The “Skinfluencer” Origin Story & Honest Dermatology

• How Mrs. Derm started: Melissa started her Instagram to answer questions from her dermatologist husband Patrick’s patients who recognized her in clinic and wanted advice—but couldn’t get candid info anywhere else (06:31–08:49).
• Her husband's approach: Patrick, the dermatologist, sells only two products: Retin-A and sunscreen. No up-charges, no extraneous creams (08:56–09:54).
  • “He’s always come from this school of thought that all that is garbage, really... what you actually need is Retin-A.” —Melissa [08:56]

3. Simple, Science-Backed Daily Routines

The ultimate minimalist approach:

• AM Routine:
  • Vitamin C serum (if tolerated): “Should be the first thing you wake up in the morning. Vitamin C on your face, neck, chest.” —Melissa [16:10]
  • Moisturizer (only if needed): “People over moisturize their skin—and it causes a lot of... perioral dermatitis.” —Melissa [18:35]
  • Sunscreen (essential): “If I could pick one product at 10 years old—it would be sunscreen.” —Melissa [25:31]
    • Note: For most, cleansing in the morning is unnecessary. “I don’t [wash my face in the morning].” —Melissa [17:52]
• PM Routine:
  • Cleanser: Wash off makeup, sunscreen, pollution.
  • Retin-A/tretinoin (essential): “Absolutely, without question, Retin-A.” —Melissa [26:00]
  • Optional: Prescription creams for acne, melasma, or rosacea as needed.
  • Minimal moisturizer, only if skin is dry.

What’s NOT needed:

• Toners, eye creams, “miracle” serums, frequent switching of products.
  • “Let’s stop playing polypharmacy on our face.” —Melissa [10:25]

Estimated cost of this routine is comparatively low, unlike “medical-grade” routines that cost hundreds per month.

4. The Truth about Expensive Treatments and “Medical Grade” Products

• Extreme examples: Melissa tells of a woman spending $700/month on 20+ products pushed by her derm, instead of simply addressing the underlying problem—a facelift.
  • “She had a $700 a month skincare habit. And she said, ‘I can’t take my annual vacations...’ And I was so mad at the derm.” —Melissa [13:19–13:36]
• Debunking “medical grade” marketing: Expensive routines often contain nothing more effective than a few evidence-backed ingredients.

5. Sunscreen: Why EU/Non-US Sunscreens Matter

• US sunscreens lag behind: The US has not approved new sunscreen filters in decades, so American sunscreens protect well against burns (UVB), but poorly against aging (UVA). European (EU) and Australian options provide far better broad-spectrum protection (58:31–60:17).
• Key recommendation: Look for La Roche-Posay "UVMUNE 400" (contains Mexoryl 400) for real UVA protection if you can source it.
  • “There is no American version of UVMune 400... because the 400 stands for Mexoryl 400, which is not approved here.” —Melissa [66:05]
• Where to buy: Some US specialty pharmacies stock it, or order from EU/Asia online retailers (beware tariffs and counterfeits).

6. The Science on Retin-A: When, How, & Why to Use

• Retin-A delivers visible results over time (several months to a year), but only with consistent, daily use.
  • “If you do Retin-A every other day... the results you get in a year will take her four years.” —Melissa [36:01]
• Beginning Retin-A:
  • Start with a tiny, pea-sized amount and avoid overuse to reduce irritation.
  • Some peeling and irritation is expected and needed for results. “You have to irritate your skin; it has to heal from something... it is a controlled damage.” —Melissa [40:57, 41:19]
• Mythbusting: Retin-A does not “thin the skin”—it’s proven to build collagen with long-term, consistent use (34:19–35:17).

7. Melasma and Pigment: Real Strategies, Real Timeframes

• Melasma can be persistent: Requires consistent sunscreen and prescription actives.
• Melissa’s journey: After worsening pigment from topical estrogen, she switched to an arbutase-based compound (her “Coleman Compound”), seeing improvements in ~2 weeks (43:09–55:25).
  • “I started to see a real difference after two weeks.” —Melissa [55:10]
• Fair skin vs. olive/darker skin: Fair skin shows early aging, but is easier to treat; darker skin resists aging longer, but is harder to fix once damaged (53:33–54:05).

8. Treatments & Devices: What Works, What’s Hype

• Lasers & Peels:
  • Use is highly individualized by skin tone and targeted problem (pigment, redness, texture).
  • CO2 laser and TCA peels, applied judiciously by a dermatologist, offer most improvement (70:07–74:08).
  • Monthly medium-depth peels can be more effective and affordable than repeated “maintenance” lasers.
  • “If it worked, why didn’t it work?” —Dr. Patrick, via Melissa [70:59]
• Caution: Only see qualified dermatologists or plastic surgeons for peels and laser—esthetician- or med spa-administered treatments carry serious risk (81:04–82:14).
• At-home devices (microcurrent, LED masks):
  • “No, they’re all [useless]. They don’t do anything.” —Melissa [90:24]
  • If they worked, clinics would offer more powerful versions; improvement is usually from improved general routines and placebo.
  • “If it worked... where’s the one at your derm’s office?” —Melissa [92:19]
  • LED masks, exosomes, stem cells, and similar fads lack scientific evidence and aren’t legal/effective in the US (93:41–104:25).

9. Cosmetic Surgery: The $200K Facelift Myth and Smart Sourcing

• Facelifts do not need to cost $200K:
  • The same “deep plane” facelift, neck lift, brow lift, and blepharoplasty that cost $150–315K in LA/NYC often run $22–30K in markets with lower overhead (New Orleans, Dallas, etc.).
  • “He lives in New Orleans, it happens to be… he owns the building… the overhead is a lot lower.” —Melissa [109:31–109:56]
  • Location, not skill, sets price. All reputable US plastic surgeons meet rigorous standards, regardless of city or celebrity clientele.
• How to choose a surgeon:
  • Get referrals from your dermatologist—they know the best local surgeons (117:59–119:12).
  • The best surgeons tell you NO if you’re not a candidate. “The best thing you can be told is NO. The surgeon that tells you no is your surgeon.” —Melissa [121:15–123:34]
  • Always get multiple consults to avoid “mercenary” up-selling or unnecessary procedures.
  • No surgery or device will make you look 25 again.
• Celebrity facelifts/Instagram deception: Extreme before/afters are cherry-picked and filtered. “She looks great. But you go get the $250,000 facelift and you pay her doctor and you don’t look like that. Because she’s not.” —Melissa [131:39]

10. Real Talk on Beauty Standards, Social Media, and Culture

• Dangers of comparison: Social media encourages “face filter” psychosis and endless chasing of unattainable perfection (129:25–132:30).
• Compassion: The cruelty, commentary, and toxic expectations online (especially toward female celebrities) are both harmful and misleading.
  • “What happened to supporting women's journeys and choices?” —Melissa [134:23]
  • “I just block you... I'm good on your toxic inner monologue.” —Lauren [139:38–140:11]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On product overload:
  “If the money women spend on useless skincare products could just be put in a savings account and accrue interest, we could resolve so many financial issues.” —Lauren [11:00]
• On facials:
  “It’s like a cardiologist that encourages people to smoke. It’s good for business.” —Melissa (on her husband’s view of facials) [06:24]
• On sunscreen:
  “US sunscreens will protect you from getting sunburned... but they don’t do much to protect against aging.” —Melissa [60:37]
• On retin-A:
  “If I could pick one product at [age] 10, it would be sunscreen... at 46, it’s absolutely, without question, retin-A.” —Melissa [25:31–26:00]
• On skincare ‘progress’:
  “Let’s stop playing polypharmacy on our face.” —Melissa [10:25]
• On devices:
  “Where is the derm version [of LED masks]? They don’t exist.” —Melissa [92:19]
• On surgery prices:
  “Location, not skill, sets price. All reputable US plastic surgeons meet rigorous standards, regardless of city or celebrity clientele.” —Melissa [109:31–109:56, paraphrased]
• On social media delusion:
  “People filter [photos] and that’s how they identify now—they only recognize themselves as that image and they want that image to become reality. And you actually can’t— you can’t do it.” —Melissa [130:39–130:50]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Skincare confusion and marketing culture: 02:00–05:24
• Origin of “Mrs. Derm” and honest dermatology: 06:31–08:49
• Core daily routine breakdown: 16:04–25:31
• The truth about facials and expensive routines: 13:19–14:16
• Science of sunscreen and why EU formulas matter: 58:31–66:34
• Retin-A science, usage, and consistency: 31:36–37:34
• Melasma and hyperpigmentation strategies: 43:09–55:25
• Lasers, peels, and real intervention: 67:43–78:13
• At-home devices and why they (don’t) work: 90:24–98:45
• Cosmetic surgery costs/myths and how to choose a surgeon: 106:11–119:01
• Celebrity facelifts and public deception: 131:02–132:22
• Toxic culture and supporting women: 134:23–135:05

Takeaways for Listeners

• Great skin requires only a few evidence-backed steps: sun protection, retinoids, prescription actives for particular conditions, and occasional dermatologist-led treatments if desired.
• Most “miracle” products, devices, and monthly treatments are unnecessary, and often predatory in their marketing. Throw out the toners, multi-step routines, and fancy serums unless you simply enjoy them.
• Surgery does not need to be prohibitively expensive, and the most important factors are skill, ethics, and realistic expectations—not hype, not price tag, not zip code.
• Social media and beauty marketing prey on insecurity. Cultivate “BS radar," opt out of comparison, and seek factual, unbiased guidance like Mrs. Derm provides.

Follow Melissa (@mrs.derm) on Instagram for more honest, to-the-point skincare science and recommendations.

[All ads and non-content material have been skipped. If you listen to one Pop Apologists episode this year, make it this one—your face and wallet will thank you.]