How Does Your Skin Stack Up? This App Knows

Photo: Getty Images

I’m a skin-care geek, so when I heard about the new SkinBetter app, I was practically giddy. Created in partnership with Allure magazine, the free app works by mapping your skin and analyzing it for a number of issues: redness, spots, wrinkles, and so forth. It also compares your results to other people of your skin type and age, which appealed greatly to my competitive streak. The idea is to give people information about the health of their skin, then recommend dermatologist-vetted products for my particular complexion needs.

Did I download SkinBetter immediately? Duh.

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It was time to get busy. First, I snapped a photo of my face. Bathed in the office’s unflattering fluorescent light, every clogged pore stood out—but I was committed to doing this for science. Next, I answered a few questions about my skin and lifestyle habits. A lifelong sunscreen addict who thinks “tan” is a four-letter word, I take care of my skin with antioxidant serums, regular facials, and religious use of moisturizer. My mom’s side of the family has crazy-youthful genes, and I don’t have wrinkles yet, so people typically guess I’m younger than I am. Plus, I’ve had my complexion analyzed by Visia (the machine that goes layers deep and even shows what your face will look like 10 years from now), which has always suggested that my skin is in better shape than most. This was gonna be a cake walk!

So I tapped forward in the app, fully expecting SkinBetter to praise me for having such luminous skin. Instead, I gasped. “Unfortunately, your SkinBetter wrinkle grade is on the highest end of the wrinkle continuum,” the app told me. Wait—I look like a Shar-Pei? What a bummer.

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“Spots” would be even scarier, I thought, assuming that my light acne scars would put me in the worse-than-most camp. Nope! I have fewer spots than average. Still, SkinBetter coached me to avoid sun exposure. Good advice, but I’ve already developed a vitamin D deficiency from staying out of the sun—I’ve got this part down already. SkinBetter, I’m beginning to think you don’t know me at all, I thought.

The next two steps were simultaneously impressive and terrifying. With Canfield imaging technology, the app is able to measure red and brown spots in the skin—not just the visible ones, but the pigment underneath the skin. One screen allowed me to highlight the sun spots and texture changes. Essentially, my skin looked like asphalt, all bumpy and dark. The next screen revealed the amount of redness lurking in my skin. Basically, I looked like Carrie at the prom.

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By this point, I was eager to check out the app’s product recommendations. First up: SkinMedica TNS Essential Serum, on sale for $256.50. For cleansing, I should use a Clarisonic brush; I already do, but it’s a good reminder to replace my old brush head. As for sunscreen, SkinBetter again recommended a product I use every day: SkinCeuticals Sheer Physical UV Defense SPF 50. While it was satisfying to see my existing choices confirmed, it made me wonder if this face is as good as it gets. (Either that, or that pricey serum really would make all the difference.)

The makers of SkinBetter are careful to emphasize that the app isn’t a substitute for a dermatologist visit. Instead, it’s a tool to help users understand the complexion issues that aren’t always visible. In my case, I remain stubbornly unconvinced that I have more wrinkles than most women my age. (Which, I concede, may be my ego speaking.) Still, the app only solidified my dedication to wearing sunscreen every single day—because if my skin is this troubled now, I’d better do my best to take care of it for the future.