6 Skincare Secrets From an Expert Who Has Tried Literally Everything So You Don’t Have To

Amy Chang has put her skin through it all. Accutane, six years of antibiotics, a Botox disaster that left her nearly unrecognizable, and every cutting-edge treatment Korea has to offer. So when she says something actually works, it’s coming from experience.

On Breaking Beauty, she sits down with hosts Jill Dunn and Carlene Higgins to share the treatments that transformed her skin, the mistakes that cost her thousands, and the products she keeps reaching for. 

Whether you’re dealing with acne, aging, hyperpigmentation, or just trying to figure out what’s actually worth your money, here’s what she wants you to know.

6 Skincare Secrets From an Expert Who Has Tried Literally Everything So You Don’t Have To

Your gut health and your skin are more connected than you think

Chang was on the antibiotic doxycycline for nearly six years to manage her acne. “What we know now is that long-term use of antibiotics just completely wrecks the gut microbiome,” she says. “And we know that there’s a direct axis between the skin and the gut.” 

So if you’ve been throwing every serum and acid known to mankind at your face and nothing is working, maybe the answer isn’t another product. Maybe it’s your gut telling you to put down the credit card at Sephora and pick up a probiotic instead.

You’re probably not washing your face well enough

“After I would wash my face once with a foaming cleanser, I would then go to the towel, rub my face, and there would be makeup all over the towel,” Chang says. “Not connecting, oh wait, I need to go and wash my face again.” 

This is exactly why double cleansing is such a big deal in Korean skincare. First pass with an oil-based cleanser to actually dissolve the makeup and sunscreen, second pass with a water-based cleanser to get your skin genuinely clean.

Botox can go very wrong and your derm might not tell you

Chang got masseter Botox to slim her jawline, which is a common off-label use especially for people of Korean descent. Her dermatologist did 30 units on each side for three rounds spaced three months apart. “The lower part of my face just collapsed,” she says. The muscle atrophy caused so much volume loss that her skin started sagging. “I looked in the mirror and I was nearly unrecognizable to myself.”

The worst part? When she brought it up to her board-certified dermatologist, “he was like, ‘You look fine to me.'” She spent years and tens of thousands of dollars trying to correct it. The lesson she keeps coming back to is that credentials don’t automatically mean someone knows what’s best for your face. If something feels off, trust yourself over the person with the diploma on the wall. Chang does still use Botox now but barely—maybe once a year with a tiny amount in her forehead and that’s it.

Pico laser is a game changer for hyperpigmentation and melasma

This is Chang’s number one treatment recommendation. “It uses a picosecond technology that goes in below the skin surface and it shatters pigmentation,” she explains. Unlike heat-based lasers that can trigger melasma to come back, pico laser uses a mechanical action that breaks up discoloration without the inflammatory response. She does it a couple times a year and says the difference in her skin tone has been incredible.

“Getting the skin to reflect light is what makes it look really healthy,” she says, quoting dermatologist Dr. Shereene Idriss. “When you have dark spots, it just does not reflect light in the same way.”  In other words, no amount of highlighter or glazing serum is going to fake what genuinely even skin does on its own.

Growth factor serums might be the retinol alternative you’ve been looking for

If you’ve ever struggled with retinol because of sensitive skin, or if you get in-office treatments regularly and are tired of cycling on and off, Chang says growth factor serums might be the move. “It stimulates collagen using very similar pathways as retinol, but you’re not getting the irritation, the redness,” she explains. “You don’t have to do the buildup to it.”

Her current favorite is the Allies of Skin Multipeptides and GF Advanced Lifting Serum (~$200). She says it also helps heal breakouts faster and supports the skin barrier. The best part is that it plays well with everything else in your routine, including retinol if you want to use both.

HRT for perimenopause might be the internal shift your skin has been waiting for

Chang is currently going through perimenopause and says hormone replacement therapy has been one of the most transformative things she’s done for both her skin and her overall wellbeing. Before HRT, she was dealing with severe brain fog, waking up at 3 a.m. from cortisol spikes caused by dropping progesterone, and struggling to find words that used to come naturally. “I thought, am I getting stupid? What is happening to my brain?” she says.

Three months in, the results were undeniable. The mental buffering gone, sleep restored, skin looking juicier. “I feel like I’m 20 again,” she says. HRT isn’t a one-size-fits-all thing and everyone’s hormones are different. But if you’re in your late 30s or 40s, your skin feels off, and your brain is giving low-battery energy, it might be something worth bringing up with your doctor.

Listen to the full episode on Breaking Beauty with Jill Dunn and Carlene Higgins, available wherever you listen to podcasts.

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