Can I pop this? 18 common skincare questions, answered by dermatologists

If you’re ready for some hard truths (no, you should not pop that pimple) our panel of six expert dermatologists gave us all the science-backed answers

• The best facial cleansers for every skin type in the US, recommended by dermatologists

We asked our expert dermatologists: what are the questions you hear over and over from patients? And we got answers. From the right order to apply skincare products, to how much face scrubbing is too much, it turns out a lot of us have the same questions, even when we don’t always want to hear the answers.

For instance: do I really need to wear sunscreen? “I feel like we’ve given you all the reasons why, and debunked all the different myths and all the reasons from TikTok why you shouldn’t wear it, but as soon as you clear one [post or video], another one pops up,” says Dr Corey L Hartman, a dermatologist in Birmingham, Alabama.

Dr Doris Day, a board-certified dermatologist in New York City and clinical associate professor of dermatology at New York University Langone medical center.

Dr Corey L Hartman, a board-certified dermatologist based in Birmingham, Alabama, and adjunct associate professor of dermatology at UAB Heersink School of Medicine.

Dr Divya Shokeen, a board-certified dermatologist and hair transplant surgeon based in southern California.

Dr Mamina Turegano, a board-certified dermatologist, internist and dermatopathologist based in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Dr Claire Wolinsky, a board-certified dermatologist based in New York City and clinical instructor of dermatology at Weill-Cornell medical center.

Dr Josh Zeichner, a board-certified dermatologist based in New York City and associate professor of dermatology and director of cosmetic and clinical research at Mount Sinai hospital in New York City.