We are often told to look to our moms and grandmas to see how our skin will look as we age, which isn’t always helpful in all situations. But can that truly give you an idea? Lifestyle and beauty products have changed immensely over the years. What would really help was a truly scientific way to analyze the skin which has been made possible by HomeDNA and their at home DNA testing kit for skincare evaluation.
HomeDNA makes it super simple to get an in depth view of how your skin in regards to seven common skincare concerns. The kit contains cheek swabs to get a sample to send to their lab, and their preaddressed envelope to send back. Within weeks you get a fully detailed report on which genetic markers stand out in relation to: Collagen Quality, Skin Elasticity, Fine Lines & Wrinkles, Sun Protection, Pigmentation, Skin Antioxidants and Skin Sensitivity. Based on what the findings are, recommendations are made for topical, supplemental and professional treatments and ingredients to add into your skincare routine to unlock your skins full potential.
I was super curious if what I have already been doing was helping my skin and if there were any areas I was lacking in. I’ve never seen a test like this before so I was really interested to see what it would show me.
When I got my results I was really happy to see that it gave a very easy to understand explanation of my results in each category. At the top of each section there was a grading scale bar to let you know how you compare to the global average and why we got the results we did. I was very happy to see I scored very well in others and a bit concerned with the less than stellar scores in some areas. I’m going to include some of my results for you guys to see what kind of info it gave me so you really see the benefit of it!
Let’s go through some of my results and how I plan to use this report!
Fine Lines & Wrinkles – Ok, guys….I don’t know how I got this score but I’m a bit proud that my score was off the charts..in a good direction! This category explains how your blood sugar can affect collagen breakdown. Because my gene showed a strong ability to fight this, it had no recommendations on products or treatments to try. Full disclosure: this does not mean I am wrinkle free by any means, but I’m guessing means that if I keep doing what I’m doing they aren’t going to show as much as most.
Sun Protection – I was mad at myself for having less than average skin in this category. My results said that my genes show some variation that can weaken my skin’s own sun protection abilities. While it wasn’t alarming, it kinda was because skin cancer happens and I wish I could undo my tanning oil and tanning bed ways of the past. For their recommendations they suggested some great ingredients I was already familiar with like Ferulic Acid (which I would totally choose SkinCeuticals CE Ferulic, and Resveratrol B E treatment because their skincare is top notch in my opinion. For supplements, they suggested Vitamin C (One of my favorites already, and Niacinamide which helps with repair. For professional treatments, they mentioned looking into LED Light therapy which also helps with repair. Overall I am pleased with the suggestions here, and have starting making my wish list for a future order.
Skin Sensitivity – I was not surprised to see this was my absolutely lowest score of all categories. Anytime I’ve seen a aesthetician they mention my ‘reactive” skin.
Not only was it low it had some red areas that sets of alarms in your head. After reading them it sounds like my body has an over response to cuts and bruises which can prematurely age the skin and cause bumps, rashes, or rosacea. Which sounds about right. They gave several suggestions to with like using Hyaluronic Acid (check), Resveratrol, and LED Light therapy.
Skin Elasticity – Above average rating! So they had no recommendations which tells me – keep doin’ what you’re doin’.
Pigmentation – this one confused me a bit because I was off the charts optimal, which would mean my pigmentation levels are not too high or low. But I have hyperpigmentation on my face. I wouldn’t say that’s optimal in my book. But since I had such a high rating there were no recommendations for me.
Collagen Quality – turns out i’m just average in this category. I’ve got some good genes for collagen repair, but bad genes for making collagen in the first place. There are several recommendations ranging from Vitamin C again, Peptides, and Retinol Palmitate. It also suggested looking into glycolic peels (which I love, but don’t do on a professional level enough) and more LED light therapy. I use a peptide serum right now, but wanted to look for another. This sounds like a good time.
Skin Antioxidants – yay, me!! I scored optimal for my skin’s ability to maintain good antioxidants levels so there were no suggestions for me. I kinda wish they gave me suggestions anyways. I feel like Antioxidants are so important and always want to use or do the right things to keep a healthy level for my skin.
I found this test to be absolutely fascinating and helped me build a shopping list for myself to help gives my skin the ability to look it’s best. It covered all areas I’d want to know about (and more), and gives really good recommendations for specific ingredients which really appealed to me. The entire kit will run you $99 and that really includes everything from beginning to end. This would even be a really fun gift idea to surprise a fellow beauty lover with! Some Dermatology offices offer a very similar test, but HomeDNA offers you a more affordable option that you can do yourself or gift to another.
To find out more about HomeDNA and the range of tests they offer, you can visit their website or follow them on Instagram and Facebook.
