Two years ago, I went on a trip to Vietnam with friends.

One of them was a content creator with over a lakh followers on Instagram.

Throughout the trip, I noticed something: she constantly checked how she looked, and her skincare routine was neatly written down (she adhered to it at all costs).

Now that I work in the skincare industry, I understand she was just subconsciously anxious about her skin.

Skin Anxiety in 2025: What it looks like

Do you look at yourself in the mirror or do you study it?

Does every little bump feel like a crisis? Every dull patch, a reason to start over?

If yes, you’ve met what it’s called skin anxiety – the persistent worry that your skin isn’t worthy enough. Call it a cousin of dysmorphia, a condition where you worry too much about a flaw that others don’t see.

A study in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology found that one in three patients now experiences emotional distress related to skin conditions.

Factors influencing skin anxiety

To understand why skincare turns to anxiety, we need to examine what shapes the way we view our skin.

Here are the three most powerful factors:

1. A mirror that never turns off

We have lived most of our lives holding a glass mirror – our phones. It shows us our reflection anytime we want.

The pandemic only made it worse by turning video calls into self-surveillance.

The longer we stare, the more flaws we invent.

2. The rise of the algorithmic expert

I talked about it in my article on social media algorithms.

Read here:The Social Media Algorithm Is the New Mirror 

Simply put, it’s about how algorithms have become our new mirror — one that makes us compare. The more we scroll, the more we compare; and the more we compare, the more anxious we feel.

3. Our chase of perfectionism

We all know nothing’s perfect, yet the adage ‘Perfection is a myth’ is widely forgotten.

Our pursuit of perfection changes how we view skincare.

We forget our skin works in rhythms, not trends. We mistake healing as a failure because the results are not inherently visible.

In simple terms, perfectionism kills progress, and when it feels like nothing works, anxiety creeps in.

Is your routine an ‘illusion of control’?

While researching on this topic, I stumbled upon a term called the ‘illusion of control’. It’s a belief where we overestimate our ability to influence uncontrollable events.

Control is comforting, but the illusion of it leads us astray — making us micromanage every detail to avoid uncertainty.

Tying this to skincare, I realised that often the perfectly curated routine, the steps, and the strictness give us an illusion of control. And the more we try to control, the less we care.

My friend on the Vietnam trip had the same illusion.

Returning to the balance

Knowing causes is half the work.

The rest lies in returning skincare to the basics — an act of self-care that helps your skin return to its natural state.

Here are 5 ways to do it.

• Simplify your routine

Keep your skincare routine simple. Cleanse, moisturize, protect. Be consistent. Everything else is an add-on.

• Redefine healthy skin

Spotless skin isn’t healthy skin. Healthy skin is calm, balanced, and in its natural state. Focus there.

• Take tech breaks

Limit your use of technology. Disable self-view during video calls and follow accounts on social media that talk about real skin and not filters.

• Follow expertise, not trends

Trends come and go, but biology is constant. Dermatologists understand it. Trust them over influencers, anytime.

Over to you

There’s a thin line between skincare and skin anxiety. And it’s difficult to tell the two apart.

However, if your skincare routine defines your identity or feels like a personal project to accomplish, it’s time for a reevaluation.

All the best!