Dr. Whitney Bowe

SO honored to have attended the @Melanoma Research Foundation 2026 Advocacy Days in DC alongside my daughter @MaclaneOnTheGlow! Advocacy Days brings together patients, survivors, physicians, researchers, and families to meet with lawmakers on Capitol Hill and advocate for increased federal research funding and policies that directly impact the melanoma community. Over 3 days, we connected with advocates from across the country, participated in panels, and met with legislators to share stories and underscore the urgent need for continued investment in melanoma research. Melanoma prevention and early detection are central to my life’s work. As a mom, seeing my teenage daughter lead such important conversations and represent her generation felt especially meaningful! Grateful to the MRF for organizing such a powerful, well-coordinated program and to every advocate who used their voice this week! Progress in skin cancer research happens when science, policy, and community come together ❤️🙌 #mrfadvocacydays26

Retinoids are tried, true, clinically-proven ingredients - not a scam. What IS a scam is the term 'medical grade' which has zero legitimate regulation and is used by brands as a buzzy marketing term that is often misleading. When shopping for skincare, always check the product page of a brand's website to evaluate their clinical testing. You want to look for brands that test their final formulas - not just the individual ingredients - in controlled, third-party clinical studies. Questions? Drop them below! 👇

Cardio is great- but strength training may be doing something extra for your skin! A 16-week study compared aerobic exercise to resistance training in middle-aged women. Both improved skin elasticity and upper dermal structure, but here’s the surprise: ONLY resistance training increased dermal thickness! As we age, our dermal layer (which is the deeper layer where collagen and elastin reside) naturally gets thinner and that shows up as wrinkles and crepey texture, esp around the eyes, the lips and the neck. Cycling a strength training session with some weights into your weekly routine can actually make that dermal layer thicker! Drop your Qs below ⬇️

#stitch with @Mon The internet: Spironolactone changed my life Also the internet: Spironolactone made my left eyebrow grow backwards 😂 People are sharing and joking about some of the side effects they experienced while on Spironolactone. I've been prescribing it for YEARS for adult female acne – let's break it down and learn about some of the more common side effects, and some of the less common ones and how you can help prevent. How can you minimize side effects? – Start low and increase the dose slowly over time with your derm – Take the pill with food – Some of my patients find that splitting the dose - ½ in the morning, ½ at night can be super helpful. Drop your Qs below! ⬇️

#stitch with @jam Milia are tiny, firm white bumps caused by keratin trapped beneath the surface of the skin- not clogged pores, and not acne. No, you should not try to pop them at home. Milia don’t have an ‘opening’ so squeezing can cause inflammation, infection, or scarring. Safe removal requires a sterile technique in a professional setting, but there are some things you can do at home to prevent or gradually improve. Have more questions about milia? Drop them below! ⬇️

Have you seen people 'carrotmaxxing' on your feed? Let's break it down. Carrots contain beta-carotene, which can deposit in your skin and give you a slightly warm, orange-gold tone. It’s called carotenemia - and it's not a tan! The good news is that for most people, eating a lot of carrots isn’t harmful to your liver or other organs — this isn’t vitamin A toxicity. It’s mainly a cosmetic effect and it fades when you cut back. Drop your Qs below ⬇️ stitch with @beachbumblaine 🥕

Your teen daughter tells you she wants to try indoor tanning…and you’re a dermatologist 😳 Thankfully this was a prank- but the risks of indoor tanning are very real. According to @The Skin Cancer Foundation using tanning beds before age 35 increases your risk of melanoma by 75%. Just one session can damage DNA in your skin cells, accelerate premature aging, and increase your lifetime risk of skin cancers, including melanoma, the deadliest form. As both a mom and a board-certified dermatologist, this is a hard no in our house. There is no such thing as a “safe tan.” A tan is your skin’s response to injury. If you want that glow, stick with sunless options. Your future skin will thank you 🤍

#stitch with @thatdorigirl Yes, yes, YES! I hear this from my patients every day. They wake up and feel like they have aged overnight and find themselves pulling up at their skin, noticing the accelerated collagen loss that happens as we enter perimenopause. No topical serum will replace an in-office procedure, but there are many things you can do to visibly lift and plump the skin from home as well as decrease some of the sagging and fine lines you are seeing. I tell all my patients over 40- incorporate a peptide serum as the first step after your cleanser and find a vit c and a retinoid that you can tolerate. Be consistent. Your skin will thank you! Any questions? Want to know more about in-office procedures with minimal downtime too? ⬇️

Today is International Childhood Cancer day. It’s not something that people like to bring up or talk about, but there are important steps you and your teen can take to prevent cancers like Melanoma. I'm proud to use my platform to spread awareness, especially during a time where there has been a resurgence in tanning among teens who are sharing misinformation on social about perceived 'benefits'. Take it from me and my daughter Maclane – there are no benefits. Protect yourself, talk to the important people and your life and spread awareness on a devastating disease that we now know better how to prevent. Seek shade, cover up and apply (and reapply) your SPF!

This will support signaling pathways involved in collagen and barrier repair. Life hack for those of us in our 40s and beyond! Drop your Qs below ⬇️

#stitch with @Hannah Banana🍌 We’re going backwards 🤦🏼‍♀️ What do you guys think about the rise in ‘trendy’ tanning content? As a derm (and a mom) I find it to be totally devastating. We know better now and need to do our part in educating our teens and tweens who are seeing their social media flooded with misinformation about tanning. There is no such thing as a safe tan - it is DNA damage, period. Stay safe ❤️

Here's my dermatologist guide to a 2026 glow up! This is what I'm doing this year to look and feel my best! Yes, that includes a daily tootsie pop. No, it does not have any skin benefits. Lol

#stitch with @Madz🃏♥️⚡️♠️ It's me! I'm the rat! In all seriousness, the absolute boom in "trendy" tanning content breaks my heart. We know better now. We have to do a better job at spreading awareness for our younger generation and making sure they understand the risks associated with indoor tanning. What questions do you have about indoor tanning? I'd love to debunk some myths or answer any Qs.

#stitch with @alex.watson Incorporating Tret into your routine can be super frustrating but there are different ways to build up your tolerance so that you don't experience the dreaded flakniness that comes with introducing a retinoid. Here are 3 tried and true tricks to tolerate Tret (say that 5 times fast! Lol) Drop your Qs below ⬇️

#stitch with @??? Please, please, please do better! We have to set an example for the teens that are seeing false info on social platforms about indoor tanning all day. Tanning is DNA damage. Period. And the risks associated with it are not worth any of the perceived benefits. Happy to answer any Qs below ❤️