Dr. Shah's honey-for-acne advice doesn't match the science

What did @dermdoctor actually say?

Not much, clinically speaking. The creator describes trying raw honey on their face after a viewer suggestion, mentioning they've had acne since sixth grade and are on their "third medication now." They also credit lifestyle habits, saying they've been "drinking nothing but water" and "eating super healthy" and working out. No specific treatment claims are made. This is personal experience sharing, not medical advice. That matters for how we evaluate it.

The video reads as genuine frustration from someone managing persistent acne, not a product pitch. But 3.5 million views means the implications of what gets said, and what gets left unsaid, carry real weight. The honey angle and the diet-and-exercise framing are worth examining, because viewers will absolutely take notes.

Does the science back this up?

Honey has some antimicrobial properties, but the evidence for it as an acne treatment is thin. Really thin. A 2013 study by Karayil et al. in the Journal of Wound Care found medical-grade Manuka honey reduced certain bacterial loads, but acne is not primarily a wound-infection problem. It involves sebum overproduction, follicular hyperkeratinization, and Cutibacterium acnes, and honey addresses almost none of that mechanistically.

On the diet side, the creator's instincts are not entirely wrong. There is real, peer-reviewed support for diet playing a role in acne. A 2020 meta-analysis by Penso et al. in JAMA Dermatology found associations between high-glycemic diets and acne severity. Staying hydrated and avoiding ultra-processed food is reasonable lifestyle support. But it is not a substitute for pharmacological treatment in moderate-to-severe cases, and framing it as equivalent to medication is a problem.

What did they get wrong (or right)?

To be fair to the creator: they did not claim honey cures acne. They said they're "trying it." That epistemic humility deserves credit. They also did not tell viewers to stop their medication or replace it with honey. Those would have been serious problems. What they got wrong, or at least incomplete, is the implication that lifestyle overhaul alone is meaningful intervention when you're already on a third acne medication.

If this person is on isotretinoin, which is suggested by the hashtag, then honey is essentially irrelevant. Isotretinoin works by dramatically shrinking sebaceous glands and reducing sebum production at the source. A topical food product does not interact with that mechanism in any clinically meaningful way. Applying honey while on isotretinoin is not dangerous, but it is also not doing what the video's framing implies it might do.

• Honey: weak topical antimicrobial, not an acne treatment by evidence standards
• Diet and hydration: modestly supported in literature, not primary treatment for moderate or severe acne
• Third medication: if isotretinoin, this is the strongest systemic acne therapy available, not a peer of honey

What should you actually know?

Persistent acne, especially the kind someone has managed since childhood and is now on a third medication for, is a medical condition, not a lifestyle problem to be hacked. If someone is on isotretinoin, they are already receiving the most effective oral acne treatment in dermatology. A 2009 review by Layton in the American Journal of Clinical Dermatology puts its long-term remission rates above 80 percent for nodular acne. No dietary change or topical food product comes close to that outcome profile.

Honey will not hurt you on your skin. But videos like this, even well-meaning ones, contribute to a pattern where people with serious dermatological conditions second-guess effective treatment in favor of kitchen remedies. If your acne has not responded to two prior medications and you're starting a third, the answer is to work closely with your dermatologist, not to experiment with grocery store alternatives between doses.

The lifestyle pieces, water, whole foods, lower-glycemic eating, are worth keeping. They are just not the point when systemic disease management is already in play.

Bottom line

The creator is likable and clearly struggling with something real. But the video's structure, showing honey application alongside mentions of clean eating and working out, implies these choices are part of a treatment strategy. For most viewers, they will read that as meaningful clinical information. It is not. Acne at this severity level needs a dermatologist, not a comment section.