Advertisement
The DIY Trick For Youthful Skin A Derm Learned From Her 72-Year-Old Mother
Triple board-certified dermatologist Mamina Turegano, M.D., learned her best beauty tips from her mother. Perhaps you, too, have skin care practices passed down for generations or an ingredient that strikes a special chord with your upbringing.
As for Turegano? She swears by a banana peel mask for a youthful glow. In fact, her mother (now 72) uses it to this day to keep her skin smooth, firm, and free of fine lines. "This is my beauty tip," she says on TikTok before gently gliding the peel across her skin.
What makes bananas so great for skin.
"Bananas actually have a lot of properties that are beneficial for the skin, which is why they're so popular in at-home DIY facial masks," says Turegano.
But let's break down said properties: Specifically, bananas contain significant amounts of potassium, which can help support hydration and counteract fluid retention in the skin—that's why many eye cream formulas feature banana extract, as it's great for reducing puffiness and bags.
They also boast a load of antioxidants, says Turegano, including vitamins C, E, B, and A, which can help combat free radicals, manage oxidative stress, and protect against photoaging. And on the subject of skin aging, bananas are also rich in silica1: This mineral plays an important role in collagen synthesis2, which in turn keeps the skin firm and taut.
A final note: Research shows that bananas' phenolic compounds even have antimicrobial properties. This becomes important for acne—not that bananas can penetrate deep into pores, like a tea tree oil or salicylic acid, but the antimicrobials do have an inflammation-calming ability to help manage irritation and sore blemishes.
And get this: Most of these properties, the above study found, were actually concentrated in the peel. Maybe that's why Turegano's mom used the peel rather than slathering on the goop itself (unless she just already ate the banana—that works!).
How to use bananas on skin.
Bananas make an easily spreadable (and sensorially appealing, might I add) base for your DIY face mask. So feel free to mash the fruit before adding in any other skin care heroes, like honey, aloe, or yogurt. Or, you can simply puree a banana and rub the plain goop on your skin for about 10 minutes. Just remember to wash thoroughly with lukewarm water and follow with moisturizer or oil.
You can also repurpose the peel, like Turegano's mom in the video, by unwrapping the banana and gently rubbing the fresh peel on your skin. Make sure to keep a light pressure—you don't want to drag or pull at your face, even with the seemingly soft banana peel. You'll also want to use organic-only bananas here, as you don't want pesticides near your skin.
The takeaway.
Bananas pack quite the skin-healthy punch, so it makes sense why Turegano and her mother love it for glowing, youthful skin. It's super easy to DIY, but you can always look for banana extract on your skin care labels as well for a hit of antioxidants.
