Skin Age Analysis: AI Explores My Korean Janus Pro Report | Somewhere with Sora
Who doesn't love getting told how old they look by a machine? One of the things I wanted to do while in Korea was get my skin analyzed. I was pretty nervous because I didn't want to be disappointed if my age was higher than expected, but I also knew it was an important step towards caring for my skin. Knowledge is power, so even if the results aren't what you want to see, it can help you get to where you want to be! You also have no obligation to share your results with anyone
You can get your skin analyzed for free at several places around Seoul. We went to Beauty Play and Mixsoon in Myeong-dong (you do not need a reservation!). The machine in Mixsoon seemed a little more high-tech, but the government runs Beauty Play, so I thought it would be more reliable regarding results and recommendations because they may have less incentive to sell us things. We did the really basic "skin analysis" at Amore Pacific Seongsu, too, but that was way less detailed and focused more on identifying the custom skin essence to create.
"It’s true, somewhere inside us, we are all the ages we have ever been."
While it's fun to make improvements for ourselves,let's also celebrate aging!The gift of time and aging is one that not everyone is lucky enough to get, so it's understandable that as we age, it shows, and that's okay! Inside all of us are all the years and ages we ever were and ever will be. I love to think about where I am and who I've become, and I try hard to accept the different versions of myself as they come.
No matter what my skin age was going to come out to be, I wouldn't change perfect, younger skin for all the incredible moments spent under the sun and in nature. I am grateful to have had the ability to see the world, and it's okay if it shows a little! All these memories were under the sun (with sunscreen, of course, and sometimes forgetting to reapply because I'm human)
Background on my skin
I am fair-skinned and burn easily in the sun, so I need lots of reapplications of sunscreen when I'm outdoors. I've had acne, sun poisoning twice, and a bad facial sunburn in high school, where my skin felt like leather, so honestly, I'm proud of my skin for making it this far! My parents generally have really clear skin, so I think genetically I have that working on my side at least, and I religiously drink my stanley all day and always wear sunscreen, and I started wearing hats consistently in my mid twenties (I wish I started that trend sooner!).
I had acne when I was younger and throughout high school; it kind of went away on oral contraceptives for a bit, then I went off hormonal birth control (switched to the non-hormonal IUD) in my mid-twenties and started eating much cleaner (switching to a pescatarian, mainly vegetarian diet). I also get rosacea when it's hot and humid, and I'm outdoors a lot in the summer.
Before and afters
Here are some before pictures of my skin during the summer and winter seasons, with bad rosacea flares. Things that trigger rosacea acne/bump flares for me are intense heat or sun. My skin looks much better in the winter, and summers are worse because I run/hike a lot outside, and sweat also clogs my pores. Sometimes I get rosacea redness from alcohol, spicy food, and I think even tomato-based pasta sauces; I'm still learning my triggers.
The first two columns were taken in summer with no treatment, and the last column shows photos taken in winter with no treatment. I am wearing makeup in the first row, third photo, and it still can't completely cover the bumps from rosacea.
2025 update: one year later
I am wearing minimal makeup below in the second and third photos, but the rosacea flare is gone and my skin is overall brighter. The texture is softer, the bumps are gone, and there is much less heat in my cheeks. I still get some redness with rosacea triggers, but it is nowhere near as bad as it was when I had no skincare routine in my mid twenties.
These photos were taken in early 2025 when I was just starting a skincare routine after Korea, then again in summer 2025, and finally in December 2025.
My current routine and skin concerns
These are my holy grails after trying all the products below. Everyone's skin is different, though, and I do not have any cosmetic work done, so this is simply what has worked for me with a much more consistent routine.
One newer issue I am managing is melasma on my forehead, which was most likely triggered in 2025 by the estrogen involved in my egg freezing hormone shots. Because of that, I am now on a more specific treatment plan that combines simple skincare, prescription products, and much more aggressive sun protection.
My current daytime routine: numbuzin vitamin C, very consistent sunscreen use, and tinted sunscreen with iron oxide for added visible light and blue light protection.
My current nighttime routine: I first double cleanse using Heimish All Clean Balm, then the ma:nyo cleanser. After that, I use Torriden Dive-In hyaluronic acid serum, rosacea triple cream, hydroquinone, tretinoin, and then COSRX Advanced Snail 92 All In One Cream layered on top for moisture.
That routine has helped me keep things simple while treating rosacea, dehydration, texture, and now melasma at the same time.
Where to get your skin analyzed
In Seoul, you don't need a reservation at Beauty Play; take the elevator up, and scan the QR code to register. There's a short wait, and then the buzzer goes off when it's your turn to take photos of your skin. While you're waiting, you can use the free color analysis machine. I have a whole blog post here on my professional color analysis I got done in Korea, though. They both chose the same color palette, so that was reassuring. We were the only ones there on a weekday in December, so it was nice and private! They take you to a room with a curtain so no one else can hear your results, which I thought was nice! My friend, who is asian and also 29, had her skin estimated to be 26! She has great skin and follows an extensive skincare routine, so that was great feedback for her!
Now let's get to the results
When I returned from Korea, I promptly prompted ChatGPT and developed a skincare routine based on the products I bought and the machine's recommendations and analysis. Let's look through some of the not-so-pretty results and unflattering close-ups of my sleep-deprived, travel face!
Each section of the skin analysis report came with an analysis provided, so this is likely auto-generated based on the numbers from their system.
ChatGPT (4o) Prompt: "You are a professional dermatologist and will provide me with expert opinions on my skin age analysis report that I will provide you. I got my skin analyzed while I was in Korea, and I'd like to review the results with you and discuss products and ingredients that can help address the concerns from the report. I'd like your feedback on my results and if you can help me understand them better. I will provide one section at a time. Here is the first"
Skin age analysis
To start, I did NOT have a skincare routine before my trip to Korea. I always wear sunscreen and sun protection, but mostly just use Tatcha moisturizers and call it a day. So this was a big step for me as I approach 30 to finally take my skin more seriously.
At Beauty Play, they use the Janus Pro machine for photos of your face. I will say my skin was not in ideal condition since I had been traveling in Taiwan for a week before, so I was already out of my regular exercise and clean eating routine, and severely dehydrated from all the long flights and travel. You should try to wear no makeup, just sunscreen, and you can wash your face there if needed.
All the products listed below are in the different sections, some are probably your holy grails!
Updated analysis: Your overall skin age came in at 30 versus a chronological age of 29, so just one year above your actual age at the time. That is a pretty close match overall, but the individual category scores tell a more nuanced story. Some areas were doing well, while others were clearly pulling that number up.
The biggest themes across the report were enlarged pores, high sebum production, dehydration, early fine lines, and subsurface UV damage. On the positive side, your visible pigmentation was actually lower than average, your redness was relatively localized, and your skin was still performing well in a few baseline areas despite the stress of travel, dehydration, and years of outdoor sun exposure.
The biggest takeaway was the classic oily-but-dehydrated pattern. Fixing the moisture deficit had the potential to help multiple concerns at once, including pores, elasticity, sebum regulation, and overall texture.
Section 1: UV Spot
I knew going in that my skin would probably be a little rougher than my friend's because I have spent a significant amount of time in the outdoors and skiing/water sports. Living in Colorado and skiing above treeline in the winter and summiting 14er peaks in the middle of summer at high elevations increases the potential for skin damage from the sun. In case you didn't know, UV radiation increases by ~10-12% for every 1,000 meters (3,280 feet) in elevation. This means that at 10,000 feet (3,048 meters), UV exposure can be 50-60% greater than at sea level, so sunburns can be worse and sun damage, of course, to your skin.
UV Spot Score: 31 | +5 above average. While your visible pigmentation was low, your UV spot score told a different story. This category came in at 18 versus the average of 13, with the highest concentration in the nose and central face and some buildup under the eyes. These are subsurface pigmentation deposits that are not always visible yet, but can surface later without intervention.
That pattern makes sense given how much time you have spent outdoors. UV spots reflect cumulative sun damage, and the central face tends to take the most direct exposure because it sits at the highest points of the face.
Treatment-wise, this is where sunscreen discipline matters most. Vitamin C helps neutralize free radicals before they trigger more pigment, retinoids speed up turnover, and brightening ingredients like arbutin or kojic acid can help over time. Reapplying SPF every two hours during outdoor activity is especially important for you.
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Section 2: Pore
Pore Score: 35 | +14 above average. This was one of your biggest concern areas. Your whole-face pore score was 39 versus the age-group average of 25, with the highest concentration in the T-zone and the U-zone not far behind. The report flagged your pores as enlarged and irregular compared to your age group.
Pore size is driven by sebum production, accumulated sun damage, and collagen loss around the pore opening. Your elevated oil production was a major contributor here, because excess sebum stretches pores over time. As skin starts to lose elasticity, pores can also elongate vertically rather than just looking wide.
Regular BHA exfoliation, niacinamide, and retinoids are the best long-term strategies here. Your tretinoin is already doing some of the heavy lifting. In-office, treatments like microneedling or fractional laser can improve pores more dramatically if that ever becomes a priority.
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Section 3: Elasticity
My cheeks are firm, which is what makes the Trader Joe's workers question my ID when I try to buy wine. My skin elasticity is close enough to average, meaning the collagen and structure are holding up. I do not eat meat (besides fish), but I do take collagen.
Elasticity Score: 25 | -5 below average. Your elasticity measured 30 versus the average of 35, with both cheek zones below average. That was a little surprising for your age, but it also tracks with the dehydration pattern that showed up elsewhere in the report.
Dehydrated skin loses bounce and resilience quickly. Oily skin can disguise this because the surface still feels slick, even when the skin underneath is short on water. That can make elasticity look worse than expected.
The fastest improvement here usually comes from better hydration. Layering hydrating products underneath moisturizer can change elasticity readings noticeably within weeks. Peptides and vitamin C support collagen and elastin longer term, and treatments like microneedling, red light therapy, or consistent retinoid use build on that over time.
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Section 4: Wrinkle
I make A LOT of facial expressions daily, and I've never had Botox, so understandably, I'm going to have some wrinkles as I turn 30. One thing I've started to like post-Korea is serums instead of just moisturizers. They work well for hydrating! Another thing to note is that the texture in these areas is still fine-line stage, not etched or sagging.
Wrinkle Score: 31 | +4 above average. Your whole-face wrinkle score was 19 versus the average of 15. The biggest contributor was the under-eye area, with forehead lines also slightly elevated. That tracks with how quickly fine lines tend to show up where the skin is thinnest and where facial expression is strongest.
The under-eye area has very little cushioning, so it is often the first place to show dehydration and collagen loss. The forehead follows closely behind because of repetitive expression.
Consistency matters more than intensity here. Tretinoin is still the gold standard, and SPF is the biggest protective step. Hydrating serums and a gentle retinoid-leaning eye treatment help keep fine lines from becoming more etched over time.
Nasolabial Fold Score: 35 | +15 above average. This was actually your highest deviation from average. Your score was 42 versus 27, with the right side deeper than the left. That kind of asymmetry often points to sleeping position, facial posture, or repeated compression on one side of the face.
Topically, retinoids and peptides are still the best support here. Facial massage can help with drainage and muscle tension, and sleeping position can make a difference over time. If this ever becomes a bigger priority, fillers are the most direct in-office option, but for now good hydration and collagen support are the best baseline approach.
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Section 5: Spot (surface pigmentation)
My epidermal pigmentation is lower than average, meaning I've been at least doing something right with applying lots of SPF or healing from past acne marks from high school and early college. My skin is still in the preventive phase, so I'm able to start working on these different areas.
Spot Score: 23 | -7 below average. This was one of the strongest parts of your report. Your visible pigmentation was lower than average, with a whole-face score of 4 versus the age-group average of 11. That means you had less epidermal pigmentation than most people your age.
Your skin type was also classified as non-pigmented, which lines up with this result. In practical terms, it means your prevention strategy was already doing a lot right, even if subsurface UV damage was still present.
At this point the best approach is maintenance: hydroquinone, vitamin C, tretinoin, and daily SPF are all strong preventive tools. AHAs can help keep tone even, but sunscreen is still the most important thing protecting this advantage.
Section 6: Sebum / Porphyrin
My oil production is mostly even, which can help protect against environmental damage and aging since oily skin will age more slowly. I don’t have clusters of porphyrin “hot spots” (which usually mean acne cysts are coming).
Sebum and porphyrin were significantly elevated. Your sebum production was 357 versus the average of 234, which was the biggest gap in the whole analysis. Porphyrin, which reflects acne-bacteria activity, was also elevated at 52 versus 21, especially in the U-zone.
High sebum feeds enlarged pores, contributes to texture, and creates a better environment for breakouts and congestion. Elevated porphyrin suggests subclinical acne activity, meaning the bacteria are active in the pores even before obvious breakouts appear.
This is where double cleansing, BHA exfoliation, niacinamide, and targeted oil control matter most. Evening cleansing without stripping the skin helps keep sebum from rebounding harder. Clay masks can help in the U-zone, and salicylic acid remains one of the best tools for both oil and pore congestion.
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Section 7: Skin Tone
My skin tone is mostly even, just some darkness under my eyes.
Skin Tone Score: 27 | +6 above average. Your overall tone score was 49 versus the average of 55, so you were slightly below average in evenness and brightness. The UV sensitivity gauge also placed you in a moderately to highly reactive range.
That means your skin tone was still fairly even overall, but it was more vulnerable to dullness, under-eye shadowing, and sun-triggered unevenness than the visible surface alone might suggest.
Evening tone comes down to steady exfoliation, brightening ingredients like vitamin C and niacinamide, and extremely consistent sun protection. Paying extra attention to the lower-scoring areas when applying active products can help keep tone more balanced.
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Section 8: Redness
I have rosacea flares during hotter summers, so this was nothing new. It can be so bad in the summer that I get red bumps all over my cheeks. The clinic we went to for facials did recommend that I look into laser therapy (cheaper in Korea) to help treat some of the rosacea, but I opted not to because I didn't feel it was super necessary at the time. This report mentions "injections," but it's unclear if that's a mistranslated term from Korea to English or what. I have never had any injections or cosmetic procedures done.
Redness Score: 11. Redness was mostly concentrated on the right cheek, with minimal redness elsewhere. That is a moderate score overall and lines up with the rosacea history you already know you have.
The one-sided concentration could come from sleeping position, sun exposure patterns, or just the way your rosacea tends to flare. Dehydration and over-cleansing can also make this look worse.
The best management strategies here are the least glamorous ones: avoiding temperature extremes, being careful with harsh exfoliation, protecting the barrier, and staying obsessive about broad-spectrum sunscreen. Cica and other calming ingredients can help, but consistency and trigger management matter more than piling on products.
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Section 9: Skin Texture
I guess my skin texture is even across both cheeks, which seems nice. I don't have a ton of roughness or severely bumpy skin, but a lot of this you can just know from looking at your own face.
Skin texture was being pulled by the same pattern seen elsewhere: enlarged pores, high sebum, dehydration, and early fine lines. In other words, your texture issues were not really isolated. They were part of the broader oily-but-dehydrated picture.
That is actually useful, because it means the same fixes can improve multiple categories at once. Better hydration, tretinoin consistency, smarter exfoliation, and tighter oil control all support smoother texture over time without needing a completely separate routine.
This also explains why your skin looked and felt so much better once your routine became more consistent. When water balance improves, the skin usually looks smoother even before deeper long-term changes kick in.
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Section 10: Moisture
One thing I learned through this experience is that even oily skin can be dehydrated! I have always had more oily skin (especially when I lived in humid climates like DC). My skin (and hair) actually was very clear when I lived in a drier climate like Colorado; that's one thing I miss about it! My forehead actually holds a lot of moisture, so my barrier can hold hydration, which is positive. My cheeks tend to be drier.
Moisture Score: 17 | -8 below appropriate level. Your moisture level was 17 versus the recommended 25, with the U-zone especially dehydrated. This was one of the most important findings in the whole report because it connected to so many of the other issues.
This is the classic oily-but-dehydrated paradox. Your skin can overproduce oil because it is lacking water, which means dehydration can worsen pores, elasticity, texture, redness, and even how your skin handles active ingredients.
Layered hydration is the most important fix here. Hydrating products on damp skin, followed by moisturizer to seal them in, can help rebalance things without making the skin feel heavier or oilier. Avoiding hot water also helps preserve the moisture you do have.
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Section 11: Skin Type
The one positive thing about oily skin is that it can help slow the aging process; dry skin tends to wrinkle faster. However, the skin type below did not reveal facial redness or acne or skin rashes, which I have had all 3 of those, even some of the last couple of years! I did this in the winter, which is when my skin is less oily and clearer, so that could be why. My skin rash/rosacea tends to flare in the summertime.
Skin Type: ORNW +A -E. Your classification broke down as Oily, Resistant, Non-Pigmented, and slightly Wrinkle-prone, with acne-prone tendencies and brighter but shadow-prone under-eyes. In practice, this means your skin can generally tolerate active ingredients fairly well, which is good news for the tretinoin, hydroquinone, and vitamin C routine you use now.
The broader takeaway is that your skin was more texturally age-prone than pigment-prone. In other words, pores, dehydration, fine lines, firmness, and oil regulation were the biggest long-term themes, not visible surface pigmentation.
Bottom line: at 29, your skin was doing well in some areas but clearly had room for improvement in hydration, pore management, and early anti-aging, especially around the eyes and nasolabial area. The oily-but-dehydrated pattern was driving multiple issues at once, which is why fixing the moisture deficit had such a cascading positive effect once your routine became more consistent.
olive young skincare haul
After shamelessly visiting Olive Young every day of my 9-day trip to Korea, I left Seoul with an entire suitcase full of new skincare items for myself and family and friends to try! Going right before the Christmas holiday was perfect because it made gift giving so easy; turns out people really love skincare and consumables for gifts!
My favorite product from my haul so far is the Torriden serum (below). I bought their serum, refills, and masks. It's so light and hydrating, it glides over my skin and doesn't feel sticky. I'm pretty obsessed! It contains hyaluronic acid. For exfoliation, I have a gentle exfoliant (better for sensitive skin and rosacea-prone like mine) that I got after a facial in Seattle, but I also bought a new exfoliating calming powder to try, which is the mugwort calming powder, and wow, my skin is SO soft after I use this. It's very creamy once you add water, and it is gentle on the face. I will be restocking
I really struggle with remembering things unless they're either written down explicitly or right in front of my face, so I purchased these minimalist bamboo shelves from amazon and then placed my products from morning to evening in order of which I use them to help! I don't use all the products every day (e.g., retinoil). I also got this organizer for all the face masks I bought.
