Now, I'm pretty nuts about skin care. When I was in elementary school, my mom got so tired of me stealing her Olay moisturizer that she started buying it for me. I was using anti-aging serum before I could legally vote. I've done countless interviews with top dermatologists and I routinely get into the weeds of dermatological research writing skin-care guides like these.

That's why I was surprised when I actually learned something from HomeDNA's personalized recommendations. Not just something -- quite a lot.

I own an array of anti-aging products containing a good deal of the ingredients recommended for my skin, like niacinamide and glycolic acid. However, HomeDNA also recommended treatments I'd never even considered: topical kombucha and pine bark extract; a reduced-sugar diet (still not considering that one); silica supplements; and dermal needling.

All in all, HomeDNA recommended almost 50 different topicals, supplements and in-office treatments for me. The sheer volume of suggestions left me feeling super edu-ma-cated about my options but also a tad overwhelmed -- which says a lot, coming from a dermatology nerd like me.

Image via Getty

For a pretty low price, HomeDNA's Skin Care test gave me a greater degree of information about my skin's definitely/maybe problem areas than I ever thought I'd have. The low-stakes nature of the whole thing made getting my results fun and fascinating, even though they, uh, sucked.

(Obviously, it's not HomeDNA's fault my genes are shitty; it's mine. Wait -- no! It's my parents' fault! Oh, my god. I can't wait to throw this in their faces at Christmas dinner.)

Back to my previous point: You're unlikely to learn anything from your HomeDNA Skin Care results that would ruin your life, year, month or even just your day. That's a contrast to the emotional fallout some people have experienced after getting their DNA analysis from, for example, 23andMe.

Because HomeDNA's test isn't designed to deliver any earth-shattering revelations about how you'll age, your results probably won't shock you. If you're like me -- meaning, you've watched your parents age and have had to live with your own face for a few decades -- you've already seen some of the writing on the wall.

Plus, lots of skin-care products have a cocktail of ingredients to address multiple signs of aging; if you use anti-aging products, you might be doing a decent job of fighting your genetic predispositions already.

That said, my report made me rethink my current skin-care regimen and what I'll do in the future.

To stave off the apparently rapid depletion of collagen in my face, I'm thinking about taking HomeDNA's recommendations of micro-needling treatments and glycolic peels. I bought some fish oil supplements to counteract my skin's insane inflammatory response, and I restarted taking a B-complex vitamin in order to give my skin's collagen synthesis a boost.

To bastardize Pinterest's favorite inspirational quote, when you know better, you can do better. And all of us -- even beauty writers -- can afford to know a little better, and do a little better, about caring for their skin.

Image Courtesy Katie McCarthy