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How a "Strange" Korean Mask Made From Fish DNA Gave Me the Best Skin of My Life at 53
Thursday, February 6, 2026 | 9:47 am EST — 189,442 views
By Rachel Torres | February 2026
I need to tell you something embarrassing.
Last October, I put fish sperm on my face.
On purpose.
And it was the single best decision I've made for my skin in 30 years.
I know how that sounds. Trust me — I had the exact same reaction when my friend Jenna first told me about it. I literally said, "Absolutely not. That's disgusting."
But I'm getting ahead of myself.
Let me start from the beginning.
The Moment I Hit Rock Bottom (Skincare Edition)
It was a Tuesday night in September. I was standing in my bathroom, surrounded by what I can only describe as a skincare graveyard.
Seventeen products on my counter. I counted.
—> CeraVe cleanser.
—> Tretinoin 0.05%.
—> The Ordinary Niacinamide.
—> Drunk Elephant Protini.
—> A $180 La Mer moisturizer I bought during a moment of desperate optimism.
—> Two different vitamin C serums because I couldn't remember which one "worked."
—> A jade roller gathering dust. Three sheet masks from a subscription box I kept forgetting to cancel.
Total investment over the past year: roughly $2,800.
Total improvement in my skin: zero.
Actually, that's not fair ... my skin was worse.
At 53, I had deeper lines than I'd had at 48. My pores looked larger. My skin had this grayish, dull quality ... like someone had turned down the brightness on my face.
I'd even tried Botox twice.
The first time was great for about six weeks.
The second time barely lasted a month. My dermatologist suggested "more units," which meant more money for less result.
I was done.
Not "I'll try one more thing" done.
I'd accepted that this was just what 53 looked like, and no amount of retinol was going to change it.
Then Jenna called.
"You're Going to Think I'm Crazy..."
Jenna and I have been friends since college. She's the one who got me into skincare in the first place — she's tried literally everything.
If there's a new ingredient, Jenna's already ordered it from Korea.
So when she called me and said, "Okay, you're going to think I'm crazy, but I need you to try something," I was skeptical but curious.
"Have you heard of PDRN?" she asked.
I hadn't.
"It stands for Polydeoxyribonucleotide. It's extracted from salmon DNA."
"Okay..."
"Specifically, from salmon... reproductive cells."
Silence.
"Jenna, are you telling me to put fish sperm on my face?"
"I KNOW how it sounds. But Rachel, listen to me. My skin hasn't looked this good since my thirties. I'm not exaggerating."
Jenna doesn't exaggerate.
She's the most brutally honest person I know.
She once told me a $300 serum I loved was "basically expensive water." So when she says something works, I listen.
She explained the science: salmon DNA is 97% identical to human DNA. Korean doctors have been using it for years to help skin cells repair themselves. It doesn't just sit on top of your skin like a moisturizer — it actually helps your cells regenerate.
"It's like giving your skin a software update," she said.
I rolled my eyes, but I also wrote down the name of the mask she recommended.
The $2,800 Question
Here's what finally convinced me to try it:
The mask cost less than $10.
After spending $2,800 on products that didn't work, the idea of spending $10 on something that might work felt almost absurd.
What did I have to lose?
So I ordered it—the Quasi Salmon PDRN Collagen Gel Mask.
When it arrived, I'll be honest … I stared at it for three days before using it.
The packaging was nice, nothing about it screamed "fish sperm, but I knew, and I kept thinking about it.
Finally, on a Friday night (because if my face was going to have a reaction, at least I'd have the weekend to recover), I opened it.
The Pink Mask Experience
The mask itself was pink. Not subtle pink — like, bright pink.
It was a gel consistency, thicker than any sheet mask I'd used. It felt substantial. Like it actually contained something, unlike those flimsy sheet masks that are basically wet paper towels.
I pressed it onto my face and set a timer for two hours.
Then something weird happened.
About 30 minutes in, I checked the mirror. The mask was lighter. Still pink, but noticeably less vivid.
By the one-hour mark, it was almost translucent.
By two hours, it was completely clear.
I peeled it off (it came off in one piece, which was satisfying) and looked at my skin.
It was... glowing.
Not in the "I just applied highlighter" way. In the "my skin looks healthy from the inside" way.
Like when you've had a really good night's sleep and plenty of water and your skin just looks alive.
I texted Jenna a selfie with no caption.
She replied: "TOLD YOU."
The Next Three Weeks
I want to be honest here because I think honesty matters more than hype.
After the first mask: My skin looked noticeably glowier and felt plumper. But I've had that from other masks before. The difference was that this glow lasted into the next day. And the day after that. Three days later, my skin still looked better than it had before the mask.
After the second mask (day 4): This is when I started to notice the texture change. My pores looked smaller not invisible…I'm 53, not 23… but genuinely smaller. The rough patches on my cheeks that I'd been trying to exfoliate away for years felt smoother.
After the third mask (day 8): My coworker Diane stopped me in the hallway. "Okay, what are you doing differently? Your skin looks amazing." Diane has never commented on my appearance in seven years of working together.
After the fourth mask (day 12): I FaceTimed my daughter. The first thing she said was, "Mom, you look so good. Are you using a filter?" I wasn't.
After two weeks: I looked in the mirror and didn't feel the urge to immediately look away. That might sound small. But if you know, you know.
After three weeks:I stopped wearing foundation to work! For the first time in probably fifteen years, my skin didn't need it.
The Science (For the Skeptics Like Me)
I'm not someone who just accepts "it works" without understanding why, so I did my research.
Here's what I learned:
The problem with most skincare: Traditional anti-aging products work on the surface. They add moisture, they temporarily plump, they reflect light to create the illusion of smoother skin. But they don't address the root cause of aging — which is DNA damage at the cellular level.
After 40, your skin cells lose their ability to repair damaged DNA efficiently. This means they can't regenerate properly, which leads to wrinkles, sagging, and dullness.
Why PDRN is different: Because salmon DNA is 97% identical to human DNA, PDRN fragments can essentially "remind" your skin cells how to repair themselves. It's not adding something artificial — it's reactivating your skin's own repair mechanisms.
Why the mask format works: The gel mask creates a seal that raises skin temperature slightly, opening pores and allowing the low-molecular PDRN to penetrate deeply. The pink-to-clear color change isn't a gimmick — it's the visible absorption of the active ingredient.
Why celebrities pay $500 for this: In Korean clinics, PDRN is delivered via microneedling or injection for maximum penetration. The at-home mask uses a different delivery method (transdermal absorption), which is less intense but still effective — and about 98% cheaper.
What I Wish Someone Had Told Me
If you're where I was … drowning in products, frustrated with results, wondering if this is just what aging looks like … here's what I wish someone had told me:
You're not doing skincare wrong, you're solving the wrong problem! I spent $2,800 trying to moisturize, exfoliate, and retinol my way to better skin. But my skin didn't need more products on top of it. It needed its repair system turned back on.
The "fish sperm" thing sounds worse than it is. PDRN is a purified, pharmaceutical-grade compound. It doesn't smell like fish. It doesn't feel weird. The mask smells like nothing and feels like a cool gel. If I hadn't read the ingredients, I never would have known.
You won't see dramatic results overnight. The first mask gives you a glow. But the real transformation happens over 2-3 weeks as your skin's repair mechanisms start working again. Be patient. It's worth it.
It's not magic. It's biology. PDRN doesn't erase 20 years overnight. But it does something no retinol or collagen cream has ever done for me: it made my skin look healthy. Not younger, necessarily, but healthy and alive.
And honestly? Healthy skin at 53 is more beautiful than "young-looking" skin that's been chemically forced into submission.
Where I Am Now
It's been four months since that first Friday night mask.
My skincare counter has gone from 17 products to 4. Cleanser, SPF, the PDRN mask twice a week, and a simple moisturizer.
My skin looks better than it has in a decade.
I've stopped wearing foundation.
Three different people have asked me what "work" I've had done.
And last week, I caught my reflection in a store window and actually smiled.
Not because I look 30. I don't. I look like a healthy, glowing 53-year-old.
And that's more than enough.
If you're curious about the mask that changed my skin (and my entire approach to skincare), you can find it here:
See the Quasi Salmon PDRN Collagen Gel Mask
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