Busting The Top 7 Myths About Skin Care: What Your Mom Didn’t Tell You

“When you eat a lot of chocolates or junk foods, you will get acne.”  “Pimples are caused by poor hygiene.” “Skin care products with the word ‘natural’ on the label are good for you.”

How many of these maxims about skin care do you really believe in? In a world which puts too much stress on physical beauty, it is sometimes frustrating for an individual to have less-than-perfect skin, which is why it is tempting to believe in all these “principles” as far as skin care is concerned.

But the truth is that there are a lot of skin care myths out there which persist up to now.

Remember that the type of skin care regimen and skin care products that you use really depends on the type of skin that you have.

As such, it pays to be selective about which skin care advice it is that you will take.

Otherwise, you might end up doing yourself more harm than good.

The Truth behind the Top 7 Myths about Skin Care

To help you weed out what’s true and not when it comes to skin care principles, here is a list of the top seven myths about skin care that your mom probably never told you about:

1. “Acne is caused by poor hygiene and eating certain foods aggravates the condition.“

First of all, acne is not caused by dirt. No matter how many times you wash your face and your body, acne may still appear especially if you are prone to it.

Basically, the root cause of the appearance of acne is an overproduction of sebum or oil which clogs the pores.

The rate by which the skin on your face produces sebum is not at all affected by dirt – hormones, stress, pollution and bacteria are some of the culprits behind the appearance of pimples.

Second, eating foods like chocolates, soda, peanuts, junk foods, soda and any other oily or greasy foods will not aggravate acne. Although it is not recommended that you load up on junk foods, they are not really the cause of acne.

So what is the solution if you often have breakouts which mark the clarity of your skin? Over-the-counter treatments like Benzoyl Peroxide and products with salicylic acid may help. If you have moderate to severe acne, consult a dermatologist so that an acne treatment plan can be recommended for you.

2. “Not washing your face often enough can cause blackheads.“

Aside from acne, another skin care problem that most people have is the appearance of blackheads, especially on either sides of the nose.

Just like pimples, blackheads are not caused by dirt so washing your face more often than usual is not the solution at all.

Blackheads appear when the pores become dilated and the cellular buildup will lead to oxidation that causes that black color.

The solution to steer clear of blackheads is to use a good exfoliating face scrub that is suited for your skin type.

3. “Lying down on a tanning booth is the safest way to add some bronzed color to your skin.“

This is not true at all.  Whether it’s natural tanning under the heat of the sun or tanning under the tanning booth, you are still exposing your skin to UVA rays.

Experts agree that this type of ultraviolet ray can still penetrate deep into the skin and cause damage like premature aging. In effect, you are also exposing yourself to the risks of developing skin cancers.

4. “When looking for products that help shield your skin from the rays of the sun, all you need to look for is a higher SPF.“

SPF stands for Sun Protection Factor and it is an ingredient which is ever present in sunscreen lotions.

Although a higher SPF factor will offer protection from ultraviolet rays, the SPF will only work in shielding your skin from UVB rays.

The other kinds of ultraviolet rays include UVA and UVC which some sunscreens may not necessarily protect you from. A good compromise would be to choose a product with SPF 15 or higher, and contain ingredients which block both the UVA and UVB rays from penetrating into your skin.

5. “The more expensive a skin care product is, the better it is for your skin.“

The so-called miracle ingredients that some products claim to have is usually just an excuse to increase their tag price. This is where your being a wise consumer should come in.

If you want to get the best products for your skin without having to pay an arm and a leg for it, you need to make a comparison of different brands.  For example, a moisturizing facial wash from one brand which contains a particular ingredient may be better for your skin as compared to another more expensive brand.

When testing out a new product, purchase smaller bottles first to check whether it will work for your skin type or not.

6.  “If a skin care product   claims to be natural, it should be 100% good for my skin.“

First of all, there are no regulations in the market when it comes to using the term natural.

So even if it says natural in the bottle and the product contains just one herbal ingredient, they can still use the term as a marketing ploy.

More often than not, consumers lean towards the more natural products but what they do not know is that they are actually getting synthetic or chemical-based skin care products.  For this, it pays to do your research and check which natural ingredients will actually benefit the type of skin that you have.

7. “Dermatologist-tested and hypoallergenic products will work well for any skin type.“

Again, don’t’ be fooled by the words dermatologist tested and hypoallergenic.  What causes allergies to one person may not necessarily have the same effect to another person – so the term hypoallergenic is quite vague.

What you need to do is be a keen observant about which products lead you to have breakouts or skin rashes – and steer clear of them.

At the end of the day, taking care of your skin is all a matter of choosing the right products and having a good skin care regimen that you can follow on a daily basis.

Now that you already know about the top myths about skin care and the truth behind them, you can make an informed decision about how to better care for your skin so that you can have that clear, smooth and flawless complexion that a lot of people are also aiming for.

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