Posts filed under ‘Myth Busters’
Myth Busters
Myth: A Base Tan Can Prevent a Sunburn
This time of year we hear time and again about people working on their “base tan” before summer arrives, thinking that catching a few rays now will protect their skin from getting burnt throughout the summer. But, to set the record straight, there is no such thing as a base tan. Any amount and type of sun exposure damages skin, and the damage is cumulative, so a little here and there all adds up and contributes to premature aging and an increased risk of developing skin cancer. As you prepare to bare, your safest bet is to fake a glow and protect from head to toe.
Myth Busters
Myth: Dead Skin Cells Are Just Dust in the Wind
In the case of exfoliation, there’s more benefit to the process than meets the eye. Sure, you’ll slough off dulling dead cell buildup and be visually rewarded by a more youthful, radiant glow, but that’s only the part you see and feel.
Under the surface, the removal of that layer has another powerful effect … its absence actually signals your newly forming cells that their time has come and encourages them to “rise to the occasion” so to speak, promoting ongoing, healthy skin cell turnover. Pretty cool, right? So don’t give your skin the silent treatment … communicate with it regularly by exfoliating often.
Myth Busters
Myth: Bigger Exfoliating Beads = Better Results
Who says bigger is always better? When it comes to facial exfoliation, good things come in small packages. When used consistently and often, smaller beads actually produce “bigger” and “better” results. Why? Because, like an ultra-fine grit sandpaper, used over time they smooth the surface more thoroughly and more evenly than larger, coarser particles.
And while it may seem counterintuitive, for folks with sensitive skin, an exfoliant with larger beads but fewer of them will actually be gentler on skin. However, regardless of the size of the bead, exfoliation shouldn’t be thought of as a once in a while emergency quick fix. For best results, the key is to exfoliate more often, and work the product on your skin’s surface longer.
Myth Busters
Myth: More is more
When it comes to achieving results with your skincare, more isn’t always more. Powerful ingredients like hydroquinone and benzoyl peroxide can be extremely irritating when prescribed at higher concentrations to spot treat issues. They may work, but are rarely used as directed by customers because of how irritating, uncomfortable and drying they are on skin. So, the users are often not actually getting the higher dose of these medications because they are using them inconsistently or not using the right amount.
These same ingredients are often available through over-the-counter (OTC) products at lower concentrations in much more comfortable, pleasing formulations. At lower concentrations, people are much more likely to consistently use products and thereby experience results. And that’s why we maintain “less is more.”
Myth Busters
Myth: The longer you use a specific skincare product the slower the results
You used to need one cup of coffee to get up and go and now you need two? Yes, indeed and soon you’ll need three because your body can acclimate to caffeine over time.
But when it comes to skincare, this is just not true. So don’t buy into the myth. Consistent and continuous use of the right regimen for you is the best thing you can do to keep your skin looking its best. And remember, if your skin looks clear, it’s because the products are working.
Myth Busters
Myth: Lip Lines are Caused by Smoking
While it’s absolutely true that smoking causes lip lines around the mouth over time, they aren’t the only culprit. And you can’t assume a person has been or is a smoker just because his or her lips are fringed with fine lines.
Sucking from a straw or running a kissing booth will lead to accelerated lip lines just like smoking. This is caused by the continual mechanical motion of pursing the lips. So whether or not you smoke, minimizing the motions of the muscles around the mouth is the best way to avoid those lines. Because as we like to say … the best wrinkle is the one you never get.
Myth Busters
Myth: Lip Balms are Addictive
The myth that lip balms are addictive is so misunderstood there’s actually a website called LipBalmAnonymous.com, but don’t call an interventionist just yet. While your lips may need some kind of restorative rehab due to dryness or irritation, they don’t need a twelve-step program.
The truth is, lip balms are not addictive. And while applying them constantly can become a habit, it’s a relatively harmless one. The secret to keeping your lips in good health starts like any relationship: setting good boundaries. In this case, we mean using products with ingredients that deliver a lasting moisture or boundary from the elements. Waxy products just contribute to a dry feeling and super slicking glosses evaporate too fast.
Instead, opt for a lip balm that protects against the environment with a proper balance of skin-healthy ingredients that provide just the right amount of soothing moisture and sealing protection and feature a broad spectrum SPF for daytime. Once you find your perfect solution, feel free to apply as often as you’d like.
Myth Busters
Myth: a Pore Is a Door
Contrary to the popular teen myth, a splash of cold water cannot close your pores. Pores are not doors that can be opened or closed and their size doesn’t change. But their appearance can. Pores that are filled with dirt, debris and bacteria certainly look bigger because they’re more noticeable.
Minimizing the appearance of pores is best done with skincare containing hydroxy acids to stop dead cells from accumulating inside the pores, kaolin clay to tighten, and advanced peptides to maintain skin firmness.
Myth Busters
Myth: 20 Plus 20 Equals 40
When it comes to SPF, traditional math doesn’t apply. The SPF 20 in your foundation layered with the SPF 20 in your sunscreen does not equal an SPF of 40. It’s more a matter of quality than quantity.
What layering does provide is accuracy. The truth is, most people don’t apply enough of their SPF to really deliver the SPF benefits and rarely apply it evenly on the first go-round. To get the promised benefits, multiple layers are essential and adding an SPF sunscreen on top of an SPF moisturizer and/or foundation is the best way to insure you’re truly covered.
So, do you layer up?
Myth Busters
Myth: Late Nights = Dark Under Eye Circles
With so many demands on our time (holiday parties, gift wrapping, baking cookies for your neighbors, etc.) a good night of sleep can elude us during the holidays. And the result is staring back at us in the mirror every morning. We’re all too familiar with the look. Dark circles show up under your eyes. And these circles become more pronounced with alcohol or caffeine consumption due to greater water retention and even more pronounced as we age and skin slackens. The good news is that everyone doesn’t need to know you’re burning the midnight oil to pull off the perfect holiday. Sleep with your head propped up on a pillow to help with circulation and apply compresses /ice packs to your eyes to reduce swelling in the morning.
Derm RF
Mary Radford, RN
Dr. Katie Rodan
Dr. Kathy Fields
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