Tuesday Beauty Tips! Skin Care Myths!

Chances are you’ve heard these lies before: “A breakout means your skin is dirty.” “A base tan protects against sunburn.” Most of us rely on such well-meaning advice from Mom or our girlfriends. But some of their tips can be downright deadly.  Here are 12 skincare myths!

Myth #1: Always use makeup remover and facial cleanser.You need both makeup remover and facial cleanser only if you wear waterproof makeup. The average cleanser can’t break down the waxy ingredients in waterproof products – the make-up remover really helps. 

If your cosmetics aren’t waterproof, you can nix makeup remover. Use only facial cleanser and save room on your bathroom shelf. 

Myth #2: Everyone needs toner.Only women with very oily skin may want to add toner to their skin-care routine.
A toner can reduce some oil, but you can get even better results from a mattifying cleanser – which absorbs oil and reduces shine – or mineral make-up which also sops up oil.

You may think toner’s doing something because astringent ingredients, like alcohol and witch hazel, make skin feel tight.....but it actually has no benefit if you wash your face and rinse skin thoroughly. Besides, toners with alcohol strip the skin’s natural oils, leaving it dry and irritated. 

Myth #3: You can’t use moisturizer if you have acne-prone or oily skin.Most moisturizers today are non-comedogenic– meaning they don’t clog pores and cause acne.
So unless you’re plastering Vaseline all over your face several times a day, moisturizer won’t make you break out.
In fact, moisturizer can decrease breakouts, since dry skin flakes clog pores and trigger acne.
Oily-skinned women may also want to use a moisturizer with anti-aging ingredients or sun protection – or to moisturize parts of the face that aren’t oily.....Just look for an oil-free product.

Myth #4: Pricey skin-care products are best.Many inexpensive drugstore brands are similar to high-quality products, and manufacturers do scientific research and test them on thousands of women.

Plus, effective active ingredients such as wrinkle-fighting retinol peptides (small proteins that stimulate the collagen production) or antioxidant vitamin C are easy to find in inexpensive skin-care lines.



Myth #5: Acne is the result of dirty skin.Washing your face too often can make acne worse.
That’s because you can irritate skin and create new problems.
A lot of acne-prone women also over-cleanse their skin, thinking it will sop up excess oil.

It doesn’t. In fact, it dries skin and sends oil-producing sebaceous glands into overdrive. That makes your complexion even greasier. Acne means your skin is inhabited by bacteria, oil or clogged pores, so you need to use a pad or facial cleanser that contains salicylic acid, an ingredient that exfoliates skin and cleans out pores.
Do this twice a day, morning and night, and skin will clear up in no time.


Myth #6: Popping pimples will make them disappear. When a big whitehead is staring back at you in the mirror, it’s tempting to start popping. Don’t!
Squeezing pimples leads to infections – because you push bacteria into the skin – and scarring.

Plus, the resulting red, bleeding blemish usually looks worse than the original pimple anyway.  Instead, apply a warm compress to the whitehead for five minutes 2-3 times per day. This will soften the skin so it pops on its own.  Then apply an acne product.

Myth #7: Toothpaste will dry out a pimple. Toothpaste irritates burns, causes more breakouts and scars skin.
  
That’s especially true of today’s toothpastes...which have a lot of whitening and bleaching ingredients that are extremely irritating. 
So save it for your teeth and use an acne product to keep skin clear.

Myth #8: Cocoa butter prevents stretch marks. Many women swear cocoa butter on pregnant bellies keeps stretch marks at bay, but it’s probably their DNA that stops the white, raised skin scars from forming.
 
Though cocoa butter moisturizes, it can't prevent stretch marks.  Stretch marks usually crop up when the skin’s elastic fibers are forced to expand because of the growing uterus. They can also appear after growth spurts or extreme weight gain or loss.

Many products may claim to make stretch marks vanish, but so far no cream has been proven to do the trick.

Myth #9: Sweets and fried foods cause breakouts.These foods may pack pounds on your belly, thighs and hips, but they won’t hurt your complexion.
 
There’s no evidence that die influences acne production.  Pimples are caused by bacteria and abnormal cell division within pores.

Myth #10: Getting a base tan is a healthy way to get that sun-kissed glow.There’s no such thing as a healthy tan: Any time the sun’s rays touch your skin, they increase the chances of sunburn, skin cancer and signs of aging, such as wrinkles, sagging and brown spots. 
Myth #11: Women of color don’t get sunburn or skin cancer.This myth can be deadly.
While people of color are less likely to get skin cancer, they’re much more likely to die from it, due to a delay in detection.

Myth #12: Self-tanners offer protection from the sun. Another deadly myth.

Though self-tanning products from a can or bottle are the safest way to get that golden glow, they don’t provide any protection from the sun, since they’re… well… fake. 

Exceptions are self-tanners with sunscreen. Even their protection, however, lasts only for the few hours after you apply them, even if your faux glow sticks longer.