31 Aug 7 Skin Care Myths Debunked
Don’t believe everything you hear when it comes to skin care. Here are 7 major skin care myths, debunked.
Myth: Your skin gets better protection with higher SPF.
Three kinds of ultraviolet rays exist: UVA rays, UVB rays, and UVC rays. That being said, SPF in sunscreen generally only offers protection from UVB rays, which cause sunburn. For this reason, it is important to purchase a sunscreen that is broad spectrum protection, or protection from both UVA and UVB rays.
Myth: Forget sunscreen on a cloudy day.
Ultraviolet radiation from the sun still reaches the earth’s surface on a cloudy day. For this reason, be sure to use sunscreen every day.
Myth: Tanning booths can be safe under specific conditions.
It is widely known that tanning in the sun can lead to premature aging and skin cancer. However, some people are under the impression that tanning booths are healthier as long as they don’t contain UVB rays. Tanning booths use this to their advantage in order to advertise, but using a tanning booth still exposes your skin to UVA rays. These types of rays penetrate deeper into the skin, which also causes premature aging and skin cancer.
Myth: “Age spots” are inevitable as you grow older
Actually, the term “age spot” isn’t entirely accurate. Brown spots that develop on the skin result from years of environmental exposure and damage. In turn, this leads to the skin accumulating visible imperfections. Because age spots result from environmental exposure, they are preventable or can at least be minimized. Using broad spectrum SPF everyday, keeping skin hydrated, and taking vitamin C regularly are helpful in age spot minimization.
Myth: You can’t over cleanse your face.
Contrary to popular belief, scrubbing your face frequently with soap keeps skin healthy and acne free. While it is important to cleanse regularly, scrubbing your face still removes protective oils and barriers. Thus, over-scrubbing can become detrimental, leading to rashes and even burns.
Myth: Popping a pimple is the best way to remove it.
While it may feel satisfying to pop a pimple, doing that actually makes a lot of the contents just go deeper into your skin. Consequently, you’ll likely get another pimple a few days later nearby the original pimple. The best way to remove a pimple is to cleanse your face regularly and let the pimple go away on its own.
Myth: You get what you pay for with skincare products.
Companies use interesting ingredients and fancy marketing strategy to sell their expensive products, but in reality many mass market skin products are better. In fact, many active ingredients are the same across most skin care lines. While expensive products can be great, it is likely you can get something similar for much less of the cost.