Myths About The Science Of Skincare

It’s generally best practice to take everything you hear (or read on the internet) with a grain of salt. Hopefully, you already have a skincare routine that you do every morning and night but there might be some things that you do (or not do) based on the advice you’ve heard over and over again from the media. You might be shocked at things that seem to be ‘common knowledge’ that are actually not true at all.

Myth 1: Steam from Hot Water Opens Your Pores

The idea that warm or cold water effects your pores is an age old saying that is simply not true. The truth is that your pores are technically always open. There are plenty of benefits to steam, including increasing moisture levels in the air which helps prevent dry and cracked skin, but that’s about it.

Myth 2: Cosmetics are Completely Unregulated

According to the FDA’s website, they do in fact regulate cosmetics to make sure they are not adulterated or misbranded. They also make sure that products are safe for consumers and are properly labeled. This means that any ingredients or color additives must be approved for before use and some products even have to be manufactured in FDA regulated facilities. All of this is to ensure that the products you consume, including cosmetics and skincare products, are safe for your use.

Myth 3: Products Can’t Expire

Food isn’t the only thing on your shelves that can expire. The truth is, cosmetics can expire and can actually be harmful if used after their expiration date. Over time, ingredients break down. Expired products can also grow bacteria which can cause breakouts. The best rule of thumb is to throw makeup out after 6 months. Skincare expiration dates can very so check for dates on your containers or product boxes. Most skincare products will expire after 2 years.

Myth 4: If it Burns, that Means it’s Working

This saying usually goes along with “Beauty is pain” and “No pain, no gain.” But the truth is, if a product is burning your skin, unless otherwise directed by a professional, it’s probably best you remove the product with a cool damp washcloth. When it comes to skincare, tingling is normal. Burning and stinging are not. If the pain or irritation doesn’t go away within a few minutes, contact a trusted skincare professional on how to move forward as you could potentially be having a serious allergic reaction.

Myth 5:  Natural, Organic, or Chemical-Free Products are Best

Oftentimes when a cosmetic product says it’s natural or organic it really contains essential oils and extracts which can in turn cause irritation and breakouts. These ingredients can also break down faster over time, creating more irritants. Chemicals are in everything (technically they are everything) and something that says it has no chemicals is already misleading.

Trying to recognize every ingredient on a label can be exhausting and unnecessary, since common and benign ingredients can often have different names. Take Vitamin C for example. Different variants can be ascorbic acid, ascorbate, ascorbyl palmitate, magnesium ascorbate, and even (5R)-[(1S)-1,2-Dihydroxyethyl]-3,4-dihydroxyfuran-2(5H)-one. All the same thing, all different words for plain old Vitamin C. Which just goes to show that just because the name of an ingredient is harder to pronounce does not mean that it’s bad for you.

Whether you have questions about the ingredients in your products or even if you just have general questions about skincare, give us a call at 801-800-6602. We specialize in clearing acne and we want to help you be educated on what works best for you. To book an appointment today, click here