Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Skin care myth-buster guide to help you achieve that flawless glow
THE festive season is around the corner and with that, the need to put your best face forward. However, with the internet, and with home remedies being passed down through generations, there is no shortage of myths and claims that can damage your skin more than they could help.
To help bust some of the common skincare myths, here is a rundown of the dos and don’ts to achieve a beautiful festival-worthy glow.
Myth: Kitchen ingredients for acne control.
Fact: Kitchen ingredients won’t help with acne control.
Acne? Go for chickpeas! Blackheads? Try some green tea. Dark Spots? Tumeric’s your way to a beautiful glow.
In Indian households, it seems like every ingredient can be used to tackle certain skincare concerns.
However, while certain ingredients can be beneficial for your skin, the fruits and veggies in your kitchen are likely to have very small quantities of these beneficial ingredients, and not enough to properly take care of your skincare concerns.
Moreover, the fruits and vegetables need to be clean and free from any kind of pesticides and additives, which are often hard to remove with regular washing.
Myth: Drinking enough water is all you need to hydrate your skin.
Fact: Simply drinking water is not enough to keep your skin hydrated.
Dryness is often caused by the skin’s inability to retain water, mainly due to a weakened skin barrier. Drinking copious amounts of water won't help the skin retain the water better.
The hydration element needs to come in from a topical application, most easily achieved through the use of moisturisers.
Myth: Natural products without chemicals are good for your skin.
Fact: Chemicals can help tackle skincare concerns better than natural ingredients.
Chemicals used in skin-care products are specifically designed to penetrate the skin layer and can help tackle some of the skin-care issues from the root.
In most instances, science-based skin care can help you achieve faster results. When using chemical-based skin-care products, the most important step is to research the ingredients being used, to properly understand them and know what you should be using for your skin.
Myth: Anti-ageing products are only for those over the age of 50.
Fact: You should start using anti-ageing products in your twenties.
We all want to retain our youthful glow through the course of our lives, and always have moments where we look back at our younger selves and reminisce about the clear and wrinklefree skin we once had.
While this notion often leads to people using a host of anti-ageing products, a common myth is that we should start using these products only once we start noticing the appearance of fine lines or wrinkles, or only past the age of 50.
The best time to start using anti-ageing products is during our late twenties. Using products like retinol and peptide serum, which include ingredients like 0.2% retinol + 1% peptide, can work effectively to minimise the visibility of fine lines and wrinkles and works to give your skin the moisture and nourishment it needs.
Myth: If it burns, it’s working better.
Fact: Skin-care products are not supposed to burn your skin
Many people make the assumption that skin-care products that burn the skin are actually “working” and are likely to give you more results.
Burning is usually caused when the ingredients in specific products are too harsh for your skin, or if you are allergic to certain ingredients.
No matter what the cause, burning on your skin is never a good sign, and is something you should be incredibly wary of, considering the permanent damage that it may cause.
If you do experience burning on your skin, immediately wash off the product and make sure there are no traces of it left behind on your skin.
If the burning was prolonged and won’t subside, the best approach is to see your dermatologist, who can provide you with topical ointments that take care of the affected areas.
While skin-care myths are abundant, it’s important to properly research the tips and remedies that have proven scientific backings and that showcase clinically proven results.
By adopting this approach, you can use skin-care products and routines that work well on your skin, and avoid the ones that are ineffective, or even harmful to your skin. |