The quest for perfect skin can lead us to do some pretty far-fetched things, take for example Kim Kardashian’s Vampire Facial, the Snail Facial, or even the latest trend of shaving to keep your skin perfect and glowing.
You may have read about it, heard about it from a friend, or gotten it as sage advise from your mother—the truth is, self-proclaimed beauty experts are all around you, and you can’t help but pay heed to their words of wisdom.
The problem is, with an overwhelming number of skincare remedies, what suits us best can sometimes get lost in translation. To help steer you back to the right track, we bust some basic, yet very popular skincare myths that are not delivering what they promise.
1Cucumbers Help Reduce Puffiness Around The Eyes
While cucumbers can be deliciously cooling during the summer, what with 90% of their content being water, they’re only ideal for when it comes to soothing, hydrating and moisturizing temporarily. A more effective treatment to combat puffiness is a cold compress that will give you long-lasting results.
2Larger Quantities Yield Better Results
People believe that using generous amounts of a product enhances its purpose. However, there is some truth in the old adage, ‘Less is more’. Using a pea-sized amount of your lotion is all you really need.
Excessive use can lead to inflammation, sweating out the product, and multiple skin problems; not to mention, it is a waste of money.
3Indoor Tanning Is Safe
Let’s just be honest here, whether you’re getting a tan the au natural way, or you’re using a tanning booth, you’re exposing your skin to UVA or UVB rays, no matter how you look at it.
In fact, indoor tanning leads to deeper, more harmful skin damage on a permanent basis, and makes you susceptible to skin cancer.
4Skin Repair Only Happens At Night
Now we all know the marvelous effects of a good night’s sleep. We wake up to great skin, and no bags under our eyes. However, there are a lot of people who believe that skin repair only takes place when we get that much-needed shut-eye.
Completely untrue. Skin repair is an ongoing process. What lack of sleep does is cause stress, puffiness and can slow the development of collagen. It is detrimental to your skin’s health, but in no way boosts the natural process. Consider this one a marketing ploy for night creams and serums.
5Toothpaste Is The Best Way To Deal With Acne
There’s a good chance that you’ve used toothpaste to deal with a pesky pimple. However, with ingredients like hydrogen peroxide, alcohol, menthol, essential oils, and triclosan, what toothpaste really does is irritate the skin, causing redness and peeling.
