01. YOU DON'T NEED TO USE A MOISTURISER IF YOU HAVE OILY SKIN
All skin types require a moisturiser, making sure you find the right formula is key.
If you have an oily skin and don’t use a moisturiser, worse still, you use skincare products that strip oil from the skin, in actual fact, you can make your skin oilier. When your skin doesn’t have proper hydration and the moisture barrier becomes impaired dehydration can cause the skin to produce more oil.
What you need, is to ensure you’re not using a heavy or greasy moisturiser, opt for one that is more water based to keep skin cells healthy and discourage dead skin build up.
02. YOU DO NOT NEED SUNSCREEN ON A CLOUDY DAY
According to Cancer Research UK, 90 per cent of the sun’s rays can get through light clouds. This means that UV-induced skin aging happens year-round if you’re not protecting your skin.
There are two main types of UV rays: UVA and UVB. To help you identify the two:
UVA – Ageing, these cause wrinkles and potentially skin cancer. These are approximately the same strength all year round.
UVB – Burning, these cause your skin to burn, they aren’t as strong in the winter months.
UV rays are considered the number one reason for skin ageing. The best combat for all skins is to wear sunscreen daily, all year round!
03. EATING GREASY FOOD CAUSES GREASY SKIN
It’s not technically true as there is no evidence of this. In general, greasy foods aren’t healthy food choices and more and more evidence are linking gut health to skin health.
I recommend my clients to keep a food diary, as it’s a great way of tracking what you have eaten and if there then becomes a link to breakouts or bad skin days.
If you are prone to breakouts around the jawline and chin area, from experience its worth while avoiding dairy. It can be worth cutting out dairy completely for two weeks and see if that improves your skin condition.
04. YOU CAN SHRINK YOUR PORES
Now that would be nice! There is no such thing as a pore less skin, we all have pores and this is very much determined by our genetics, if this is the case then its impossible to make them any smaller.
However, although we can’t physically shrink a pore if a pore has been stretched out by excess sebum production or loss of collagen production you could try the following to help minimise the appearance.
Use an exfoliating acid, these create a smoothing effect due to the chemical exfoliants dissolving the ‘glue’ that holds dead skin cells together. This evens out the surface of your skin and makes pores less noticeable.
A facialist can manually remove oil and debris from your pores, through extractions. These aren’t the same as sebaceous filaments, as these should be left alone.
Professional Peels
Microneedling
05. PEOPLE WITH DARK SKIN DON'T NEED SPF
This is not true. Black skin does have a slightly higher natural protection, of approximately SPF 13, than white skin due to there being a higher natural amount of melanin in the skin.
However, that’s as far as it goes. This natural protection in the skin does not produce enough protection against all the harmful rays. Health experts advise everyone, regardless of skin colour to use sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30.
Although dark-skinned people won’t get sunburned as quickly, they will still burn and are still susceptible to sun-induced damage such as age spots, hyperpigmentation, hypopigmentation, melasma, wrinkles and skin cancer.
Prevention is always better than cure so wearing a daily broad-spectrum UVA/UVB sunscreen is a must for all skins.
06. AN SPF IN YOUR FOUNDATION IS ENOUGH PROTECTION
It’s not enough. If you are applying sunscreen, you should apply 2 full finger lengths for the face and neck and 1 more for the scalp if you’re bald. So, there is no way you would apply this amount of foundation to get adequate protection.
For the best protection, make sure your daily moisturiser or sun cream is being applied with this amount for sufficient protection.
Makeup with SPF is fine to go on top and can be seen as more of an ‘insurance policy’ however, if you are in the sun you will need to reapply every 2-3 hours to ensure the SPF continues to give the same level of protection.
07. SCRUBBING YOUR SKIN WILL HELP CONGESTION
When our skin feels congested the temptation is to scrub away at the skin to remove unwanted build up of dead skin cells. However, harsh scrubs are becoming a thing of the past due to the potential of creating mini scratches and small micro tears that aren’t visible to the naked eye. The biggest culprits are apricot kernels, sugar or even sand, these all have rough, uneven edges that we should stay away from. Even if you are using a ‘gentle’ scrub with spherical particles it can provide uneven results as its dependent on where the particles are distributed by your hand.
A better alternative is using a chemical exfoliant to unglue dead cells to make them slough off the skin, versus irritating yourself with physical beads which are a bit more likely to irritate. Although you can’t see the magic happen your skin will be exfoliated and more evenly too.
Chemical here can sound scary but it’s not, you can find the following ingredients: Alpha Hydroxy Acids (AHA’s) such as Glycolic acid, Latic acid, Malic acid, Beta Hydroxy Acids (BHA’s) such as salicylic acid and now newer variations such as Poly Hydroxy Acids (PHA’s), these are slightly better for sensitive skin.
Acclimatising your skin to using exfoliating acids is key.
08. TOOTHPASTE WILL DRY OUT A SPOTt
Ok we’ve all been here as a teenager and tried this as it’s been passed down to us. Let’s first look at why it could work; toothpaste can contain ingredients such as baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, alcohol and triclosan, all of which can create a drying effect.
However, there are too many downsides to take that risk, toothpaste has an alkaline pH, but our skin is naturally slightly acidic so there is a risk of irritation and developing a rash on your skin.
I would stick to toothpaste to clean your teeth and try something that has been proven to clinically work such as salicylic acid, retinol or even CliniSoothe’s Skin Purifier, ideal for acne prone skin.
09. ITS NORMAL FOR SKIN TO FEEL DRY AFTER CLEANSING
We all know that feeling when you have used a certain cleaner, then gone to do something else and you feel you can’t smile in case your face will crack, it’s that taut.
However, that’s not how it should be, using a gentle yet effective cleanser is key. Never treat your face like dirty dishes or a car that needs cleaning as you will strip your skin of all its natural oil and water. To repair itself your skin will start to build up with dead skin, feel parched and will compromise its natural moisture barrier. Using the wrong cleanser is one of the biggest culprits of dehydrated skin, as its the fundamental first step of your skincare regime that you need to get right, as everything else you use will fall short.
Avoid cleansers containing Sulphates such as Sodium Laureth or Lauryl Sulfate (SLS/SLES). These are two of the most common sulfates that cause the foaming activity. Cleansers that foam up are detrimental to the balance of your skin.
You also need to ensure you are applying your skincare regime in a timely manner so don’t let your skin to go too long after cleansing, as moisture naturally evaporates so follow up immediately with the next step.
10. GENETICS PLAY THE BIGGEST PART IN HOW WE AGE
This isn’t true! It’s easy to think if your grandma only ever used soap and water and she looked great then you can just follow suit, you have the same genes. However, genetics will only play around 20% of how you age, which leaves a whole 80% to having some control on how you age.
Studies have shown that with identical twins they should age in the same way and at the same rate. However, results show they can age quite differently depending on their individual lifestyles.
Free radicals are now believed to be one of the main causes of how we age, therefore reducing free radical damage means looking after yourself in a 360-degree, holistic way.
This means less:
Stress
Reducing sun exposure
Not smoking
Less Alcohol
Less processed food
And more:
Rest and sleep
Effective Skincare
Using Sunscreens
Topical antioxidants
A balanced, antioxidant diet
You definitely CAN control how fast your skin ages!