5 Skincare Lies I Stopped Believing After Researching A New Routine
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After nearly two decades of a
fickle and somewhat financially
impulsive approach
to skin care, I
decided to make a
small commitment.
Develop a solid
skin care routine.
Use the same products
every day and night,
wash my face thoroughly,
enjoy the meantime, basically,
grow the hell up and
treat my skin better.
And I wanted to create my
skincare routines based
on research, not just vapid
claims from the beauty industry
to completely transform my skin.
As I pressed on
with my new routine,
I kept notes about
how my skin responded,
because skin care is rooted
in science, not aesthetics.
And I realized that
even as my skin started
to clear up, soften, and
just plain feel better,
there was a lot that I would
never be able to control.
I realized that I, a
fairly savvy consumer,
had been fed a lot
of skin care lies.
Number 1, don’t dump
money on products that
claim to transform your skin.
The most important
lesson from my new
found skin care obsession
was that there’s
a huge difference
between my complexion
and the appearance of my skin.
For example, my forehand doesn’t
always have to look shiny,
but I will always
have oily skin.
No cleanser can
change that over time.
It’s like thinking
a vacuum cleaner can
change the shape of your house.
Also you cannot
shrink your pores.
That poreless look on
celebrities and Instagram
models, genetics and face tune.
Take comfort in the
words of Dr. Bobby Buka
on the plus side of course.
Large pores and the oil
that comes with them
can counteract the physical
toll of aging and wrinkling.
All of this is to say, when
you’re choosing products
like cleansers and
moisturizers, don’t
choose based on the skin
you’re hoping to have.
For me, that meant choosing
a cleanser that stayed away
from claims like
increases radiance
or improved skin’s
natural defenses.
Number 2, basic skin care
doesn’t have to be expensive.
When I let go of these
unsubstantiated expectations,
it was surprisingly
easy to find something
that balanced my most basic
needs, which is simply
to remove dirt and excess
oil without forming
irritating dry patches.
I actually found it in a
cleanser that cost $6.99.
One targeted at teenagers.
Number 3, no, every woman
does not need a toner.
My everyday skincare products,
sunscreen in the morning,
cleanser at night, makeup wipes
only when I’ve worn a very
large amount, a
10-minute agave mask–
literally, just a teaspoon
of agave on my face–
and face oil.
If I have significant
breakouts, I
will also use a spot
treatment, but I also
want to talk about
what I don’t use.
I don’t use toner,
although I was
a huge fan of aggressive
drying toners in high school.
Today, trainers have become
more diverse in their functions.
Many are sold in spray
bottle packaging targeted
as refreshers, but
numerous dermatologists,
including Toronto’s Dr. Renee A
Beach say toner is unnecessary.
Whether you call it a
toner or a refresher,
its primary purpose is
still to remove excess dirt.
If you’re using
toner, you probably
need a better
cleanser, says Beach.
If you like the clean and crisp
feeling of a refresher midday,
a spritz of cucumber
water is way cheaper.
The main takeaway here, you
don’t need every single skin
care product under the sun.
Start with a good moisturizer,
cleanser, spot treatment,
and sunscreen.
Number 4, water is not a cure
all for your skin care woes.
One budget friendly tip
you’ve probably heard
is to drink more water.
It’s the top product celebrities
with perfect skin credit
for their ageless appearances.
Spoiler alert, the
real answer is money.
Beyond skin care, water is
the catchall recommendation
for oral health, energy,
digestion, and weight loss,
but hold up before
you go out and buy
a Mammoth Mug or a CamelBak.
While hydration is
important, the skin benefits
are greatly exaggerated.
New York based derm Dr.
Joshua Zeichner says
that there is no
evidence that drinking
fewer than eight
glasses of water per day
is harmful to your skin.
As long as you’re not
dehydrated, your skin is fine.
And if you are dehydrated,
you have bigger things
to worry about.
I already drink a ton of
water because I’m an extremely
physically active person.
When I first started
drinking a lot of water,
my skin did clear
up, and I thought
it meant I was magically
flushing all the dirt out
of my skin.
Chalk it up to
confirmation bias,
the next time I
got my period, it
was breakout city once again.
Number 5, you can’t
get perfect skin
by putting yourself in a bubble.
There’s a lot of tested and
true skincare advice that
is actually backed
by dermatologists,
and a lot of it conflicts
with the condition known
as being human.
Don’t wear foundation,
don’t drink
alcohol, perfectly valid
advice, but some that’s
also alarmist and impractical.
Yes, these things can
stress your skin out,
but it’s also true that if these
things stress your skin out,
your skin was far from
perfect to begin with.
After six months, I found myself
somewhere in between skin care
is one big lie and skin care
is the most important routine
you will ever have.
There’s no universal product
advice I could ever share,
but the best routine advice
I can share is simplify.
Don’t buy products that are
backups for other products.
Stop overanalyzing every
little imperfection.
Don’t go to bed
with a dirty face.
Don’t fall for the
anti-aging price tag.
There is enough proof out
there from the pros that
has convinced me that, yes, we
are sold on too many products,
but that doesn’t mean the
cure is skin care nihilism.
It’s important to
clean up after yourself
and treat your face nicely.
And certain routines
like removing your makeup
every night will
help the appearance
of your skin immensely.
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