Myths, "old wives tales", "folktales". No matter what your choice word is, some of the things we were told about acne as teenagers were flat out false. No offense to your lovely aunt Sherry, I'm sure she has given you some wonderful advice over the years; unfortunately, if she told you to apply toothpaste to your zits overnight to help them go away, she was misinformed. Now, many of you will probably read some of these and think to yourselves "I've done this before, It worked just fine."I'm sure it did not and I'm sure you didn't know all the damage you were doing to your skin so lets discuss it.
1. Toothpaste as a spot treatment
The nostalgia I get when i think of this myth in particular is unreal, I remember my older sister advising me to put white toothpaste on my pimples overnight if i wanted them to either (1) be ready to pop with my fingers the next day (YUCK) or (2) go away. I'd spend about 30 minutes washing my face, applying Sea Breeze, and then put some toothpaste on a q-tip before dabbing it over my pimple. I'd hardly ever see results but my sister swore by this method so I kept it in my back pocket just in case. I was doing so much damage to my skin and I had no idea. As we know, the main ingredient in most toothpastes is fluoride, if you google the word, you'll quickly gather that it has many negative effects on our health when ingested or applied topically. Like what? Acne, fertility issues, and neurological issues when ingested by pregnant women. Scary right? Absolutely. So I did some digging and got some advice from our great friends at Http://www.Fluroidealert.org and found out that when fluoride is applied to open sores or cuts, it can further damage on the skin in the following ways. (Google these images at your own risk).
Perioral Dermatitis: A fancy way of saying a very itchy, burning, scaly rash, that occurs around the mouth when the skin is irritated. This rash can sometimes manifest around the eyes as well.
Stomatitis: This condition refers to an inflammation of the lips and the mouth that may or may not be accompanied by ulcers within the mouth.
Urticaria: Also another fancy way of saying a simple word. In this case, we're referring to a rash that manifests itself much more aggressively than any old rash. This condition is a series of welts that appear suddenly and swell quickly, they are also pale red in color.
I'm scared and I hope you are too, please don't use this method.
2. Washing your face with hot water gets your skin cleaner
You'll read lots of "fake news" today but this is really fake. While your skin does appreciate a good warm water rinse, hot water is a bad idea. I know that's hard when you take showers in fire (guilty) but adjust that temperature gauge for your face. Hot water can dry your skin out and let's be honest, it burns! If you want to give your skin a positive change in temperature, go the other way and splash some cool water on yourself after cleansing instead.
3. Eating chocolate will give you acne
Pollution, dehydration, a poor skincare regimen, and my favorite, HORMONES are all legitimate causes for acne. Your obsession with chocolate (while it may be unhealthy in other parts of your body) is not the particular reason why you're having issues with acne.
4. Antibacterial soap is best for cleaning your face
Put the Dial down, back away from the Dove. This is a myth we are debunking! "But it says it's for sensitive skin." Correct. One can be sensitive on their body and their face, it is never wise to use products that are safe for your body on your face simply because, the skin on our bodies is much more durable than the skin on our face. These things are for cleaning off dirt and grime that our faces just don't come into contact with. Allow them to work in those ways and the facial cleansers to do their job.
5. Scrubbing gets your skin clean.
I can not reiterate the sensitivity of our facial skin enough. Please do not scrub your face not just because you can give yourself micro tears but because this method will not change anything that is happening in your skin instantaneously. Nothing will clear your skin better than a consistent regimen.
6. If its burning, its working
Hold on, Angela, save that energy for Valentine's Day. Remember earlier how I mentioned using Seabreeze on my face after cleansing? Well, if you're not familiar with Sea Breeze, it is a very strong astringent (it smells like rubbing alcohol and aftershave had a baby) and when I say it burns, oh my goodness it burns! I'm not sure if it's meant to be diluted but it certainly needs to be. This myth is false because burning on the face is never a good sign. Your skin is reacting negatively to a product if it is causing any kind of burning and I would recommend you stop using it.
I hope this list helped you guys to be a little more mindful of the things you're doing to your skin and scared you a little bit to prevent future skincare mistakes. Please share the wealth with your friends and family
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