There are so many myths about proper skin care, that it’s scary. From old wife’s tales about preventing stretch marks during pregnancy to what’s mandatory for proper cleansing, the falsehoods that are taken for granted have most dermatologists shaking their heads in discord. According to many skin care specialists, some of these myths can actually lead to skin damage. Here we dispel five of the common fishy tales regarding skin care.
1. Prepare your skin for summer sun on a tanning bed. Tanning beds are dangerous because of the concentrated UVA rays they emit. These are the same rays you get from the sun that cause premature aging and skin cancer. Getting a light tan on the sun bed does not protect your skin from further damage, it just means you have already exposed it to harmful rays. Tanning does not produce more melanin in the skin, it just brings it to the surface.
2. Application of olive oil can prevent pregnancy stretch marks. Stretch marks are caused when the sub-surfaces of the dermis split, usually due to expansion of the skin beyond its elasticity ability. This can occur during pregnancy or because of excessive weight gain. There are no topical preparations that will prevent this scarring from occurring. A healthy diet, hydration and regular exercise are the best ways to ensure your dermis remains healthy and retains its elasticity.
3. Increasing the SPF means you can stay out in the sunshine much longer. This is truly an unsafe belief. A sunscreen with an SPF of 15 will block approximately 94% of UV rays. Increasing to an SPF of 40 will only block 97% of UV rays. Increasing the SPF does not significantly increase the protection. What’s more important is to ensure the sun block you purchase protects against both UVA and UVB rays. Another must is to apply the protection before you venture out in the sun and then reapply sun screen every couple of hours, regardless of whether you got wet or not.
4. You don’t need sunscreen if you have dark skin. A darker skin tone, whether a Mediterranean olive-toned complexion or the skin tone of a person of color, does not give the person extra protection from the sun. It only means that they have an increased level of melanin. Although this does decrease the risk of skin cancer from the harmful UVA and UVB rays of the sun, it is only a slight decrease, and people with darker skin tones must use sunscreen and take the same precautions as those with a fairer complexion.
5. You can get acne from eating chocolate. No one type of food will lead to acne, and while a healthy diet will promote a healthy skin, what you eat does not cause acne. Acne occurs when the dead cells that the skin sheds stick together and block the various gland openings in the skin. The natural oils in the skin then back up, and bacteria takes advantage of this situation, making matters even worse. So you can keep eating chocolate – in moderation of course!
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