Oil Shortage
Most of us walk around with a wide mix of skincare knowledge. Some tips were handed down to us by our grandmothers and mothers while some we read in a magazine or got from makeup-counter staff—and a lot of what we believe may be flat-out wrong. To slay a few skin myths, Mom.me spoke to Los Angeles, New York and Dallas-based celebrity aesthetician Renée Rouleau.
The first myth is that moisturizing alone will help with dry skin on the body. "Dryness happens as we age," says Rouleau. "Oil production slows down; your lipid barrier starts to break down. Your skin is an essential organ that is a cushion to keep hydration in. When you produce less oil, this barrier gets damaged. Then, irritants get into your body more easily, but simply moisturizing won't help." It's important to exfoliate the body and follow with a body lotion that has active components. Rouleau says, "Ingredients to look for in body lotions include phospholipids, jojoba oil, borage oil,safflower oil, and linoleic acid. They repair the moisture barriers. The buzz term for this is 'barrier repair'—but it's simply putting healthy oil onto the skin."
Face First
Another myth, says Rouleau, is that your face "should feel squeaky clean when you wash. You don't want that." Rouleau explains that a tight, super-clean feeling is the result of your cleanser or soap over-stripping the natural oils from your skin." This can lead to fine lines and wrinkles and even acne, as the skin will produce more and more oil to make up for what's been washed away.
Sun Shine
Many people, Rouleau says, don't fully understand sunscreen labels, and their skin gets damaged as a result of misunderstandings passed down from family and friends. "The myth is that an SPF 30 offers two times as much protection as 15; in reality, it only offers 4 percent more," explains Rouleau. "The FDA says that no one has proven that an SPF 100 isn't more effective than 50."
Eyes Have It
Yet another myth? "Many people believe that the richer eye creams are best for you," says Rouleau. "When you put something really rich and greasy on this delicate skin, you are doing yourself a disservice." Rouleau explains, "Heavy lotions sit on the skin—they don't penetrate to deeper levels. Plus they can travel into your eyes as you sleep. You can get excess puffiness in the morning from this." Adds Rouleau, "You are putting wear and tear on your skin's elasticity when you apply thick eye creams—they pull the skin down and can cause wrinkling in addition to the wear and tear caused by eye puffing and de-puffing."
Lighten Up
One thing that has really changed over the last couple of generations is that women no longer think they need a full face of makeup to look gorgeous. "Makeup was a lot heavier in our grandmothers' time," says Rouleau. "This would lead to blocked pores as well as premature aging of thin skin, like that under our eyes. Gravity would pull the heavy foundation down, pulling your delicate skin along with it." Today, we have a range of much healthier options when it comes to makeup, and many of it—like BB and CC creams—delivers moisturizing and correcting ingredients as well as color and coverage.
Shield Your Skin
"There is a myth that you only need to wear sunscreen if you're going outside,"says Rouleau. "UVA rays, which are very damaging, can penetrate windows at home or office, and can also get through the windows of your car. About 78 percent of our sun exposure is incidental—in other words, we get it as we go about our day, we're not consciously exposing our skin to the sun."
Nix the Needles
Another misunderstanding that many women have with fighting wrinkles, says Rouleau, "is that you must have in-office dermatologist treatments like injectables; I disagree with that. There have been a lot of advancements in fighting wrinkles that don't involve injections." Rouleau adds, "I don't like the concept of using injectables as a preventative, especially among women in their twenties. A good skincare regimen will keep you looking youthful without the need for needles."
Spot On
Growing up, many of us saw ads for a product called Porcelana, which was aimed at lightening age spots on the back of women's hands. Back then, the discoloration was thought to be caused solely from aging. "We know now that sunspots come from sun exposure and from the heat from the sun," says Rouleau. "So, even if you are really good with your sunscreen you might still get spots from spending a lot of time in hot conditions." This is yet another reason to keep as cool as possible in the summertime.
