5 Myths About Acne - DEBUNKED!
Welcome to the blog! To kick off our very first post, we are going to be debunking 5 common myths about acne. Within revealing these false claims in the beauty industry, there will also be some tips and tricks thrown in as well! Grab your tea, kick your feet up, and get cozy! We are getting acne EDUCATED!
Let’s dive into myth #1, shall we?
MYTH #1 “I need a deep-cleanse to clean my pores to stop these breakouts”
To some of you, this may sound radical, but stick with us. Pore size is genetic and no product on the market will shrink these guys permanently. There are some cosmetic treatments that can do this such as microneedling, however. Your pore is not a muscle, it does not have the ability to “open” or “close”. As an ex-acne sufferer myself, I was washing my face 3-4 times a day at my worst because I thought that my pores were simply dirty. When you are experiencing inflamed breakouts or even small whiteheads and/or blackheads, a “deep-cleansing” is not going to do the trick. There are a few other things that will need to be incorporated into your regimen which we will discuss in a later post as well. For any of my fellow ladies and gentleman who are really suffering from acne, keep the face washing to 2x a day. No more, no less! (Findings from Acne Rx, written by Dr. James Fulton, co-founder of Retin-A (common acne fighting ingredient))
MYTH #3 “The sun helps clear up my acne”
This one I have heard way too many times in the treatment room. Aside from the fact that sun exposure is the #1 reason for premature aging, this method 9/10 does not help the common acne sufferer. Sometimes the sun can have a drying effect on these blemishes but it is usually the tan that gives the illusion that your skin looks “more clear”. In a study done at the Fulton Skin Institute, Dr. Fulton found that 80% of the patients did not show any improvement from sunlight. He also found that 10% did see an improvement while the last 10% got worse as sunlight has the ability to irritate the pores. Fulton discusses his findings in Acne Rx, only the best scientific-based acne book in the world (opinion but so true). The summer tip that I would give to anyone on the way to clearing up their acne, is to APPLY APPLY APPLY your SPF religiously. Especially if you are using any active acne fighting ingredients like Benzoyl Peroxide, Retin-A, Isotretinoin, etc. as these can make your skin sensitive to the sun and more susceptible to burning. Pictured below is one of our favorite SPF’s from Image that you can purchase in-store with us!
MYTH #2 “Steaming my face will reduce inflammation and rid my acne!”
You know, I really am quite intrigued how this popular trend came along of steaming your face. Adding heat to the face will typically inflame the acne lesions even more so. While it is true that steaming does liquify the sebum (oil that your skin produces) and can cause the skin to appear as more plump, this is not a permanent solution. As we talked about in Myth #1, a steamer will not “clean out your pores” either. There is no steamer, charcoal mask, skin brush, or skin vacuum out there that will physically clean the acne out from the skin. What you CAN do to reduce inflammation in the skin is to ice, ice, ICE! This one has really been a game changer for my inflamed lesions. I have attached a place to purchase an affordable ice pop, and another article on icing your face.
MYTH #4 “You need organic products to clear your skin”
Oh BOY. This one could get me fired up. I will keep it short and to the point for you though. Unlike foods, makeup and skincare products are not really regulated by anything. To be more specific, they don’t have to own up to their claims. Words like organic, hypoallergenic, dermatologist tested, etc. don’t necessarily mean that a product is acne-safe. Just to give you some type of background of this problem in the beauty industry:
“The FDA once issued a regulation specifying that a cosmetic could be labeled “hypo- allergenic” only if scientific studies showed that it caused fewer adverse reactions than a representative sampling of competing products. Two manufacturers, Almay and Clinique, launched a legal battle challenging the FDA ruling and eventually won in Appeals Court on a language technicality. The FDA regulation was thrown out.”
Anyways, just because a product is “free” of something, does not mean that it will not cause you to break out. So for my fellow pals that are creating DIY masks with coconut oil and avocado (which both have pore clogging side effects by the way) make sure that none of these are comedogenic (fancy word for pore-clogging). I have attached 2 websites that talk about the comedogenicity of ingredients below!
MYTH #5 “Toothpaste will heal pimples fast!”
Praying to the acne gods that this statement will rid the planet soon enough. GUYS. 2 incredibly comedogenic (remember, fancy word for pore clogging) ingredients in almost all toothpastes are sodium lauryl sulfate and fluoride. Aside from the old school remedy of using this as a spot treatment, this could even be the reason for your breakouts around the mouth and chin area. First things first, stop using this for acne. And second, stop using it all together. I have attached a picture below of the toothpaste that I have been using for the past few months that has done the trick for me. No more embarrassing breakouts around the mouth! And before you even think about it, it is still not recommended to use an acne-safe toothpaste for a spot treatment for a blemish!
That is all on the blog today, look forward to more posts from myself and our other skincare and beauty experts at Laser Loft! <3
- Alexis