Myth: Blackheads are dirt inside my pores
Busted: Blackheads are merely white-heads that have undergone the process of oxidation. (So no, blackheads aren't dirt!)
Oxidation is merely a chemical reaction happening in your skin. Think of what happens to an apple when you cut it open and it darkens: this is oxidation.
When the follicle (pore) opens up, oxygen enters, causing the oil and dead skin cells within the follicle to undergo oxidation. This leads to the dark color you see.
White-heads are follicles that are filled with the same material, but have only a microscopic opening to the skin surface. Since the air cannot reach the follicle, the material is not oxidized, and remains white.
Myth: Wanna clear your skin quick? Go tanning!
Busted: Whether under the sun or under the tanning bed, baking in the sun to clear breakouts can worsen breakouts and is never an option. All this may do is intensify your chances of long-term scarring and hyper-pigmentation (dark spots). While you may experience temporary drying up of breakouts after a day in the sun, you’re actually triggering future incidences of breakouts: there’s an increase in skin cells when skin is exposed to UV light, and this further clogs follicle openings, which leads to the development of breakout bacteria. Don’t forget tanning also puts you at an increased risk of skin cancer.
If you think your sun exposure is minimum, or just seasonal, SPF should be as much a part of your routine as cleansing. Leaving SPF out of your skin care routine now means premature skin issues in the future, including wrinkles and dark spots. Reach for Welcome Matte SPF15 or Brighten Up SPF15 for your daily dose of SPF.
Myth: SPF makes me break out.
Busted: While some sunscreen ingredients can make skin feel greasier and can be comedogenic (clog pores), there are new, more sophisticated formulations available that provide sun protection with skin care benefits. (By the way, those “new, more sophisticated” SPF ingredients are found in Welcome Matte SPF15 and Brighten Up SPF15!)
Does stress cause breakouts?
This question is similar to another popular question, “Do greasy foods and chocolate trigger breakouts?” Both questions are misinterpretations. Stress doesn’t directly cause acne or breakouts, but it does act as a trigger for the factors that contribute to acne development (excess oiliness).
The balance of school, work, friends and relationships can contribute to chronic stress. This constant, continued and heightened level of stress throws adrenal glands into overdrive. Adrenal glands are in charge of regulating stress, and when stressful situations arise, adrenal glands stimulate sebaceous (oil) glands to secrete more sebum (oil). This excess oil sets the stage for acne development.
Stress also causes increased blood flow and expansion of capillaries, which makes skin appear more red and inflamed. Stress can also cause poor assimilation of nutrients in the diet and can lead to slower healing because of a lowered immune system.
Yoga, deep breathing, exercise, sleep, aromatherapy… even a quick walk with a friend or co-worker during the day can help de-stress your life and help manage adrenal spikes. Cutting back on caffeine and sugar (which also spike adrenal gland activity) can also help manage breakouts.
Myth: Tanning beds are safer than the sun.
Busted: If you’re under 30 and use a tanning bed, your risk of skin cancer jumps by 30%.
A 2009 study* revealed this statistic alongside another dramatic finding: tanning beds are a definite cause of cancer. In fact, they’re so dangerous they’ve been moved to the top classification of the cancer risk category – deeming them as deadly as arsenic and mustard gas.
Unfortunately, despite these findings and previous warnings from the World Health Organization, the use of tanning beds has increased amongst those under 30, and some areas of the United States boast more tanning salons than Starbucks or McDonald’s! In Britain, melanoma is the leading cancer diagnosed in women in their twenties. This is quite a dramatic finding, as traditionally, skin cancer rates are highest in people over the age of 75.
Tanning beds, or sunbeds, give of ultraviolet radiation, which cause skin and eye cancer. Ultraviolet radiation is not healthy on any level, whether it comes from tanning beds or the sun.
This doesn’t mean you have to hide out under umbrellas! Take a smart approach to skin care – wear Welcome Matte SPF15 or Brigten Up SPF15 starting today. These dual-action products combine your daily moisturiser with critical SPF. And, if you really want that all-over bronzed glow, reach for self-tanning cream to build your colour year-round.
*Published online in the medical journal Lancet Oncology by the International Agency for Research on Cancer in Lyon, the cancer arm of the World Health Organization.
Myth: Breakouts mean my skin isn't clean.
Busted: The belief that a blackhead is dirt feeds another myth about breakouts – that it’s not clean, or is not being properly cleaned.
Over-cleansing skin with the hopes that you’ll clear breakouts may only trigger more breakouts, thanks to stimulating an over-production of oil. Moreover, over-cleansing causes dryness which can lead to sensitivity, as dry skin has fewer protective lipids that keep skin healthy.
To get skin clean without over-stripping, reach for Wash Off. This foaming wash features Salicylic Acid, which dives deep into pores to help thoroughly clean skin. Refreshing Orange Oil Peel revives and energizes so you know skin is clean because it feels clean!
Myth: Toothpaste dries up breakouts!
Busted: Quite the contrary: new information actually reveals that toothpaste can stimulate breakouts on your chin and around the mouth. Dermatologists say that heavily flavored toothpaste, or toothpaste with high levels of fluoride, can cause breakouts to arise.
Toothpaste is for teeth – Hit the Spot is for breakouts! This concentrated spot treatment helps banish breakouts while controlling future breakout activity. And the clear formula absorbs without a trace – quite the opposite of chalky toothpaste that’s been dotted on skin!
Myth: Use rubbing alcohol to remove oil.
Busted: Stripping the skin of moisture and oil with alcohol can actually cause skin to produce more oil than before. How? When the sebaceous glands sense a loss of moisture and oil (which is there between cells to protect your skin), they kick into overdrive to replace what has been lost! For those who self-treat with these harsh, drying ingredients like alcohol, skin is often left dehydrated, irritated and sensitised, and oilier than before.
Myth: Does sex cause breakouts?
Busted: Sex does not cause breakouts – what you’re seeing in your skin is the effects of puberty brought on by sex hormones. There is no correlation between having sex and causing (or clearing) breakouts.
Myth: Milk causes acne.
Busted: This is another misinterpretation: milk doesn’t trigger acne or breakouts. It’s the hormones produced by cows that are found in milk that can actually overstimulate oil glands and cause overproduction of oil. As cows that give milk are pregnant most of their lives, the natural hormones that occur during pregnancy are found in the milk you drink. The reason that milk products cause acne is because milk contains hormones that "turn on" oil glands.
It is not yet known if hormones injected into cows cause any difference in the level of natural hormones in milk.
Myth: Food triggers my breakouts!
Busted: Many people accept the myth that what they're eating is causing their skin condition. This is actually a misinterpretation -- these foods don't directly cause acne, but they may feed the breeding ground for acne by exasperating sebum production. Speak to a skin health expert to find out if your oil production is being triggered by specific food intake.
