by Gabriella D'Anton

Created on: November 19, 2009

Skin care: between science and popular believes

The approach most people take on treating their skin is often determined by word of mouth and popular beliefs rather than scientific facts.

Most of the misleading information comes from well-meaning sources; a dear aunt, a sweet grandmother, an older sister or the friend of a friend. To add to the problem, the powerful cosmetic industry is also deliberately disseminating half-truths and plenty of deceiving information.

The multi billion dollar beauty industry has an easy to understand motivation; the less you know, the more you buy and the more you buy, the better for their bottom line. Soaring revenues is all they care about. Morality does not enter the equation of profits and the industry will often pay the fines for false advertisement without feeling the pinch.

Some of the most well-spread popular beliefs coming from well-meaning sources are:

1) Acne is cause by poor hygiene and washing the face often will help the condition.

Fact: just the opposite is true; washing the skin frequently will activate the production of the sebaceous glands and result in an oilier skin increasing the odds for new breakouts.

2) Acne is caused by certain foods.

Fact: medical research has proven over again that this popular belief has no scientific base whatsoever. Acne is caused by bacteria proliferation and no food of any kind is ever at the root of the problem. It is true however, that some foods will aggravate the existing condition (stimulants as caffeine, spices and fried oils).

3) Astringent will dry out pimples.

Fact: by drying out the surface of the skin, the normal flow of oil elimination will be impaired and the bacteria will spread to an adjacent area.

4) Using astringents or clay based mask will minimize pores.

Facts: enlarged pores are the result of sebum accumulation that will misshape the hair follicle. Only aggressive exfoliation through microdermabrasion, chemical peels or laser will make pores appear smaller.

5) Hyper pigmentation could be treated with bleaching creams.

Fact: the minimal lightening effect of such procedure creates a series of more complicated problems; it results in sensitivity of the skin and it makes it more prone to further pigmentation.

6) Brown "liver" spots

Facts: liver has nothing to do with dark spots. As a sign of aging skin, brown spots are formed as a consequence of imperfect coordination between the speed of cells division and melanin pigment release.

7) Using a sunscreen will prevent

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