Knowledge is power. The more you learn about your skin, the better care you’ll take of it. By now, you probably have a vague idea about how your skin works. Articles about tips, hacks and ways on how to moisturize, hydrate and cleanse your skin, flood the internet today. With plenty of information out there, it’s easy to miss out on the important facts. Remember, if you have any skincare queries, your dermatologists are your point of contact. To help bust a few skincare myths and bring clarity to your thoughts, we’ve looped in two amazing dermatologists – Dr Aparna Santhanam and Dr Jaishree Sharad. (Brace yourselves – a wave of interesting tips are coming your way!)
1. Include Ghee In Your Diet
Also read: Benefits Of Ghee For Healthy Hairs & Skin
“If you need to do one thing for your skin it is this – start including ghee in your diet and understand that you may not need moisturiser every day. Ghee itself contains essential fatty acids which hold hydration from within and repairs the skin too,”, explains Dr Aparna Santhanam. Moisturising for certain types of skin, especially in summer can actually make the skin worse, patchy and prone to acne. Cleanse, apply sunscreen and include 2 teaspoons of ghee in your diet daily for healthy, glowing skin.
2. Avoid Exfoliating Too Often
Scrubbing causes more pigmentation. Friction induces production of melanin pigment. “Secondly, when you scrub excessively, the barrier layer of the skin which acts as a protective coat gets damaged and makes skin dry and even more sensitive to UV light,” explains Sharad. Avoid exfoliation frequently, in fact you can do it once a week or get a session of polishing once every month.
3. Skip The Regular Facial Massages
“On the contrary, massaging will stimulate sebaceous glands thereby secreting more oil than usual,” explains Sharad. This way your pores get clogged and you develop more whiteheads and blackheads.
4. Oily Food Does Not Cause Breakouts
No, oily food does not get you acne, say both experts. In fact, consuming dairy and sugar can increase your pimples. Dairy contains hormones which can alter your own body hormones and result in acne. Sugar can alter insulin levels and that’s not good for acne.
5. Drinking Less Water Is The Key To Happy Skin
“Water does help hydrate your skin, however, the remaining moisture is obtained from the environment and moisturisers,” explains Sharad. Besides, water has no role to play in acne. Instead of drinking excessive water, load up on fruits and salad. Drinking up to 2 litres of water is enough.
6. SPF Prevents Your Skin From Getting Tanned
That’s a myth right there. SPF protects from UVB. “Tan is a result of UVA exposure,” explains Santhanam. So SPF 20 to 50 will do you the same good as SPF 100. What you need to look out for is PA+++ which signifies protection from UVA. Besides, you have to apply a sunscreen every 2 hours to maintain its efficacy.
Show your skin some tender love and care with these beauty products!
1. Lotus Herbals Safe Sun UV Screen Matte Gel, SPF 50 (Rs 396)
2. Lacto Calamine Daily Face Care Lotion, Oil Balance for Oily Skin (Rs 183)
3. Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Synchronized Recovery Complex II (Rs 5,900)
4. Kiko Milano Pure Clean Wipes (Rs 620)
5. The Body Shop Vitamin C Glow Boosting Moisturiser (Rs 1,845)
Images: Shutterstock
