My Skincare Journey Pt. 2: 7 Myths of Skincare

When it comes to skincare, many of us go through life hearing so many different opinions, solutions, products, and tricks that it can start to seem overwhelming. Sometimes we hear from someone that something worked really well for them and then when we think it will solve all of our problems it doesn't. Skin can be a tricky thing to master, especially for those of us who have acne prone skin, but it isn't without hope for a solution and cure! 

However, when it comes to the topic of curing our skin or getting it to a manageable state, we come face to face with so many opinions and ideas that we often become defeated and feel as if there is no hope. We try one route and hear that there is no way it will work, or we avoid other routes because we think there is no hope in trying it for ourselves. With so many different opinions and myths surrounding skincare, I thought I would share some myths that I have discovered the truth in and that have changed my outlook on skincare and my skincare journey forever! Obviously there are way longer lists of myths that you will find if you google it, but this list of 7 are myths that have been factors in my skincare journey. I do want to point out however, that while these 7 myths might be true for me, everyone is different as is their skin, so something that was true for me or worked might not necessarily be the cure all of someone else (everyone has to understand their own skin): 

• Your Makeup Is The Problem - I can't tell you the number of times I have heard people say that your makeup is what causes acne! I have had people tell me that and constantly read it on websites. Here's the thing....makeup doesn't cause acne....not completely at least. No studies have actually shown that acne is caused by your makeup, however our skin is a delicate and a very special organ and we have to treat it with care, which starts with what goes on and comes off of our face. The main problem with acne prone skin and makeup is when it isn't removed properly as this leads to clogged pores which generally cause our acne. So the next time you think your makeup is the problem it might only be the #6 problem when other things are the true cause. Thus, simple make sure you are okay with what you put on your skin and make sure you take it all off before you go to bed (I will talk more later on about removing makeup). 
• Scars Are Forever - This was a HUGE myth for me! In fact it was one of the myths that really got me down a lot about my skin because I felt hopeless that after years of struggling with acne, once I finally got it under control my skin wouldn't look "flawless" anymore. While my acne prone skin will never be the same as it used to be, my scars are not there forever! If you do research there are ways to fade, reduce, and get rid of acne scars, and I have seen many of those methods begin to change my skin already. We will still have the remnants of what used to be, but our scars can be faded and diminished by the products we use, treatments we try, and amount of liquids we drink (I will share more about this in another post) so THERE IS HOPE! 
• Oil Is Bad For Your Skin - Okay, so you might be reading this and be a bit confused:) Here's the thing, eating foods cooked in oil or that have a lot of oil on them are definitely not good for your skin, we all know that (goodbye french fried, and fried food), but putting oil on our skin is actually one of the best things for us! If you are at all familiar with skincare trends you would have probably seen the trend with "oil cleansers"! Oil Cleansers are the best thing you can use in your skincare routine because applying an oil cleanser not only removes makeup and clears your pores, but actually tricks your skin into thinking it is overly oily and halts oil production. Apart from oil cleansers there are a TON of face oils that not only have benefits because of their ingredients, but also for the reaction that happens when we apply oil to our skin (like above). Thus, for those of you who have oil skin (like me) and have heard for YEARS that you shouldn't be using oil on your face, we actually need to used oil cleansers and face oils more to help our skin balance out (I would suggest doing more research if you are are interested in this)! 
• Moisturizers Are Your Problem, Especially If You Have Oily Skin - Have you believed this one? I know I have! For so many years I would avoid using heavy moisturizers, or stop moisturizing all together because I thought it wasn't good for my oily skin. I thought it would make my skin more oily and I didn't want that. What I didn't know however, is that when I didn't moisturize and keep my skin at a good balance, my skin would actually produce more oils. Our skin NEEDS moisturizer in our skincare routine because our skin needs the nourishment it provides! I recently added in a new extreme moisturizer to my skincare routine and it has been a game changer (I will share more about that in another post)! For those of you who have oily skin or combination (like me) I would suggest you do research and find a moisturizer that works for you, your skin will thank you and you might see a difference in your complexion! 
• Only Topical Medication and Pills Will Help - For years I thought that my only option and choice to have clear skin would be to get a highly medicated topical medication or prescription pill. This could have been from knowing people who had taken this option and seeing a difference in their skin. However, the problem with this is that you take the easy way out, you don't actually deal with the problem, you just try to solve it and often times it doesn't do you any favors in the long run (everyone's skin is different so for some this might be their only option...but I personally would only use this as a last resort). For example: many girls/women go on birth control simply to help their acne, but the problem with this (besides what birth control does to your bodies hormones) is that when they choose to stop taking it their acne will most likely be back. Acne is caused by so many factors in our life (some of us even have acne prone skin in our DNA) so choosing topical treatments and prescription pills only helps for a short time and doesn't allow us to understand the underlying problems of our breakouts or treat the overall health of our skin (which is vital in the skincare process). 
• Wash Your Face In Hot Water - Okay, so I am soooo guilty of this myth! When I was younger I thought that the hotter the water was the better is was for my skin! I would scrub my face in hot water, soak a wash cloth in hot water and let it sit on my face just willing the heat to solve all my problems.....but it doesn't! Hot water is actually the worse thing we can use on our skin because it strips our skin of any natural oils (which our skin actually needs) and severely dehydrate it. So when you think the popular thing is steaming your face will help, it actually doesn't. You might even think that cold water would be better, but there is no solution there in tightening our pores either. The best thing we can do is wash our face in lukewarm water. 
• Your Acne Is Caused By What You Put On Your Face - This one is a double edged sword because sometimes what we put on our face could possibly be the problem, but like I have said before our acne is often caused by internal and lifestyle factors! Thus, it truly is key that you understand your own skin, what doesn't irritate my skin could irritate yours? As someone who loves skincare and makeup I am constantly trying new products and my sister has always made the comment that maybe what I was using was the cause of my breakouts. However, even if I had a bad breakout after using a new product, I could usually attribute it to being caused by something else like the food I ate, the high amount of sugar in my diet, my period starting, or being really stressed out! Now that I understand my skin more, I know that my breakouts are not caused by the products I use (though I try to be conscious of them) but rather by other things. 

Have you believed any of these myths?

What are other Myths you have believed?

-Madison