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5 vanliga myter om hudvård
5 vanliga myter om hudvård
5 common myths about skin care

Skin care is a subject that many people have a great interest in, and for those who want to learn more, there is an endless amount of information to take part in and delve into. But among all the information, all the trends and recommendations, some untruths have taken hold in " skin care world" that we at Skinome would like to clarify, always with research as a basis. Everything we do is for the good of the skin and spreading scientific information that helps you take care of your skin in the best way is something we are passionate about. Below we list 5 common myths in skin care and find out which claims are true or not.

Myth 1.

Explanation: you've probably heard of the 10-step routine, it's one of the bigger trends we've seen in the "skin care world". Hailing from South Korea, it encourages one to develop a skincare routine that includes everything from creams, serums, spray serums, micellar water, double cleansing, essences and face masks. A long routine can give the impression of a better and more advanced routine for one's skin, but multiple products can actually mean the opposite. When you use multiple products, it also means you get a lot more of the less good stuff for your skin, i.e. preservatives, perfumes, dyes, stabilizers and more glycols. Since the skin's immune cells sit superficially in the skin's top layer (epidermis), they can easily react to substances that come into contact with the skin. An overexposure to various substances that are mainly there for the sake of the product to keep it fresh for a long time (such as preservatives) can destroy rather than help the skin.

Myth 2

Explanation: this is a fairly common myth, but researchers on the skin's barrier function flatly say no to this. The more water we drink, the more we pee. What works to moisturize the skin are moisturizers in creams that instead bind and replace the water in the skin when it is dehydrated. Good moisture-binding ingredients to look for are: sugar (eg glycerin, sorbitol, xylitol or erythriol) or urea (urea), ectoine, N-acetyl glucosamine which is the building block of hyaluronic acid, Pre-, post- and probiotics have also shown provide good hydration.

Myth 3

Explanation: it is much more important to look at the season than the weather on a particular day. The UV index varies above all with the season and the time of day. Other factors are weather and the thickness of the ozone layer. During the summer, the UV index in Sweden is usually 4–7 and during the dark season between November and February below 2. In summer in the Mediterranean, the UV index is high or very high, between 7 and 10, and at the equator extreme levels can be higher than 10 occur all year round. In Sweden, the sun is highest in the sky at the summer solstice in June. Then we are also exposed to the greatest amount of UV radiation. Between November and January, the sun is so low that the UV radiation is marginal.

In other words, there is a big difference between summer and winter at our latitudes. It is therefore unnecessary to use a skin cream with sun protection every day, all year round. During the summer months, when the UV index is high, the recommendation is to use a sunscreen (in cream or clothing form) even on cloudy days.

Myth 4

Explanation: oily skin is often linked to slightly larger pores and more sebum production. This can in some cases lead to blackheads which can be both white and black. A common misconception is that oily skin is dirtier than normal skin and therefore needs to be washed more. The blackhead mask has nothing to do with dirt, but instead contains oxidized melanin, which is black in color. In November 2018, an article was published by a team of dermatologists from the School of Medicine at New York University in which they analyzed fourteen studies on cleansing for acne patients, and in which a total of 671 test subjects were included. The result showed that excessive cleansing does not lead to improvements in acne-affected skin.

However, it may be worth reducing sebum production and speeding up skin cell renewal to reduce the risk of clogged pores. This can be done with ingredients such as niacinamide, zinc retinol and various acids in low concentration eg lactic acid, lactobionic acid or salicylic acid2.

Myth 5.

Explanation: what we often associate with natural today is what is taken from nature in a finished form. It can be natural oils or butter from sunflowers or coconuts. I would say that the most natural thing is to use the fats that are already in the skin and that the skin is used to. The skin does not produce sunflower oil, olive oil or shea butter, but substances such as squalene, ceramides, cholesterol, triglycerides and many different fatty acids. Many skin care manufacturers have tried to imitate this unique composition of substances, partly by using natural oils that contain interesting compositions of lipids, partly by isolating individual substances from the oils and using them in other compositions. The skin is simply better off with substances that it is used to and that are natural to the skin.

References:

Akdeniz, M., Tomova-Simitchieva, T., Dobos, G., Blume-Peytavi, U., & Kottner, J. (2018). Does dietary fluid intake affect skin hydration in healthy humans? A systematic literature review. In Skin Research and Technology . https://doi.org/10.1111/srt.12454

Gillbro, J. (2019). The Skin Bible . Bookmark.

González-Muñoz, P., Conde-Salazar, L., & Vañó-Galván, S. (2014). Allergic contact dermatitis caused by cosmetic products. In Actas Dermo-Sifiliograficas . https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adengl.2014.09.007

Park, ME, & Zippin, JH (2014). Allergic contact dermatitis to cosmetics. In Dermatologic Clinics . https://doi.org/10.1016/j.det.2013.09.006

Zaragoza-Ninet, V., Blasco Encinas, R., Vilata-Corell, JJ, Pérez-Ferriols, A., Sierra-Talamantes, C., Esteve-Martínez, A., & de la Cuadra-Oyanguren, J. ( 2016). Allergic Contact Dermatitis Due to Cosmetics: A Clinical and Epidemiological Study in a Tertiary Hospital. Actas Dermo-Sifiliográficas (English Edition) . https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adengl.2016.02.022

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