“It Dramatically Increases Your Risk Of Cancer.” Dermatologists Are Exposing The Biggest Skincare Mistakes That Most People Don’t Know

We recently asked dermatologists, estheticians, and other skincare professionals of the BuzzFeed Community to tell us the skin health “lies” and mistakes that more people should know. Here are the eye-opening results:

Note: Some responses were pulled from these three Reddit threads.

1.“Never forget moisturizer and sunblock. Collagen production decreases one percent every year at the age of 25.”

—None

“Wear sunscreen daily and reapply when you’re out in the sun. I always advise my patients to use a moisturizing sunscreen, like CeraVe AM, every day.”

—plantsinspaceastro

2.“Treat your neck and chest with the same care and products you use for your face. That skin ages the same way; don’t ignore it.”

—None

3.“Yes, you should change your sheets and pillow cases at least two to three times a week! The number of people who admit to me that they don’t change their pillow cases is wild. You’re rolling around in your dead skin, oils, snot, and whatever else is around you!”

—PrincessPopKISS

4.“I wouldn’t say proper product knowledge is overlooked, but it’s certainly lacking in the average American. For the love of god, don’t use hand soap, straight-up coconut oil, or straight-up essential oils on your damn face!!! Also, anecdotal evidence of such ingredients not clogging your pores or stripping your lipid barriers doesn’t mean anything!!!”

“Sorry, work has been…rough.”

—unicornzprancing

5.“I’m a dermatologist. The food and acne issue is very controversial. There is no hard evidence that any specific food worsens acne, except a rather poorly done (very old) study showing that milk chocolate (not dark chocolate) increased acne lesions.”

—epiderm1s

6.“SPF 30 is sufficient. The benefits of anything higher are negligible.”

—derm_throwaway

7.“People don’t realize how much your skin can tell you about your overall health. Sometimes it’s not as simple as changing your routine, and doctor’s visits are a better route.”

—NikkiFury

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8.“Severe eczema can be controlled with weekly bleach baths (a half cup of bleach in a full tub of water for 15 minutes).”

—Manumit

9.“Stop over-exfoliating or not exfoliating enough! I see clients all the time who come in with compromised skin because they exfoliate daily with potent AHAs, BHAs, or retinols combined with other ingredients that don’t play well together. We as estheticians tell you to exfoliate, but we usually say two to four times a week based on your skin type/concerns AND based on your regimen you have at home!”

“Also, please wear your sunscreen all the time, but ESPECIALLY when using AHA/BHA/retinols, etc.“

—frickyeahnicole

10.“I’m an esthetician. One of the biggest mistakes I see is people with oily skin using only drying products and never hydrating/moisturizing. Oily skin needs moisture, too!”

—boopixie

11.“No sunscreen is waterproof or sweatproof. You need to apply at least 30 minutes before going outside and reapply about every two hours.”

—derm_throwaway

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12.“If you sweat profusely from your hands or feet, you can use antiperspirant on them nightly.”

—Manumit

13.“I’m an employee of one of the major dermatology-related medical associations. I’m not a dermatologist myself, but here are some things I’ve picked up during my time with the association: You do not ever need to go tanning. Tanning dramatically increases your risk of cancer.”

—derm_throwaway

14.“Any sun damage to your skin is permanent, and will compound with further exposure.”

—derm_throwaway

15.“A doctor should remove skin tags or moles so a pathologist can test them. It’s free to get done. If you have a facial mole that you’ve thought of getting removed, just do it. Some doctors do it for free — even specialist removal is less than $200, and I love doing them.”

—Manumit

16.“Studies show daily SPF 15 people are perceptibly younger in appearance over time vs. people who put on SPF when they think they’ll get sun (i.e., beach days, car rides, picnics, hikes, etc.).”

—Manumit

17.“I’m a dermatologist with lifelong acne. You can’t completely get rid of acne. Either you have the right mix of increased sebum excretion, sebum lipid alteration, androgen activity, follicular hyperkeratinization, dysregulation of cutaneous steroidogenesis, and growth of Propionibacterium acnes…or you don’t.”

“You can do things to decrease some of these factors, such as washing with benzoyl peroxide, salycylic acid, and triclosan; use a retinoid to prevent follicular plugging; take an androgen blocker or oral retinoid to lessen the pilosebaceous unit’s sensitivity or size; apply topical antibiotic preparations to decrease bacterial load; use non-comedogenic moisturizers, etc. But unfortunately, there’s no holistic, organic, or fully effective prevention method shown to work.”

—None

18.“Vaseline is the most inert, cheapest, and most effective moisturiser.”

—Manumit

19.“If you have draining sinuses or acne between your thighs or under your breasts or arms, it may be hidradenitis. You can get medication to reduce this reaction. Weight loss is thought to help, too.”

—Manumit

20.“Moisturise within three minutes of getting out of the shower, or add baby oil to the tub to keep your skin moist.”

—Manumit

And finally…

21.“If you have a mole that’s changing in size or has irregular borders, multiple colours, or is bigger than 6 mm, get it checked out. They can be under your nails, too.”

“If you have a perpetual ‘scab’ or rough patch of skin that is normal in color or red on your face, lip, or forearms, each one has a 1% chance a year to become carcinoma. Get them frozen off. (Warty growths are normal with age; ‘rough scabs’ are not.)”

—Manumit

Dermatologists, estheticians, and other skincare professionals: What other skin health lies and mistakes should more people know? Tell us in the comments, or use this anonymous form below.

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