4 Stupid Things to do to your Skin

July 7th, 2008

It’s a dreary day, perfect for keeping dry indoors and reading up on blogs. I’m currently checking out the blog directory, BlogCatalog, and one post that caught my attention was Four Stupidest Things Americans Do To Their Skin at Anti-Aging Psychology Blog .

After being side-tracked into having a self debate about the title (“Most Stupid” versus “Stupidest”), I managed to read on and find out what the 4 stupid things were.

According to the author, Dr. Michael Brickey, some common mistakes Americans make (where it comes to skin care) were:

#1 Using Soap

Soap image credit: Jon Evans I once declined a friend’s offer of her soap come time to shower after an exhausting workout. I decided I’d rather risk smelling bad from just a warm shower rather than lathering up with soap. Why? It’s because (some) soaps are alkaline and strip the skin of natural oils thus an be drying.



#2 Mineral Oils

There seems to be a debate on just how bad mineral oil is. Dr. Michael Brickey is obviously part of the camp that is totally against it. The downside he mentioned were:

” Mineral oil coats your skin, clogs your pores, and prevents your skin from breathing. It keeps your skin from exfoliating dead skin cells and toxins. It keeps your skin from absorbing vitamins, nutrients, and antioxidants in a moisturizer.”

(source: Anti-Aging Psychology)

Beauty Brains sits on the end of the pole on this debate citing that the bad rap on mineral oils is totally bogus.

One that sits in the middle is FutureDerm . She says it is okay so long as it is not used in conjunction with other products containing comedogenic (pore-clogging) ingredients and that it’s benefits are not blown beyond ‘hydrating’.

I find myself sitting somewhere in the middle too. My fav lipbalm to date happens to be Vaseline Lip Therapy and most of my body and hand lotions contain Mineral Oil. I prefer my face products however to be Mineral Oil free as it is tends to be very sensitive and fussy.

#3 Fragrances and Dyes

What good is a cream that smells like a dream if it causes irritation to the skin? That unfortunately is the side effect for some people to fragrances as well as dyes. It is therefore advised that to keep your skin happy, best to try to steer clear of these.

#4 Sun Damage

Sun bathing image credit: Alan Light

The effects of over exposure to the sun can be very detrimental. We’re not just talking about a bit of reddening or peeling of skin. There’s premature aging and more importantly, increased chances of skin cancer and other skin disorders. These just make baking out on the sun totally unglamorous and uncool.

Posted by aubrey Filed in Health & Wellbeing, Skin Care

1 Response to “4 Stupid Things to do to your Skin”

  1. J. Tania Says:
    July 17th, 2008 at 04:37 PM Great website. Very good beauty info, and with a wonderful sense of humor. The last photo of the older woman sunbathing frightened me. I used to hit the sun quite a bit, but now, have really backed away. My goodness! The skin just can take so much sun.

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