Skincare Myths I Fell For
The Acne Diaries
Ok, at this point you all know how much I love to talk about acne and skincare, I have told you a little bit of my story and my journey with cystic acne and I want to share all of the things I’ve learned with you.
For a long time, I was so desperate to free my skin that I believed everything and I tried literally everything. And it was a very very painful process.
Disclaimer here, I am most definitely not a skincare professional, the things I share with you are not things I have learned from school, but through visits to multiple dermatologists, hours of research, and way too much trial and error. So, without further ado, here are 3 skincare myths I fell for and the reasons they ARE NOT true.
Don’t moisturize if you have oily skin or want to “dry out” your acne.
-Looking back on 16 year old Sarah I just wish I could sit her down and tell her that this is so false right off the bat. This is by far the biggest mistake I ever made when I first started taking care of my acne. I had read somewhere online and had talked to one person in a makeup store that said that I should try and “dry out” my acne and that I shouldn’t be using very moisturizing products on my skin because that would perpetuate the issue. I feel like research is better now than it was back then, so hopefully less people are doing this at this point, but, if by chance you have heard and believed this let me tell you, it is 100% false. Your skin desperately needs to be moisturized, even more so if you have cystic or any kind of acne. If you are not moisturizing your skin it will fight as hard as it can to moisturize itself by producing mass amounts of sebaceous oil. That’s right, the same oil that is causing your breakouts to begin with. The thing about skin that is suffering with acne is that it needs to cared for not fought with. You can definitely use acne fighting products, and I definitely use a spot treatment to dry out individual spots on a regular basis, but when your skin is struggling it is very important not to deprive it of good moisture and good nutrient rich products that will feed it the good stuff instead of stripping it of whatever it has left. More on that in my next point. Side-note: sometimes it can be beneficial to use oil free moisturizers and products so that you aren’t adding more oil to your skin if that is your problem. But, that comes down to the root of your acne. If you have acne because you have super oily skin, it might be better for you to use oil free products, but if you have acne due to a hormone imbalance it might not be as important for you to avoid oil in your products.
If your skincare hurts/stings when you put it on that means its working.
- Nope. Acne is so painful as it is, in fact I think the physical pain is one of the worst parts of having acne. There are times when it hurts just to lay your head down on your pillow at night. You have to think of your acne as little wounds that need to be healed, not as little enemies that need to be fought and killed. I know, its so much easier to think of them that way. I did for years. But, the thing is, if you are using really harsh products on your skin, chances are high you are going to really enflame your already enflamed skin. Its definitely good to use products that can help you fight your acne, I really like using spot treatments that have salicylic acid in them because my acne responds really well to that. But, using only products with harsh painful ingredients will lead to redness, swelling, inflammation, and more pain. And your body is much slower to heal in an enflamed environment. You do not have be layering on products that sting and burn every single night to heal your acne. There are some products that I used to use every day that the thought and smell of makes me cringe because they were so painful. So be sure to use some products that moisturize, nourish, protect, and actually offer you some pain relief. Healing your acne is a process and you have to give yourself grace and be gentle on your skin.
Your acne is caused by dirt on your skin.
-Oh my word no. I want to do a whole blog post on annoying things people say to you when you have acne. This is one of them that drives me up the wall. “Do you wash your face?” Yes. Yes I wash my face. I don’t think I have ever actually missed a day of washing my face. You will never find me sleeping with makeup on. You will never find me working out with makeup on. I clean everything that ever touches my skin, and yes, I keep my hands off of my skin throughout the day. There was even a time when I changed my pillow cases every single day and used a different towel every time I washed my face. Morning and night. Acne is normally not caused by dirt on your skin. There are so many potential causes for acne its crazy. It could be gut health issues, food sensitivities, hormonal imbalances, or any other number of underlying issues. Your challenge is to find out which one is yours. I am definitely not telling you not to keep your skin clean, definitely do. I think it is very important to wash your face day and night, take your makeup off everyday, and all that. But, if you are doing all of those things and your acne isn’t clearing up, it isn’t your fault. It’s being caused by something else.
Photo by Charisse Kenion on Unsplash
Ok guys, those are the top three myths I fell for when I first started caring for my acne. I can definitely think of a bunch more, but this post was getting a little long so I thought I would stop there, but, if you guys want to hear the rest let me know and I will do a follow up post!
You all are lovely, and no matter what your skin looks like right now you are stunning. If you ever want to talk skincare, reach out to me. I am always down to chat with you guys!
Love love love you all,
Sarah Paige xoxo