All About Skin Care | Tips from Your Southlake, TX Dermatologist

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Concocted “Facts” About Skin Care

There are a lot of things that are considered “common information” about skin care that are actually myths and concocted “facts” that are not true. If you are receiving treatment from a dermatologist in Southlake, TX they can also debunk these myths for you. In this post, I am going to share with you some of these “facts” that are believed about skin care.

  1. The Right Skin Cream Can Prevent Your Skin from Aging: There are many skin care products on the market that claim to slow down or stop the process of aging. A lot of products that are sold over-the-counter have Retin-A in them (which is known to reduce wrinkling). Your dermatologist will also tell you that the best way to keep your skin from wrinkling is to not smoke and to use sunscreen.
  2. Antibacterial Soap Cleans Your Skin the Best: Skin typically has bacteria on it. It is basically impossible to keep bacteria off of your skin for any amount of time. In fact, a lot of experts are concerned that regularly using antibacterial soap can cause more antibiotic-resistant bacteria to appear on the body. They say that this type of soap should not be used on a daily basis. Regular and thorough washing of hands and not antibacterial soap is what will help prevent the spread of infections.
  3. Eating Chocolate or Foods with Oil in Them Causes Acne: Any dermatologist will tell you that the oily substance called sebum is one of the causes of acne. They will also tell you that there is no clear evidence to prove that any certain type of food will cause acne.
  4. Tanning is Not Good for You:  Spending a large amount of time in the sun or in a tanning booth may increase the risk of getting skin cancer. The risk of skin cancer is largely connected with how much time you spend in the sun and how often you get a sunburn. Excessive tanning can also cause harm to the skin, which can cause it to wrinkle and age before it should. If you have any questions about tanning and its effects on your skin, you should absolutely talk to your dermatologist. However, getting a gradual or light tan from ongoing, but careful sun exposure is not harmful to the skin. As long as you are putting precautions into play (such as using a sunscreen that has at least a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least thirty, applying it thoroughly, regularly reapplying it (every thirty minutes), and not being outside during peak exposure times, a light tan with no signs of burns on the skin is nothing to be concerned about.
  5. Tanning is Good for You: A lot of people believe that if a person has a dark tan, that they are very healthy. Any dermatologist will tell you that people that have pale skin are not any less healthy than a person who has a dark tan. Being out in the sun does have a benefit to the skin though. Sunlight activates Vitamin D in the skin. Vitamin D keeps the bones strong, may lower the chances of getting some types of cancer, and can also strengthen the immune system. Depending on how much Vitamin D you consume through what you eat and drink, not being out in the sun enough can increase the risk of a person not having enough Vitamin D in their system.
  6. If You Cross Your Legs, You Will Get Varicose Veins: There are many things that can cause varicose veins. Any dermatologist will tell you that crossing your legs will not cause them. Genetics is one of the most important factors-an estimated eighty percent of people with varicose veins has a parent that has varicose veins. Other things that make a person more likely to get varicose veins are smoking, not being active, having a baby, being overweight, and having a job that requires them to stand on their feet a lot.
  7. The higher the SPF a Sunscreen Has, The Better: Once it gets to a certain level, a higher sun protection factor (SPF) does not have any better sun protection that a sunscreen with a lower SPF. Experts (like a dermatologist) usually recommend using a sunscreen that has an SPF of at least 30, which blocks out 97% of UVB radiation (which is ideal for hot Texas towns like Southlake, TX) It definitely would be worth using a sunscreen with a higher SPF if you are planning to be out of doors for at least two to three hours, especially during the hours of peak sun exposure (10 a.m. to 2 p.m.). However, using a sunscreen with a higher SPF is usually not necessary.
  8. A Scar That Can Hardly Be Seen is The Sign of a Good Surgeon: The true skill of a good doctor (like a dermatologist) is proven by what they in between the time that they make the incision and the time that they close it after surgery. While surgeons regularly pay a lot of attention to incision that are on their patients faces by using thinner sutures, putting the stitches closer together (when that is possible) whether or not you have a post-surgical scar tells you very little about how good your surgeon is.
  9. Scalp Massages Can Prevent Baldness: There is no evidence that scalp massages prevent baldness.

Now that you know some of the “facts” that have been concocted about skin care, you can properly take care of your own skin so you can have good looking and youthful looking skin for a long time.

If you are looking for a Dermatologist in the Southlake, TX area look no further than Compassion Dermatology. You can conveniently set up an appointment onlineor calling 817-380-5911. Give yourself the gift of healthier, more radiant skin.