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I’m going to share a very unpopular opinion with you right now, but I hope you’ll stick with me to the end of this post because what I have to say could save your skin for good. Are you ready for it? The beauty industry is lying to you about skin care and it can destroy your skin at the cellular level for good.
Does that sound a little scary? I’m not trying to terrify anyone who uses trendy skincare treatments, but when it comes to real skin care and “anti-aging,” the beauty industry is sharing a whole bunch of lies to get you to buy their products and services while tricking you into dishing out excessive money to do so. There is a much better way, and a proven way to protect your skin (and on the plus side it also happens to be better for the environment too). When it comes to my own skincare I refer to real experts such as dermatologists (not the spa variety, but the good old fashioned doctor variety at a real doctor’s office) and scientists.
P.S. This post is not sponsored by Badger, it is simply a natural skincare product line that I love and I will be sharing more about it at the bottom of this post, which is why it is pictured here. I am also not a doctor nor am I a scientist. I do gather my skincare from refutable sources, but as with anything I always encourage you to do your own research and talk to your own doctors before trying anything new or before stopping any treatment that you have undertaken with a professional. The goal of this post is to get you to be more aware of the lies told by the beauty industry and to increase your likelihood to research before jumping on any skincare trends. As a general rule, if it is a product or service being sold by a beauty industry or brand, get your sources from a real doctor or scientist instead. Read reviews that are not from that site, but from refutable sources.
Here are just a few lies that the beauty industry tells that can damage your skin:
Lie Number One: “Anti-aging.”
I cannot remember the name of the article that I read that first clued me in that “anti-aging” was a big fat lie, but it had a big impact on how I view aging. People age. There is no such thing as anti-aging. And that isn’t a bad thing either. However, the signs of aging in our skin that people find hard to tolerate (such as wrinkles, dark spots, dry or saggy skin) and that the beauty industry claims is caused by age, are not completely due to aging at all, but rather exposure to the sun, pollution, and stress. Read that again. Damage to our skin that we often perceive as natural aging is not a sign of natural aging, but a sign of exposure to the sun, pollution, and stress. It is exposure damage, not age damage.
You read that right. When someone has wrinkles, dark spots, or dry and sagging skin it has to do with what we have exposed it to, not the natural aging process. It’s easier to think of it as “exposure damage” than “aging.” Which means that fighting aging is nonsense. What we have to focus on is prevention to exposure and cell damage. Wear sunblock and stay in the shade. Limit your stress. And wash your face every night to remove pollution.
Lie Number Two: You need a lot of skincare tools
Massage tools, microneedlers, washing brushes, scrubs, and tubes and jars upon jars of products, your skin does not need it all. In fact, too many products keeps your skin from being able to heal, repair, and even protect itself. Our epidermis (skin) has an entire microbiome, meaning an entire system of microbes such as bacteria that live on our skin and protects it. Too much skin care is bad for our skin because it disrupts this natural system that naturally protects, cleans, and nourishes our skin.
Lie Number Three: Exfoliation is good for your skin
Who doesn’t feel good after a little exfoliation? Obviously, gently exfoliating completely dead skin cells away is not necessarily a bad thing, but exfoliating for the sake of it is absolutely detrimental to human skin. Exfoliating, especially chemical peels (cringe!), are bad for our skin. When we exfoliate, the fresh skin underneath looks new and shiny, but the problem is that this cell turnover actually kills off our skin cells and promotes aging. That is due to a part of our DNA cells known as telomeres. Think of telomeres as the cap at the end of your DNA cells. Every time a cell dies off and one regenerates to take its place (known as cell turnover), the telomeres on that cell deteriorate. When that happens the cell begins to fray and die out, creating saggy, dull, and wrinkled skin. So therefore, the more you exfoliate the more you speed up this cell degeneration process. So while in the short term it looks nice for a few hours or even a day or so, this process speeds up cell damage and will make you look older much earlier. Doesn’t sound so nice anymore, does it?
Lie Number Four: Micro-needling is good for your face
While it may decrease scarring and wrinkles no studies have actually proven that it works. At this point, it is just a theory. The theory again being that by causing skin damage, skin will have to repair itself and it will come back looking better than ever. Remember what I mentioned above about skin cell degeneration and telomeres? This applies here too.
A common argument I hear from procedures like this one is that it increases blood flow to the skin of the face which is good for anti-aging. Know what else increases blood flow? Being slapped across the face. But I wouldn’t recommend that either.
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The Truth
Truth One: You can prevent skin damage
Prevention is where it is at. If you want to have beautiful skin, then you need to protect it from exposure to the sun, pollution, and to stress. Aging is not the enemy, exposure to these three things is what causes the harm. And it is never too late to start! Simply wear an organic spf of at least thirty every day (winter too) and reapply as needed. Wear a sunhat and stay out of direct sunlight when possible. Gently wash your skin to remove all makeup, build up, and pollution every night before bed. Don’t drown your skin in products that prevent your skin from protecting itself. Avoid exfoliation. Instead of exfoliating, try to prolong the life of your skin cells with proper moisturization and protection with a light natural facial oil. Reduce your stress. And keep your skin healthy from the inside out with hydration and healthy foods (especially antioxidants and greens). Thats all you have to do. Really!
Truth Two: You can reverse [some] skin damage
A lot of skin care treatments and products promise to reverse skin damage, but do they? Procedures such as botox, fillers, chemical peels and microneedling simply hide skin damage, but they do not reverse it, which is why clients often have to go back again and again to maintain their smooth complexion. I’m not shaming anyone who does these things and I believe that everyone should do what makes them feel good about themselves, but if you are looking for real lasting reversal of damage, there is a way that actually works by reversing the damage instead of hiding it. Here is what I swear by (that is also backed up by science):
- Reverse skin damage by properly hydrating your skin from the inside out. Staying hydrated heals your cells.
- Heal your cells through proper nutrition. Plenty of greens, healthy fats, vitamins and antioxidants heal your cells (including your skin cells) and can even repair some telomere depletion. (This also has the added benefit of reversing some of the cell damage that causes diseases and cancer!)
- Exercise. A healthy body and healthy mind through exercise also limits stress and allows your cells to repair. They cannot repair if they are swamped with stress chemicals.
- Healing your skin through proper health is always more effective than topical treatment, but certain vitamins and antioxidants are also healthy to apply directly to your skin. Those include Vitamins A, C, and E. Antioxident rich natural face oils are also hydrating and repair cell damage. Remember that certain vitamins and facial oils can make your skin more suseptable to the sun so you’re better off using these at night instead of the morning and always reapplying your sunscreen. Treating your skin after sun exposure is also a healthy habit to get into.
- Gua-sha. You will learn more about this facial massage (and wrinkle releasing) tool in truth number five.
Truth Three: Less is more
Let your skin breath and let its natural microbiome do its thing. Have makeup free days. Don’t use too many products and tools on your skin. And when selecting skincare products, go with products that are simple with natural and fewer ingredients. Too many chemicals are bad for your skin and too many products in general clog up pores and cause breakouts and skin damage.
Truth Four: Great skincare is not expensive
There is nothing that a $200 plus skin cream can give you that a natural skin oil with antioxidants can’t heal. Instead of going for expensive products, shop for effective products. Keep it simple with a daily organic face sunblock, clean makeup options, gentle oil cleansers over drying ones, an organic facial moisturizer for those dry winter nights, and a day/night organic facial oil. I always opt for natural and organic products because they’re better for the skin. They’re full of natural antioxidants that are like food for your skin and don’t contain chemicals that can increase the signs of aging.
My favorite include Badger Damascus Rose Cleansing Oil, Face Oil, and Beauty Balm (all pictured in this post). Again, none of this is sponsored, it is simply what I use the most and recommend. I love Badger products because they are certified organic and vegan. They work, they make my skin feel, look, and even smell amazing. I love the way they make me feel. Plus they are also a local brand to New England and I love that. Because the facial oil can be on the “greasy” side (it is an oil after all) I use it before bed instead of in the morning. For my daily morning facial oil I use Burt’s Bee’s Facial Oil as it absorbs quickly and can be worn under makeup. Natural brands that I believe in include Burt’s Bees, Mad Hippie, and Bliss of Greece.
Truth Five: Increase blood flow to the face without the icky tools
Increased blood flow to the face is a good thing, but don’t harm your skin to get there. Instead of microneedling or damaging facials, consider a facial massage. This also promotes lymphatic drainage to clear away puffiness and toxins in your face. This will also release tension in your muscles that can increase creases and wrinkles in your skin. You can get a facial massage or use a facial roller or gua-sha at home. When using these tools, remember to keep skin from being pulled and snagged by using a facial oil or serum with these massage tools. Facial massages and tools like gua-sha have been proven to diminish wrinkles and release stress and tension held in your face. This can prevent aging when done regularly and correctly.
There are many other services and beauty industry trends that I did not list here. Please feel free to share the ones you’ve heard about in the comments below, the ones you beware, and the ones you swear by.
I’m not a doctor nor am I a scientist, but when a beauty brand or a spa is offering an expensive trendy new product, I like to do my research. I am also weary of businesses that offer several hundred dollar treatments (a micro-needling session can cost anywhere between $100 and $700! And some facials with exfoliating go for as much as $300-$400.) We are willing to do a lot and even spend a lot to keep our skin healthy and young looking, but some products and services simply don’t live up to the hype and can even cause permanent damage over time that makes our skin look worse as we get older. If you love a service and swear by it, go for it. You do you. But always do your research first and learn the risks.
You are beautiful just the way you are. Instead of trying to change your skin, preserve it with a healthy skincare routine. Aging is not the enemy, the real enemy is how we harm ourselves while trying to prevent or reverse it.
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