Stop Using These Products On Your Face!
PSA… these products are doing you more harm than good…so switch ‘em out!
Gel-Based and Foaming Cleansers
Too many of us have succumb to the myth that a deeper cleanse is necessary for oily or acne-prone skin. Despite their popularity, foaming, gel and exfoliating cleansers are simply too harsh for the delicate skin of your face and décolleté. Although it can be tempting to choose a cleanser that leaves your skin feeling squeaky clean, just don’t. The oil in your skin, also known as sebum, mixes with sweat to become the acid mantle, a very fine, slightly acidic film on the surface of your skin that acts as a barrier to bacteria, viruses and other harmful contaminants. If your daily scrub is too stripping, your skin will likely compensate by increasing its production of oil in an attempt to preserve the acid mantle. I often see this cycle with acne patients, they are desperately trying to control oil production to reduce their spots, not realizing their cleanser is part of the problem! If the cleanser is too abrasive, this can disrupt the acid mantle allowing for bacteria, viruses and fungus to grow and in turn, makes your skin more sensitive and reactive to chemicals, perfumes and dyes. Think dry, red, inflamed, acne-prone, skin. For this reason, I almost* always recommend a natural non-toxic cream cleanser for all skin types. Cream cleansers use natural oils and emulsifiers to effectively cleanse the skin without damaging the acid-mantle.
*I do on occasion prescribe a gel-based cleanser for moderate to severe acne, when i do, it’s a ph-balanced, non-toxic physician-prescribed brand specifically formulated with acne-fighting ingredients.
Scrubs or Exfoliators
Even I had a bottle of St. Ives apricot scrub back in the day, because somehow, somewhere, I learned that massaging ground up fruit pits on my face would leave me with plump smooth skin. Yeah. It turns out you’re not doing yourself any favours. Physically abrading your skin will cause micro-tears leading to redness, congestion, blemishes and very reactive skin. Instead, opt for a chemical exfoliator like lactic acid, glycolic or salicylic acid. Save the physical exfoliation for professional in-clinic treatments like microneedling or microdermabrasion.
Alcohol-Based Toners
The purpose of a toner is to restore and maintain a slightly acidic pH level for a healthy acid mantle, gently increase skin cell turnover for better skin aging, and it allows your targeted serums to penetrate more effectively. Moreover, it will remove any remaining bits of dirt and debris left behind by your cleanser. Toners with alcohol, witch-hazel or other strong astringent properties are problematic for the majority of skin types because they cause excessive dryness. A good toner will not contain any alcohol, instead, it achieves its exfoliating action through the addition of direct acids such as lactic, glycolic or salicylic acid. A pH balanced exfoliating toner with a direct acid will speed up the skins natural exfoliating process- aka increased cell turnover, without causing dryness or flaking.
Face Wipes
Face wipes are fine in a pinch but don’t get into the habit. Most contain alcohol and preservatives which are skin no no’s, and the friction can lead to micro-tears. They’re also a major source of pollution! Wipes don’t decompose quickly so ditch this eco-unfriendly product. Instead, try micellar water and/or a reusable wipe like this one.
Cetaphil
Most patients are quite shocked when I ask them to switch out their cetaphil products because they’ve come recommended by their dermatologist. This absolutely baffles me! Let’s take a look at cetaphil gentle skin cleanser for example. Ingredients: AQUA (PURIFIED WATER/EAU PURIFIÉE), CETYL ALCOHOL, PROPYLENE GLYCOL, SODIUM LAURYL SULFATE, STEARYL ALCOHOL, METHYLPARABEN, PROPYLPARABEN, BUTYLPARABEN. Although it’s a cream-based cleanser, and contains only 8 ingredients, 3 of them (the parabens) are potential carcinogens, and 4 (parabens and sodium lauryl sulfate) are on the dirty list - aka chemicals that are known to cause endocrine disruption. Parabens are used as preservatives and for fragrance, while sodium lauryl sulfate is a foaming agent added to many rinse-off products including soaps, cleansers, toothpastes and detergents. Not only do these chemicals promote the growth of cancer and disrupt hormones, they can cause allergic reaction, dermatitis, and aggravate conditions like peri-oral dermatitis. The take home? None of these chemicals have any beneficial action on the skin, and none of these side-effects are worth the cheap price tag.
Charcoal Masks
If I had a penny for every time a patient with acne told me about their charcoal face mask… I hate to knock a trend, but if the charcoal mask was really helping, you wouldn’t be sitting in my office, right? Charcoal pulls impurities, but along with the dirt and grime, it peels off healthy skin cells and little hairs, leaving your skin barrier extremely vulnerable. No, no no no. If you absolutely must mask at home, try something more forgiving like a hydrating hyaluronic acid sheet mask or, with supervision from your skin care provider, a vitamin c or enzyme mask.
Products containing Fragrance
The major concern with fragrance is that it is not required by law to disclose the individual ingredients used to produce it. Fragrance commonly consists of harmful constituents like phthalates that have known toxic effects in the body, and these get omitted from the label leaving the consumer blissfully unaware of what they’re infusing into their skin every day. Fragrances are also one of the leading causes of allergic dermatitis in the world. Since the smell of a product has no actual bearing on its effect on the skin, avoid products that contain it. Your skin will thank you.
Chemical-Based Sunscreens
You may be surprised to find out that there are different forms of sunscreen and some are worse for your skin than others. For an in depth dive, take a look at my previous blog. The coles notes version is there are two types of sunscreen, chemical and physical. Chemical sunscreens are popular because they spray from a bottle, go on silky smooth and don’t leave a grey or white tint. They’re terrible for the environment and increase heat in the skin which accelerates pigmentation, aging and facial flushing. Physical sunscreens got a bad rap because traditionally, they left a white residue and felt heavier on the skin compared to chemical-based sprays. Physical sunscreens have come a long way from the cakey zinc oxide streaks at the beach however, these days you can get a physical sunscreen that not only feels light and silky, it actually protects the skin from damaging heat by deflecting the suns rays, without destroying our coral reefs! Yay!
As always, for a comprehensive evaluation of your skin and recommendations for specific products and skin care routine, book a skin health consultation with me. Cheers to happy and healthy skin in 2021!
In health,
Dr. Alaina