We asked one of our favorite skin care experts, Renée Rouleau, to guest blog for us each week with tips on keeping our skin beautiful. She’ll be blogging weekly on Wednesdays at 6am so watch for her posts!
Hello Beauty Snob readers! My name is Renée Rouleau and I’ll be blogging here once a week and I am so excited to be sharing my expert advice with you…the Snobs! A bit about me? I’m been a licensed esthetician for 22 years, I live in Dallas, Texas and am the owner of two fabulous skin care spas as well as the Renée Rouleau skin care line, based on nine different skin types. Well, here goes!
There are so many misconceptions when it comes to skin care products and how to care for your skin so I’m here to share the top five skin care myths and let you know the truth!
Skin Myth #1 Chocolate and greasy foods will make your skin break out. False: There is no evidence that these foods will increase break outs. However, the foods that ARE most often linked to causing acne is dairy (when the acne is more cystic bumps and occur in the chin and jaw line area) and acidic foods (when the break outs occur in the cheek area) like tomatoes, spaghetti sauce and citrus fruits. If you get acne break outs in these areas, try cutting back and your skin may clear up!
Skin Myth #2 The higher the number, the better it is when it comes to the sunscreen. False: The higher the SPF number, the more chemicals you’re exposing your skin to thus increasing your skin’s chance of a reaction. So for those with sensitive skin an SPF 30 is adequate. But did you know that an SPF 30 actually offers less than 4% more than an SPF 15? And an SPF 45 offers only 2% more than an SPF 30? So you’re not even getting much more sun protection by going higher in number. The key to the best sun protection has more to do with how often you reapply and how generous you apply it, than what the number is. Find one that is compatible with your skin and wear it religiously 365 days a year, rain or shine, inside or out, reapply often…and on the neck, too! (Jump for more myths!)
Skin Myth #3 Oily skins don’t need moisturizer. False: Wrong.
Oily skins don’t need heavy and greasy oil-based moisturizers (you’ve
already got enough oil) but water-based, oil-free moisturizers are
necessary to keep the skin cells healthy and to discourage dead skin
cell buildup. Skin cells are like fish, they need water to live and
without it, you can cause premature skin aging. And drinking water is
not enough, you must give you skin topical hydration by using a
moisturizer.
Skin Myth #4 The richer the eye cream, the better it is for preventing wrinkles.
False: Most eye creams that are very rich typically contain heavy oils
like Mineral Oil or Petrolatum. These ingredients have a hard time
getting absorbed, so they sit on the surface and can migrate into the
eyes while you’re sleeping causing excessive puffiness in the morning!
Not only that, but the heavy oils can weigh down the delicate skin
tissue under the eyes resulting in a weakening of elasticity over time.
Look for eye creams that absorb, yet still leave the skin feeling moist
and supple.
Skin Myth #5 I can’t wear sunscreen. They break me out and clog my pores.
The newer sunscreens available today are so much lighter weight and
compatible with oily skins than they used to be years ago. If you can’t
wear sunscreen because they break you out (because some actually can)
then you just haven’t found the right one yet. Look for sunscreen
containing at least 6% micronized Zinc Oxide. Zinc Oxide is
anti-bacterial and dries to a matte finish on the skin making it ideal
for skins prone to acne. Titanium Dioxide is also good, but it can
leave a white-ish cast on the skin making it not suitable for skin of
color. Bottom line: sun exposure is the #1 cause of wrinkles, so keep
your skin protected.
can spicy foods also lead to breakouts? its something i hear all the time but have never been able to confirm
Could you comment on silicones being in beauty products?
I’ve recently read that they are actually bad for your skin.
Great tips,very interesting…can’t wait to read your next blog tips!!
I have tried everything for my break outs on my chin, endless beauty products…it seems mad that in my teenage years I didn’t have a single breakout now I’ve reached the grand old age of 24 I dont seem to have a day where I don’t get a new breakout….oh and my dairy consumption consists of only milk on my cerial in the morning at only 100ml I am certain that isn’t going to stop my breakouts?! Any other tips?
L.xo
Hi Sammi, Annie and Lottie! I’m glad you enjoyed my info! To answer your questions.
SAMMI-no, spicy foods does not lead to breakouts, however spicy foods can flair up redness in the skin, especially those with Rosacea.
ANNIE- Silicones are best for dry skin. So when you say they might be bad for the skin, I’m assuming you mean that they can cause break outs? Products with silicone won’t feel greasy like oils can, but they can be a bit occlusive for oily skins so they have the potential of being a bit pore clogging, but it also depends on what other ingredients are used within that formula. So it’s a bit hard to say.
LOTTIE-Actually, even the tiniest bit of dairy CAN cause breakouts for some people. But you actually may be getting more dairy than you think you are. (Cheese on a pizza, cheese sprinkled on a salad, mexican food, sour cream…) so my suggestion is to keep a food diary and don’t consume any dairy for two weeks. That way you can see if it’s the culprit. If you still are getting it, then it’s hormonal. And your best bet is to use our Anti-Cyst Treatment on that area a few times a week for preventative breakouts.
Hope this helps! -Renee Rouleau
oooh – i did not know that about SPF. Nice post.
Great article! It is important to break some of these myths for the public to know about. Thanks for sharing!