“If You Keep Making That Face It Will Stay That Way” and Other Skincare Myths vs. Facts

Did you ever make funny faces at your sibling, friend, or pet only to get told by an adult, “If you keep making that face it will stay that way”? Have you ever heard that those with oily skin should not use oil on their face? Or how about “the sun causes wrinkles.” Let’s find out if there’s any merit to these myths.

Myth 1: If you keep making that face it will stay that way.

True: Our faces have 43 muscles that work together to form all our facial expressions. Without realizing it we create facial expression habits that over time become embedded in the connective tissue of the face and can cause wrinkles, fine lines, and deep furrows. These lines can go unnoticed for a while but over time these expressions become more noticeable. Facial lines can even tell us which emotions are strongest. For example, the “11” lines between the eyebrows mean we are frustrated or over-concentrating. 

Myth 2: Those with oily skin should not use oil on their face.

False: When most of use hear the term “oil” we think of a thick substance that sticks to skin, doesn’t easily wash off, and causes blemishes. While this can be true for certain types of oil, many oils benefit the skin, it all depends on the chemical components of the oil. Certain properties will make an oil “dry,” meaning it is immediately absorbed into the skin. Here are some “dry” oils: watermelon seed oil cleans clogged pores, rosehip seed oil reduces inflammation, and sunflower oil is noncomedogenic (doesn’t cause breakouts) and can help repair acne-damaged skin. 

Myth 3: The sun causes wrinkles.

False: As stated in Myth 1, our facial expression habits are what causes wrinkles. We actually need a little sun for our body to synthesize vitamin D, which benefits our immune system. But too much sun dries out and toughens the skin, causing existing lines and wrinkles to become more prominent, and, eventually permanent. So be sure to wear a mineral-based sunscreen or tinted moisturizer and a wide brimmed hat if you’re going to be outside for more than a few minutes.

Myth 4 (and my favorite to talk about): skin needs to be manually exfoliated to eliminate dead skin cells.

False: While some skin types can benefit from a GENTLE facial scrub, damaged or sensitive skin should not be scrubbed with salt, sugar, silicone, apricot kernel, or any other gritty ingredients. 

Damaged and irritated skin are already hyper-aware that there’s an issue, so scrubbing it will just cause more irritation. Papaya and pineapple both contain enzymes that gently eat away dead skin cells to expose the soft skin underneath. Be careful though, pineapple can be irritating to the most sensitive skin, so look for a papaya mask that contains skin soothing aloe vera. Our go-to is Six Flowers Apothecary’s Papaya & Aloe Vera Enzyme Mask. It’s super gentle and leaves the skin velvety smooth.