I’m completely thrilled to be joining Nicki and the rest of the FutureDerm.com team. Here is the link for my first ever contribution!
http://www.futurederm.com/2012/04/12/the-5-most-common-skin-care-mistakes-even-experts-make/
For the contest, please post below THIS comment for the addition (+2) number of entries! Thanks and I hope you guys enjoy it!
The Triple Helixian 
I haven’t really given much advice on skincare, but as far as someone being told stuff.. what Grace said summarizes up a lot of the things I was told. I was told about the toothpaste on zits, and that the foods you eat can cause you acne. I was also told I didn’t need sunscreen because I didn’t burn, and I only have once in my life, but now I know that’s not the case. Risk is risk, and why even take a chance with that? I perceived that natural products were better for you, but I know the difference now. I was told my skin was oily but now I know that’s not my skin type at all, so I was using the wrong things. Now my skin is a lot healthier too.
Posted by sblinde | May 12, 2012, 8:47 pmSounds good! Happy to hear that your skin looks and feels better altogether. And your first comment did go through, so I won’t include your second (almost identical one). 🙂
Posted by John | May 13, 2012, 12:47 amThe Top 5 skincare advice mistakes I’ve given to people
1. When I was young…”put some toothpaste on those zits”
2. I totally told people never to use alcohol on your face and
3. that petroleum jelly is petroleum lol
4. Chocolate or greasy foods cause acne
5. and telling myself all the time that its ok to go to sleep with makeup on “just this once”
Posted by Grace | May 11, 2012, 4:22 pmLol! Yeah it’s actually petrolatum jelly. I know, I completely made that mistake before. It’s was in my first FutureDerm post! But yeah, glad to see you’re past those mistakes! 🙂
Posted by John | May 11, 2012, 10:32 pmThe Top 5 skincare advice mistakes I’ve given to people
1. Hypoallergenic is superior for sensitive skin (now I realize it only means less than 50% of people had a reaction)
2. A Toner is only meant to balance PH and remove excess makeup (toners can have so many more purposes for the skin)
3. Cleansing once is sufficient to remove all makeup and clean face (if a lot of makeup is worn, it should really be removed prior to washing the face)
4. Oily/Acne skin is meant to use products that are more “drying” (It needs gentle and hydrating care too!)
5. Assuming physical exfoliation was gentler than using acids
Posted by mildlyaddictive | May 2, 2012, 12:48 amNice! Five very common errors that a lot of people believe! Once again, I’m so happy that you decided to comment. 🙂
Posted by John | May 2, 2012, 1:48 pmI thought this was a GREAT topic! I hear SO many common errors from customers it’s nice to hear some clarified (and learn more about them too!)
Posted by mildlyaddictive | May 2, 2012, 9:21 pmThank you, thank you!
Posted by John | May 2, 2012, 9:39 pmI have a question as well as congratulations on fessing up about bad advice. Refreshing. My question pertains to copper peptides. Dr. Pickart would have us believe they are the next best thing to sliced bread-and we know how nutritious white bread is. What are your thoughts ?
Posted by Terry | April 13, 2012, 3:58 pmHey Terry,
Thank you for the congrats! Copper peptides has been established to be excellent for wound healing. However, it’s everyday cosmetic benefits are however, not as well-dcoumented. For now, I’d say that copper peptides are tentatively good ingredients. What I mean is that, while several well-designed studies have substantiated CP’s benefits, those articles seem to all be by the same group of people/companies. I can’t find any indpepdent studies on Pubmed, PMC, or a variety of dermatology journals. Try typing in “ascorbic acid” and “skin” and you’ll see a ton more search results. Therefore, I’d say that it can’t harm you, but I wouldn’t place all of your “dough” into it, meaning that it isn’t some miracle ingredient that will solve your problems. Dr. Pickart just wants your money lol.
I hope that helped and if you’d like, let me know if you find conflicting data. Thanks!
Posted by John | April 14, 2012, 1:48 amThanks. Nanci at NCN Skin Care now has her own formulation so I guess we’ll be hearing more about it. There was a copper lotion put out a few years ago by a big brand-I forget which. I don’t recall how successful it was or if they did studies.
Nanci is quite knowledgeable so I guess we just wait and see.
Thanks for getting back to me so quickly. I have another question: What do you think of Rhassoul clay. I know NCN has a cleansing bar containing this which is popular. I have very sensitive skin, but it plugs up easily. Really weird and I was thinking of trying it. The last time I tried anything new I ended up at the derm and under treatment for over a month I broke out so badly.This clay is supposed to cleanse well. Right now I use Cetaphil for All Skin Types, but it is boring and doesn’t always cleanse my skin. I use a fairly rough cloth and wash in small circles over my face twice daily and I still have to exfoliate.
Posted by Terry | April 14, 2012, 7:26 pmHi again,
Of course. I respond to every comment, and I try to do so in a timely manner! Anyways, about Rhassoul clay. Well the official name is hectorite, and surprisingly (to me), it actually has some documented characteristics! Unfortunately, those characteristics are not good at all. Multiple studies on PubMed, like these:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20970157
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19848175
indicate that hectorite induces oxidative stress in the form of lipid peroxidation. Oxidative stress is one of the main factors that contribute to skin aging. So it looks likes, and what I suspected from the beginning is, that this clay is just another “special” ingredient that natural/organic-focused brands are trying to sell to consumers as the next best thing. Trust me, it’s not.
However, don’t be alarmed if you’re already using this product since, given that it’s in a cleanser, the amount of time that clay is in contact with your skin is minimal. So if any damage occurred, it is most likely negligble. However, I’d suggest discontinue use of it if you can.
I hope that helps!
Posted by John | April 14, 2012, 8:12 pmI have not used it. The bar contains a number of oils which is probably why it is so popular.
Posted by Terry | April 14, 2012, 9:18 pmIf it is a true bar soap, the pH will be highly alkaline, which is bad for your skin anyways. I’m honestly recommend a gentle water-soluble cleanser. I’m not a fan of oil cleansers either, but that’s completely up to you!
Posted by John | April 14, 2012, 9:56 pmTop five skin care advice mistakes I’ve given to people:
1. Everything is comedogenic unless if it clearly states “oil-free” or “non-comedogenic”
2. As long as a sunscreen says it covers UVA and UVB protection, it does (without reading the active ingredients list)
3. High-end products are always better
4. Powder with SPF provides sufficient SPF coverage
5. If you live in a cloudy location, or if the weather is cloudy, you don’t need sunscreen
Also, this is not really skincare-related, but wearing a baseball cap can take the place of sunscreen (like, if you have a baseball cap on, you don’t need to wear sunscreen)
Thanks for your posts, and all of your advice and the care that you put into them!
Posted by Med School Girl | April 13, 2012, 9:14 amYep those are definitely tricky ones! I’m glad to see that you no longer believe those. 🙂
Posted by John | April 13, 2012, 3:24 pmI’m perfect 😉 so I’ve never given bad skin care advice.
However, bad skin care advice I’ve received:
1) Eye creams are an essential part of a skin care routine
2) That tingly feeling from the peppermint in Aussie Miracle deep conditioner is it working it’s magic on your scalp!
3) I should use products from the same brand to get the best results
4) Products made with “natural” ingredients are superior.
5) –> I don’t know if this is “bad” because I’m not clear on the truth, but I ‘ve been told never to use products with Mineral Oil.
*whew* I found this really hard to do!
Posted by BooBooNinja | April 12, 2012, 3:24 pmHaha well good for you.
Mineral oil isn’t bad at all. Thanks for taking the time to do this! It’s our goal to never have anyone believe any of those 5 “advice” that you’ve listed. 🙂
Posted by John | April 12, 2012, 5:20 pmI read through the article and I like how informative it was! I totally thought the oily skin problem ran on negative feedback as well.
Posted by Michelle | April 12, 2012, 2:56 pmHaha right?! Guess we were overthinking it. I hope you learned something.
Posted by John | April 12, 2012, 5:19 pm