Good and clear skin are the secrets to beauty and it’s time you need to start looking after it, in case you already are not. Most people start to practise skincare tips they’ve overheard or treatments that their family members have been using for decades. They opt for expert advice only as a last resort. This is what needs to change. And the first thing any dermatologist will tell you is that you need to stop believing skincare myths that have come down ages. Here’s what we’re talking about...

Don’t you wonder why both, men and women feel this is true? Men possess skin too and that makes skincare a gender-neutral thing, doesn’t it? Yes, men have slightly thicker skin, more sebaceous glands and more collagen, so they need different products. But they need products none the less otherwise what’s the sense of a toned boy and a dull face, right? If you follow an entire skincare ritual, you will surely have radiant, blemish-free skin. And this goes for both, men and women!

Natural is the ‘in’ thing. The question is: are the products really natural? Often natural products cause irritation and allergies because the plants from which the ingredients are extracted are treated with chemicals. Secondly, the soil in which they are grown should be organic too. Thirdly, the extracts must be pure. Hence, checking the authenticity of the products is important here.

If you think acne is only a teenage problem, you might want to think again. Acne occurs due to hormonal changes in the body, especially when your androgen hormones increase. Acne can occur right from the teens to even the sixties. Hence, do not for a minute think that if you did not have it as a teen, you will not have it as an adult.

When too much oil or sebum is secreted by the sebaceous glands, the channels which take oil from the gland to the skin’s surface get blocked just like a jam due to excess traffic. When this clogged oil, mixed with dead skin, reaches the surface of the skin, it gets oxidised and becomes a blackhead. Blackheads are not dirt and hence they do not need to be scrubbed away. Scrubbing will, in fact, disrupt the protective layers of your skin.

Yes, it’s true that genes play a major role in how your skin and features are, however, you must factor in sun exposure, lifestyle choices, stress and pollution too. No matter how good your mom’s skin is at sixty, you could still look like you’re fifty at forty if you don’t take care of your skin.

While drinking water does play a tiny role in acne and dryness, it is the oil inside your skin, produced by the sebaceous glands (endogenous), and outside, in the form of moisturisers (exogenous), which is responsible for how dry or oily your skin actually is. Water is no miracle worker.