To help you weed out what's true and not when it comes to skin care principles, here is a list of the top seven myths about skin care that your mom probably never told you about.

1. “When you eat a lot of chocolates or junk foods, you will get acne.” “Pimples are caused by poor hygiene.” “Skin care products with the word ‘natural’ on the label are good for you.” To help you weed out what’s true and not when it comes to skin care principles, here is a list of the top seven myths about skin care that your mom probably never told you about:

2. “Acne is caused by poor hygiene and eating certain foods aggravates the condition”. Acne is not caused by dirt. No matter how many times you wash your face and your body, acne may still appear especially if you are prone to it. Eating foods like chocolates, soda, peanuts, junk foods, soda and any other oily or greasy foods will not aggravate acne. Basically, the root cause of the appearance of acne is an overproduction of sebum or oil which clogs the pores.

3. “Not washing your face often enough can cause blackheads”. Just like pimples, blackheads are not caused by dirt so washing your face more often than usual is not the solution at all. Blackheads appear when the pores become dilated and the cellular buildup will lead to oxidation that causes that black color.

4. “Lying down on a tanning booth is the safest way to add some bronzed color to your skin”. This is not true at all. Whether it’s natural tanning under the heat of the sun or tanning under the tanning booth, you are still exposing your skin to UVA rays. UV rays can penetrate deep into your skin and cause premature aging apart from the risk of you developing skin cancers.

5. “When looking for products that help shield your skin from the rays of the sun, all you need to look for is a higher SPF”. Apart from protecting yourself from UVB rays you also have to protect yourself from other kinds of ultraviolet rays including UVA and UVC which some sunscreens may not necessarily protect you from. A good choice would be to choose a product with SPF 15 or higher, and contain ingredients which block both UVA and UVB rays from penetrating into your skin.

6. “The more expensive a skin care product is, the better it is for your skin”. The so-called miracle ingredients that some products claim to have is usually just an excuse to increase their tag price. This is where your being a wise consumer should come in. Compare brands to get the best products for your skin and buy testers before buying the actual product.

7. “If a skin care product claims to be natural, it should be 100% good for my skin”. First of all, there are no regulations in the market when it comes to using the term natural. So even if it says natural in the bottle and the product contains just one herbal ingredient, they can still use the term as a marketing ploy. Be wise when choosing such products.

8. “Dermatologist-tested and hypoallergenic products will work well for any skin type”. Again, don’t’ be fooled by the words dermatologist tested and hypoallergenic. What causes allergies to one person may not necessarily have the same effect to another person – so the term hypoallergenic is quite vague. Instead be a keen observer of products which lead to breakouts or skin rashes – and steer clear of them.