Skin Care Myths: Antibiotics Make Your Birth Control Pill Less Effective

birth-control-pills.JPGA young woman who I saw in clinic this week was on birth control pills for contraception. She had acne and I suggested we start minocycline, an oral antibiotic, to treat her. “Won’t that stop my birth control pill from working?” she asked. Good question. Read more

February 13, 2008 | Filed Under Acne, Skincare Myths, Women's Skin Care | 3 Comments 

Skin Care Myths: Hair and Fingernails Continue to Grow After Death

A popular myth that even made its way to the Sopranos (when Christopher digs up Emil Kolar). It’s not true though.

The reason for the long-held belief may be that dehydration of the body after death, and subsequent shrinking of soft tissue, can create the illusion of growth of hair and nails.

For this and other popular myths that apparently even doctors believe (not me of course), see this NYT piece.

February 3, 2008 | Filed Under Skincare Myths | Leave a Comment 

Skin Care Myths: Plucking Hairs Makes Them Grow Back Thicker

Before Plucking

Before

After Plucking

After

You can’t catch a cold from going outside without a jacket, and hairs don’t grow back thicker after you pluck them. I swear.

In fact, repeatedly plucking hairs can scar the follicle, which over time can lead to permanent loss of that hair. It is actually a very inexpensive way to remove unwanted hairs.

Waxing, threading, and plucking hairs are essentially the same thing; the hairs usually will grow back (unless you perform this repeatedly over a long period of time).

Electrolysis and laser hair removal, in contrast, destroy the hair follicle. Most of these hairs will not grow back and repeated treatment will lead to permanent hair removal.

If you pluck your hairs:

  1. Start with good, clean slanted or straight tweezers. Be sure the edges are sharp, not damaged.
  2. Pluck in the direction that the hair grows.
  3. Grab and pull the hair out in one quick motion.
  4. Pluck only one hair at a time.
  5. Repeat.
  6. Repeat again.

You might also like:

Are You Over-Scrubbing Your Face?

What Causes Vertical Ridges in Your Nails?

Why Do Women Bruise More Easily Than Men? 

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January 24, 2008 | Filed Under Health and Beauty, Skincare Myths, Women's Skin Care | 3 Comments 

Skin Care Myths: Drinking More Water Will Hydrate Your Skin

This is a popular one, perpetuated by fitness and fashion magazines.

Only one study ever linked drinking water with skin hydration. That study used expensive mineral water, not plain bottled or tap water, and the study didn’t have a control group.small-glass-of-water.JPG

No study has ever shown regular water has any impact on your skin and no controlled study has ever shown that any type of drinking water has an effect on your skin.

From a physiologic perspective, drinking water could only have a negligible impact on your skin’s hydration. In fact, patients who have too much water in their tissues (edema) do not have healthy skin. For example, patients with venus insufficiency who have swollen, fluid filled legs have skin that is often dry, itchy, and scaly.

The amount of water in your skin after a 5 minute shower is magnitudes higher than you could achieve by trying to hydrate it from the inside out. The key is to apply a cream or ointment when your skin is still wet to seal in the moisture.

Then drink as little or as much water as you like.

January 17, 2008 | Filed Under Dry Skin, Skincare Myths | Leave a Comment 

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