The relationship between beauty and skin health

Beauty and skin health are by no means an either-or relationship - beauty practices that are scientific, compliant, and adapted to individual skin types are important means to maintain and improve skin health, while blindly following trends and erroneous beauty practices that exceed the skin's tolerance threshold are the culprits that destroy skin homeostasis. The essence of the two is a symbiotic relationship in which "the foundation determines the upper limit, and optimization feeds back the foundation."

I have been a skin manager for 7 years, and I have seen too many people who make it a two-choice question. It is really unnecessary. Last month, the studio just picked up a 22-year-old girl. She had just graduated and was looking for a job. She wanted to feel fresher. She had a few bruises on her face, so she heard on the Internet that acid was a universal solution. She secretly bought a 30% concentration of salicylic acid, and applied it three times a week. When she came, her whole face was swollen like a baked peach, and it hurt when she touched it. The measured transepidermal water loss rate was more than three times that of healthy skin, and the stratum corneum was so thin that red blood streaks under the skin could be seen. Do you think she was beautified or disfigured? To put it bluntly, I just don’t understand. The premise of all beauty operations is that they cannot penetrate the skin’s tolerance bottom line.

Speaking of this, someone must mention the two factions that are quarreling online: on one side are the "minimalist skin care parties" who claim that applying nothing and washing your face with water is the best way to nourish your skin; on the other side are the "efficacious skin care enthusiasts" who believe that applying strong medicines and doing medical beauty treatments every week is "good for you". In fact, there is nothing wrong with these two views, but they miss a core premise: adapting to skin type. There is a 25-year-old man with healthy and oily skin around me. He only applies baby cream in winter, and his skin is so good that it can reflect light. But if you ask him to apply a lot of essence, he will suffer from acne. Minimalism is the most suitable beauty method for him, and it is also the best solution to maintain skin health. But would you try it if you have dry and sensitive skin over 30 years old? If you don’t even apply moisturizing cream in winter, your face will be as chapped as old tree bark within half a month, and you can’t even maintain the most basic barrier function. How can you talk about health? On the other hand, if you have clear needs for blemishes and anti-aging, use compliant products and go to regular institutions for cosmetic surgery. As long as you establish a good tolerance and allow enough time for skin repair, you can not only become more beautiful, but also help your skin maintain a better condition. I have seen too many people who insist on scientific anti-aging. When they are 40 years old, their skin condition is better than that of their peers, and the probability of seasonal allergies is much lower.

Oh, by the way, there is another common misconception: “purely natural” and “homemade” beauty products are considered safer than industrially produced skin care products. Two years ago, I met a 50-year-old aunt. I heard from the square dancing sisters that applying lemon and honey to the face can whiten her face. After applying it for a week, her face was directly burned by acid and turned black. It took half a year for the discoloration to disappear. The pH value of lemon is as low as about 2, and the pH value of healthy skin is around 5.5. Applying it directly to the face will not burn the cuticle. This kind of taken-for-granted "beauty" is the biggest killer of skin health.

Let me give you a positive example. Last year, a 42-year-old sister came to see me. She has healthy normal skin, but she didn’t pay attention to sun protection when she was young. She got a lot of sun spots and some dry lines. The plan I gave her was very simple: use mild repairing essence and facial cream every day, strictly protect yourself from the sun, do low-energy photorejuvenation once every three months, and don’t follow the trend and buy random whitening products. She persisted for almost a year. When she last came here, her sun spots were 80% lighter, and her skin was glossier than that of many girls in their 20s. She said that now she has not even had an allergic reaction that she would have had every spring before - this is a typical example of how correct beauty practices can feed back healthy skin.

In fact, to put it bluntly, the ultimate goal of beauty is to make the skin look better, and healthy skin itself is the best "cosmetic". There is no need to put the two in opposition. If you are not sure what is suitable for you, go to a regular institution for a basic skin test first. Don’t just buy a bunch of skin care products and put them on your face. Don’t be too lazy to apply sunscreen. Finding a rhythm that suits you is better than anything else. After all, your face is yours, and being comfortable and looking good is the ultimate goal.