When it comes to our skin, everyone is ready to go that extra mile to ensure their skin looks glowing and radiant. Skin care is extremely crucial and everyone has been a victim to a few of the myths.

Myth 1: You don’t need to apply sunscreen on cloudy days

Fact: You should wear sunscreen every day, even when it’s cloudy. The sun’s UV rays can affect your skin during overcast weather, so wearing sunscreen everyday helps avoid skin damage. However, you don’t need to constantly slather your body with sunscreen. About three tablespoons of broad spectrum SPF 30 sunscreen should do the trick for daily use! Clouds block infrared rays, so you don’t feel hot, but they only block 20 percent of UV rays so you can still get burned

Myth 2: Using hot water can open your pores

Fact: Contrary to popular belief, pores cannot actually open and close like windows. Pores are not temperature sensitive. Hot water can make the outer layers of skin swell, which makes it look like the pores are more ‘open,’ but they don’t open and close based on temperature. Using hot water can in fact dehydrate your skin, cause or trigger existing sensitivity, produce distended capillaries, and even cause your skin to overproduce oil as a defense mechanism.

Myth 3: Eating chocolate will make your skin breakout

Fact: Chocolate does not necessarily make you breakout. There isn’t enough evidence to back this statement. In fact, there is little evidence that chocolate or any specific fatty foods will cause acne, but we do know that a high-sugar/high-fat diet can increase sebum production and promote inflammatory responses in the body which may or may not lead to acne.

Myth 4: You don’t need to moisturize oily skin

Fact: No matter if your skin type is oily and acne-prone or dry and dehydrated, you need to be using some kind of moisturizer to keep your skin balanced and nourished. The differences lie in the type and amount of moisturizer your skin needs. Oily skin requires the least amount of moisture, a moisturizer is still vital for nourishing and hydrating the skin.

Myth 5: You can scrub oily skin and acne away

Fact: This is one of the most common myths dermatologists hear. This is false and scrubbing and exfoliating too hard can make the situation worse than it already is. Stripping the skin of oil can actually cause your body to product more oil. The skin produces more oil when you strip it completely since it needs some oil to protect itself. Those who self-treat oily skin with alcohol-based, drying products often end up with dehydrated, irritated, and sensitized skin that is even oilier than it was to begin with. You should use products designed to cut down excess oil without stripping the skin.