How to take your skin health seriously
I’m a proud member of a local Facebook group of makeup lovers. I enjoy seeing their beauty recommendations and latest finds, since the members are so resourceful and always on the nose when it comes to what’s good! Every so often, however, questionable tips like curing psoriasis with bleach and washing acne with detergent soap come up. I appreciate that the admins are responsible about dangerous advice like this by posting disclaimers or even closing the comments section. However, since the group is so large many members still come away with a lot of unhealthy and false information about skincare.
For example, members with serious acne would often post their faces in the discussion section, asking for help. In just a couple of hours, over a hundred people would recommend various oral medication, creams, gels, and DIY solutions that worked for them. Now I think it’s fantastic that members care enough to share their advice, but here’s the thing: what’s the right advice for the person suffering from acne (or any skin issue for that matter)? How can she get the right treatment without causing her skin further harm?
The Internet is a great place to get information about general skincare, but when it comes to serious, painful skin problems that actually affects your quality of life, it is best to go to a dermatologist to get help. I’ve said this so many times but it bears mentioning again: don’t experiment with products or treatments by yourself if you haven’t even found the cause of the problem. Yes, the cause.
A wrong self or crowd diagnosis can lead to the wrong treatment, and this can make your skin health worse than when you began. This is why it’s important to go to a dermatologist to find out what’s going on first before he or she can prescribe any medicine. Your best bet is someone registered with the Philippine Dermatological Society. A board-certified dermatologist in the Philippines is a doctor who completed three years of specialty training in one of the 11 institutions accredited by the PDS and passed the examination administered by the Philippine Board of Dermatology. This is not the same as a derma who completed his/her studies in a shady facility so you know you are getting the best help.
Should you decide to self-medicate to relieve the redness and pain before you can make time to see a derma, make sure to read the label and research what each ingredient does. Don’t blindly follow recommendations from strangers because at the end of the day, different things work for different people, and it might end up to be more costly to experiment. Make sure that the treatment you try is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (you can check here for registered over the counter drugs).
Be critical about the products we use and always consult a PDS-registered dermatologist if you’re unsure about something. I think that’s the best way to have the healthiest skin possible! Remember, beautiful skin starts with healthy skin. ^_^ I’ll be posting more about #SkinHealth soon, since this is something the team is passionate about. Stay tuned!
Discuss:
- What do you do to maintain your skin health?
- What’s the worst your skin has ever been?
- How do you normally solve your skin issues? Self-medicate or wait for them to go away?
photography by Sam Gonzales
