By Dr. Mathieu Powell, Dermatologist at KANDL Beauté
Dermatology is full of little myths that have taken on a life of their own. Some are harmless, others not so much. But as someone who’s spent years peering at skin, up close, under scopes, in fluorescent lighting, I can tell you there’s a gap between what people believe and what’s actually true.
I hear variations of the same lines every day in my office.
So let’s go through a few of the classics, shall we?
1. “It’s cloudy, so I don’t need sunscreen.”
I get this one a lot, especially on those grey Montreal mornings when it looks like the sun has gone to Europe for the season. But UV rays don’t take the day off. Up to 80% of them still reach your skin through the clouds.
In fact, I see some of the worst burns after people spend long days outside assuming the overcast sky has their back.
Spoiler alert: it doesn’t.
2. “I wear a lot of makeup, so I’m already protected.”
Another popular one. Yes, some makeup has SPF in it. But unless you’re slathering it on like icing, it’s probably not enough.
Think of SPF in makeup as a polite bonus, not a reliable defense. You’d need about seven times more than you’re actually using to get the protection listed on the label.
Do your skin a favour and put on actual sunscreen underneath.
3. “If it’s natural, it must be good for my skin.”
This one’s tricky, because I love a good green smoothie as much as the next person.
But poison ivy is natural. So is arsenic.
Just because a product is plant-based doesn’t mean it’s safe or effective. Some of the most irritating ingredients I see reactions to, like essential oils or homemade scrubs, come from the “natural” aisle.
Nature is great. But your face is not a salad.
4. “Tanning clears up my acne.”
It might seem like it does, for a minute. A tan can camouflage redness, and the sun may temporarily dry out breakouts.
But it’s a trap.
The skin thickens, oil glands go into overdrive, and by the time the tan fades, the acne is back.
Often worse.
Plus, you’ve just traded pimples for sun damage.
Not a good deal.
5. “If it doesn’t hurt, it can’t be skin cancer.”
Please don’t wait for your skin to yell at you.
Skin cancer is sneaky. It doesn’t throb or scream like a toothache.
Melanoma, the deadliest kind, can look like a freckle or a mole that’s just not quite right.
If something is new, changing, or weird, I want to see it.
I’d rather look at a hundred harmless spots than miss one dangerous one.
Look, I get it. Skincare is noisy.
Blogs, influencers, YouTube, your mother-in-law. Everyone has a theory.
But if you’re confused, start with this:
- Sunscreen every morning, no matter what the sky is doing.
- Don’t fry your zits.
- And if you’re not sure what something is, come in. That’s why I’m here.
👉Book a consultation with me at KANDL Beauté.
Let’s keep things simple, honest, and skin-first.
