Allies of Skin

There are hundreds of moisturizing creams, lotions, serums, masks, and more on the market to choose from. As wonderful as this is, it can be hard to know which products are worthwhile and which are either ineffective or actually detrimental. The key to finding products that actually moisturize and hydrate your skin is to rely on those with ingredients that have been legitimately demonstrated to do what the producer of them claims they do. Hyaluronic Acid When moisturizers featuring a new ingredient emerge on the market, it can be tough to distinguish between what’s a fad and what’s a legitimately effective breakthrough in skincare. A good example of the latter is hyaluronic acid. The popularity of hyaluronic acid serum as a powerful hydrator has skyrocketed recently, and for good reason: it’s the real deal. Hyaluronic acid (also known scientifically as hyaluronan) is actually a humectant, something that reduces the loss of moisture, that our skin naturally produ...

Acne is one of the most common skin issues and can also be one of the most distressing. It can be painful, have a detrimental influence on self-esteem, and can lead to permanent scarring. It’s unlikely that anyone isn’t aware or needs to be convinced of how unpleasant acne is—agreement on that is pretty much universal.  An informed understanding of which solutions for preventing and dealing with acne work and which are myths (that either do nothing or can actually make acne worse), however, is less universal. While we won’t be outlining, discussing, debunking, or supporting all of the common treatments, preventions, behavioral suggestions, and myths related to acne here, there are some big-picture solutions that bear mentioning. Your Diet and Your Skin Among the most popular, and then most popularly-debunked, sort-of myths about acne is that eating chocolate can cause it. Decades ago, some highly publicized studies determined that there was nothing about the ...