Good skin care is as important as good health care. Hence, we need to take good care of our skin which would not only make us look fresh and younger but also boost our confidence. In the age of the internet and social media, people are more concerned about the way they look and appear. However, with so much information floating in the web space, there are plenty of misconceptions and myths that are equally popular.
If you are an avid reader of the internet, you will find that there is a lot written about skin pH level and how you need to maintain it to ensure good skincare. The pH (potential Hydrogen) of the skin is a sort of indicator to measure skin acidity on a scale of zero to 14 with 7 being neutral. In this, numbers from zero to 6 are acidic and 8 to 14 indicate alkaline skin. Understanding and maintaining your skin’s pH is critical to have healthy skin, but there is much more to know about this.
Here we take a quick look at the top 6 skin pH myths and facts that are important to know for taking care of our skin.
Myth 1: Always Use Alkaline Skin Products
Over the years, there has been a growing demand for alkaline-based skincare. Hence, many companies that make beauty and skincare products emphasize buying alkaline-based products. It is said that these products provide the right moisture, restore natural pH levels, ensure optimum cell function and fortify connective tissues.
Fact 1: However, the fact is that the natural skin pH level is between 4.5 and 5.5 making it more inclined towards being acidic. While it is true that using acidic skincare products can make your skin dry and itchy, the fact is that excessively and overly using alkaline products can disturb the natural pH levels of your skin. If your skin pH level becomes alkaline it can become oily and that again can lead to more skin problems that you would need to tackle.
Myth 2: Your Skin pH Level Must Be the Same as Your Family Members
A lot of people believe that their skin pH level must be similar to that of their family members and that they need to work on it.
Fact 2: The fact is that skin pH depends on various internal (body) and external factors and that means that different people in the family would have different pH levels and this is considered normal. Skin pH relies heavily on the age of the person, ethnicity, food habits, lifestyle and even factors like climate and daily activities. Hence, you need to focus on how you can keep your skin’s pH level from 4.5 to 5.5 on the pH scale which should help you how to take care of your skin based on your skin type.
Myth 3: You Need Skincare Products to Restore pH Levels
If you are having skin-related issues like dry skin, irritation or oily skin and acne it can only be resolved by using the best skincare products that can help you restore pH levels.
Fact 3: Skin pH is just an indicator of the skin’s health on the pH scale. However, it can also be solved without using any skincare products. pH imbalance is caused by many internal and external factors like lack of sleep, improper diet, change in diet, use of dairy products, intake of tobacco, excessive intake of alcohol or deli meats and even weather and climatic changes. Apart from these factors, pollution and exposure to UV rays can also influence your pH levels and therefore you can make changes to your diet, lifestyle, and clothing style that can restore your pH level even without any usage of skincare products. Hence, we must listen to our bodies and focus on how to take good care of our skin.
Myth 4: Never Apply Skincare Products Immediately After Taking a Shower
Many people believe that using alkaline heavy soap or acidic soap can impact our skin in a great way and therefore applying skincare products immediately after a bath can only spike the skin’s pH levels and make it worse.
Fact 4: When you are using products like soap and shampoo and other water-based skincare solutions you don’t have to worry about the changes in the skin’s pH levels because most products that are water-based have identical pH levels and they are not going to have any significant impact on your skin pH level.
Myth 5: You Can Use Your Face Cream on Lesser Exposed Areas and It Works the Same
Various internet sites and forums do mention that face and body creams and lotions are the same and therefore they can also be applied in lesser exposed areas like genital areas and armpits and it works effectively.
Fact 5: The fact of this myth is that skin pH levels are different in different people. Also, the skin pH level is different in different areas of the body. Our exposed areas like the face, chest and hands have alkaline pH levels but lesser exposed areas like the genitals have more acidic skin pH levels. Hence, you must use different skincare products for different parts of the body to manage the pH levels of different body areas.
Myth 6: Skin pH Level is the Primary Indicator of Skin Health
Understanding and knowing your skin pH levels is the best and primary indicator to know your skin health. Hence, you must keep track of your skin’s pH levels all the time to keep it supple and healthy.
Fact 6: Skin pH levels are never constant and they change due to various internal body changes and external weather and lifestyle movements. Also, skin pH levels alone do not indicate that your skin is healthy. Many other factors contribute to overly healthy skin and therefore if you are only going to focus on pH levels you will miss out on many other factors that are equally important to maintain healthy skin. Additionally, it is hard to say how much impact the pH of the skincare product has on the skin and for how long.
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