Skincare Trends to Avoid

TikTok continues to serve up a range of amateur skincare treatments that are actually terrible for your skin. These include facial scrubs with coffee grounds and raw tomatoes, face taping (known as temporary facelifts) and washing with salt water. At a glance, these treatments might seem reasonable, but only when you look closer do the problems come into focus.

This is a case where DIY is more like JDDI (Just Don’t Do It).

Let’s break down why these home-grown treatments are a bad idea.

First, it may not be possible to know whether many of these skin treatments born on social media were conceived by well-meaning individuals or people who came up with an outlandish idea just for laughs and gave it enough plausibility that others might actually try it. Either way, it doesn’t matter if the net result causes harm to your skin.

Before trying out a skin care tip you encountered online, do your own research and talk it over with your dermatologist.

Especially beware of any beauty advice that involves blending and combining various over-the-counter skincare products. There is no way to know how these homemade mixtures are going to interact with each other. Possible side effects can include everything from skin irritation and rashes to chemical burns.

Take a coffee break

One trending beauty tip involves facial scrubs that use coffee grounds as an exfoliant. Long term, this is going to do more harm than good, as coffee grounds can cause micro tears in the skin. These will worsen over time. The result? Dry, flaky patches, redness and greater sensitivity. Coffee should be taken internally and spent grounds belong in the trash. Coffee grounds straight from the pot are not cosmetically smooth like coffee used in some over-the-counter preparations. The grounds are also a surefire way to clog your bathroom plumbing.

Raw tomatoes: Fine for salads and sauces, but not so much the face

At some point, someone on TikTok apparently noticed that tomato extract is occasionally listed as an ingredient in certain skin brightening products. This evidently led to the not-so-clever idea that raw tomatoes would work just as well and be cheaper, too. Not so.

Tomato extract is one of several ingredients in store-bought formulations designed to bring out the benefits of tomatoes in skin treatment, without the harsh side effects. Raw tomatoes are far too acidic to do anything except harm your skin.

Many of the homemade tomato facial recipes on TikTok call for mixing tomato juice with baking soda as a binder to apply to the face. This mixture will allegedly tighten skin pores. However, you don’t need a degree in chemistry to understand why this won’t work. The baking soda neutralizes the acid in raw tomatoes, immediately negating any beauty benefits.

Chop your tomatoes into a nice salad, instead. Tomatoes are packed with antioxidants. Eating tomatoes may help reduce the amount of cell-damaging free-radicals in the body and will give you more youthful-looking skin. No need to rub tomato slices on your face.

DIY facelifts can actually accelerate the appearance of aging

Mini facelifts continue to be all the rage on social media, with some influencers recommending you do it yourself with face tape. The product temporarily lifts areas of the skin to smooth out the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. While this sounds like a grand idea and is probably safe when performed occasionally, the reality is too much face taping can actually speed up the process of aging skin. This is because the constant use of face tape stretches the skin and the underlying tissue, leading to more wrinkles and even sagging skin.

If you are looking for real, permanent anti-aging solutions, there are many more viable cosmetic and medical treatments that will safely reduce wrinkle visibility.

Salt water washes

Emerge from the ocean after a long swim and you may notice your skin gives off an appealing glow. It’s the salt water, which helps clean out clogged pores and oils from the skin, leaving your face clearer and brighter.

Moderation is the key to getting the beauty benefits of salt water.

Salt contains beneficial minerals, but daily salt water washes can dry out the skin and cause irritation. It’s just like after swimming in the ocean, once the sea water begins to dry on your skin, you want to take a shower before your skin begins to itch.

Seawater contains beneficial nutrients, including magnesium, potassium, and zinc. Mineral salt water may also help relieve some skin conditions, such as psoriasis. However, despite the advice you may encounter on TikTok, you cannot replicate seawater at home with a shaker of salt and a warm glass of water.

Instead of rubbing your face with warm salt water and a wash cloth, consider safer alternatives such as facial toners, body scrubs, bath salts, and masks, which can be bought at any beauty store. You can also follow these face washing tips from the American Academy of Dermatology.

Let Walk-in Dermatology Take Care of You

If you have concerns about any skin condition and need dependable answers, you don’t have to wonder, worry or wait. Walk-in Dermatology is here to keep you healthy. Our team of dermatologists and experienced healthcare staff will address your concerns and provide the necessary care for all your skin conditions. We can set up a Video Visit and even prescribe medications remotely, or you can schedule an appointment with us online. The choice is yours. But don’t wait until the problem gets worse. Contact us today.