Do it yourself, popularly termed as DIY, is a method of skincare where we inculcate the older, ancient techniques for good skin. Provisionally, these methods have proven to be good and come in handy in tight time-stricken situations, but the debate lengthens on their long-term effects.
Dermatologists recommend simple and effective methods to tackle any skincare woe, be it skin barrier damage, acne, or any other serious ailment. The vast majority of skin specialists oppose DIY skin care.
But what is this ultra-famous DIY and why are the practitioners against it?
Do It Yourself (DIY) remedies are age-old grandma’s concoctions for any health-related ailment. Recently, with skincare trends in full swing, people have started using their kitchen ingredients to subdue any skin issue.
But as we all know, doing it under the supervision of a professional and doing it on our own are bound to produce two different results. The dermatologists are against DIYs as people go overboard with the ingredients without complete knowledge.
Trends are picked up by people as easily as seasonal viruses. They follow it with zeal and delight, experimenting with products and DIYs suggested by skincare enthusiasts.
They do forget the most important part-caution and restrain. Supplicating anything without proper professional support is bound to hit you in the face. Hence, dermatologists do not approve of DIYs.
“The Debate of Differences”
Although the majority of skincare practitioners do not support home remedies for serious skin issues like acne and rosacea, they do not mind some yogurt and gram flour (besan) to brighten up one’s skin.
But they do tend to draw lines with many kitchen ingredients in a particular form. Coffee and walnut make it to the top of the list.
Scrubs on the face are a concept much debated by skin experts. Some dermatologists do profess the use of physical facial scrubs with beads, whereas others support chemical exfoliants for the same issue. The difference is not only the composition of the ingredients but also the implementation techniques.
Using harsh coffee and walnut scrubs can easily aggravate skin issues, resulting in a severely damaged skin barrier. For acne-prone skin, this could easily prove more negatively gratifying.
On the other hand, this same coffee can be found in another form for suppressing dark circles. The gist of the ingredients remains the same, whereas the formulation changes. This is where dermatologists draw lines.
Skincare Dos
The ingredients making it to the Dos list are:
- Yogurt
- Gram flour
- Neem leaves
- Bentonite clay
- Multani soil (Multani mitti)
- Orange peel powder.
- Raw milk
- Sandalwood
- Honey
Ingredients that have been heavily debated and accused of causing more harm than good and failing to work include:
- Coffee
- Walnut
- Eggs
- Lemon
Fruits for the skin
Following a healthy diet and keeping a healthy gut can easily yield good skin. But with trends and trials, there are many fruits and vegetables that are used as facemasks.
These masks intend to provide instant glow and nourishment, and claim to reduce other skin issues like hyperpigmentation and dark spots. While this might be true based on the actives available in the food supplement, it is not considered completely safe for the skin.
The much-argumented fruit is papaya. Papaya is full of vital benefits for overall body health. Dermatologists disagree about the use of papaya directly on skin despite it being full of vitamins such as A, C, and E.
Without careful extraction of the actives found in this fruit, and in combination with other actives supplementing the vitamins of papaya, it can worsen the skin problems.
For example, papaya is found in commercial products like moisturisers and sunscreens from the brand Aqualogica. It is mixed with vitamin C from another source to complement its own vitamin C, thus balancing the abrupt percentage of vitamins in papaya.
Skin types cause a riff
As there are many people, there are many variants of skin types. The most discussed skin type is acne-prone skin. Acne, dark spots, hyperpigmentation, a broken or damaged skin barrier, and sensitivity to any pharmacological or commercial cosmetics are all symptoms of such skin.
This confused state of skin leads to people trying anything they read and find others using to heal their skin. Instead of heading over to a dermatologist to address their problems, they look for DIYs.
People prefer DIY projects because they are less expensive. But they do not come with a price unpaid.
The cost of any DIY project is a lack of restraint. People use home remedies repeatedly to get rid of acne, and their continuous and incorrect application quickly yields an unnecessary problem-damaged skin barrier.
Takeaway
The dilemma of using a quick DIY in a particular time frame does help, but can also produce incorrect or unwanted results. Using DIYs that absorb sebum multiple times a day or more than 3 times a week can lead to damaged and dry skin.
For many people, this might not be the case, but there is no harm in consulting a dermatologist; what might take a couple of weeks through DIY might be addressed completely within a week.
It is upon the skincare enthusiast to understand the safest method of addressing any skin woe.
