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Viral Skincare Tricks That Most Dermatologists Warn Against

At Westmount at Forest Oaks Apartments in Arlington TX, we understand your need for an apartment living experience that keeps you in the loop with recipes, health hacks, and wellness tips. That’s why we’re dedicated to keeping you informed of the latest, must-know information.  

Here at our community of luxury apartments in Arlington TX, we love TikTok videos. TikTok is a wealth of content, from hilarious short videos to insightful information regarding mental health, fashion, and beauty. In fact, we’d venture to say that just about anything buzzworthy is discussed on TikTok, including skincare hacks. Yet, you shouldn’t try everything you see on TikTok, and the platform’s own DermDoctor (Dr. Muneed Shah) has debunked a few of these viral hacks himself. Read on to discover the truth behind these buzzy beauty trends.

Sunscreen Contouring

Want to sculpt your face? According to TikTok, you can do so with “sunscreen contouring,” or using sunscreen to contour your face by using a base layer of SPF 30 followed by SPF 90 on the places you’d normally highlight with a shimmery product. While Dr. Shah says that this could work, if you commit to sunbathing for long enough, the trend doesn’t emphasize covering your entire face with SPF – something you should always do to prevent wrinkles and cancerous moles. Don’t pick and choose where you use sunscreen based on contouring – apply it across your entire face, neck, shoulders, and ears.

Coffee Grounds Face Scrubs

Repurposing your day-old coffee grounds into an all-natural face scrub sounds like a good idea in theory. But, in reality, those grounds are too harsh for your skin and can do serious damage to your skin’s delicate outer layer, if you aren’t careful. Regarding those claims that coffee scrubs can perk up your skin with caffeine, Dr. Shah says that those are true – however, you’re better off applying the grounds to your face and letting them rest there, instead of scrubbing them into your skin. Just remember that the effect is temporary, and not to expect long-lasting results from this or any other DIY creation.

Toothpaste as an Acne Fighter

This beauty trick is one of the oldest in the book. Yet, times have changed, and this is no longer an effective way to get rid of pimples. According to Dr. Shah, commercial toothpaste used to include triclosan, an ingredient with antibacterial properties that could have been effective in minimizing acne. However, triclosan has since been removed by the FDA, and now toothpaste only contains ingredients that can irritate the skin, if you deliberately treat your pimples with the paste. For a more effective way to banish breakouts, try pimple patches or specially formulated acne cream.

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