Spunt and O'Connor are big advocates of using natural products, but they point out that Mother Nature can still do some major damage to your skin. For example, tea tree oil, used sparingly, can be a great way to fight zits. But if you apply too much, your skin can end up as red and flaky as it would have been after a repeated dousing of benzoyl peroxide.
The lesson: Whether a product is "organic" or completely cooked up in a lab, follow the instructions carefully and remember, more is rarely better when it comes to skin care.
There are certain "rules" in life we never question. Green means go, three strikes and you're out, wash your face twice a day for clear skin.
But what if we told you that one of the above rules couldn't be more wrong? (And, as you probably guessed, it's not the one about what green means. Or the strikes.)
Many of us have been following the same skin care regimens our whole lives, which we learned from our moms, who learned from their moms, and so on. We thought they were the perfect way to keep our faces clear and wrinkle-free. Turns out we were wrong.
Even something as simple as washing your face twice a day could be the reason for your crow's feet and pimples -- and that's just the beginning. To find out exactly what skin care "rules" to stop living by, we assembled a healthy skin dream team: Dr. Semira Bayati, an Orange County, Calif.-based cosmetic plastic surgeon; Alexandra Spunt and Siobhan O'Connor, authors of "No More Dirty Looks: The Truth About Your Beauty Products;" New York City dermatologist Dr. Jeannette Graf; and Dr. Michael Gold, a dermatologist in Nashville, Tenn.
They shared with us the outdated and overrated skin care advice they wish we'd all stop following, and offered some new, must-try tips to add to our regimens. Now you can stop following methods that just give you more zits and wrinkles by finding out which seven skin care rules are keeping you from perfect skin.
