A Plastic Surgeon Clears Up 10 Beauty Myths

This column first ran in Valerie Monroe’s newsletter, How Not to F*ck Up Your Face, which you can subscribe to on Substack.

One reason I like the Instagram videos of New York City plastic surgeon Gerald Imber, M.D., is that he’s down-to-earth and honest about the effectiveness of various skin-care treatments and in-office procedures. I also find it somewhat endearing that his face shows no evidence of aesthetic intervention. That would be annoying if he were presenting treatments and surgery as a desired option, but he’s not. His matter-of-factness comes across as reasonable, even calming.

Curious about the misconceptions he’s heard from patients in his long and celebrated practice, I asked him to clear up ten popular skin-care myths.

Myth: Using toner is an essential step in an effective skin-care routine.

Truth: “Toner is not essential. It’s basically useless. If reducing the look of pore size is your issue, use a retinoid (vitamin-A derivative) or a vitamin-C serum.” [Val here: Microneedling can also be helpful in reducing pore size.]

Myth: Exfoliating products are necessary to maintain healthy skin.

Truth: “While it’s true that exfoliating does help maintain a healthy complexion, physical exfoliating (like with a washcloth) can help just as well as an exfoliating product (like a scrub or a pad).”

Myth: Peptides are an essential ingredient in a moisturizer or serum.

Truth: “Nonsense. The best way to encourage collagen growth or tighten skin with a topical is to use a retinoid or a vitamin-C serum.”

Myth: Eye and neck creams are essential in maintaining skin health.

Truth: “Eye and neck creams are typically just moisturizers. Their moisturizing ingredients will make skin look temporarily plumper with a cosmetic effect, but they’re not therapeutic.”

Myth: Dietary supplements can help produce a more glowing complexion.

Truth: “This is absolutely false; don’t even think about taking a supplement to affect your complexion.”

Myth: It’s wise to use a cleanser with treatment benefits.

Truth: “The fewer ingredients in a cleanser, the better. The purpose of a cleanser is to remove impurities that have accumulated on skin during the day, like sunscreen, dirt, and sweat. It doesn’t take a cleanser with a bunch of junk in it to do this. The one exception is a cleanser containing salicylic acid, which can help with treating acne.”

Myth: Consuming foods with antioxidants produces a healthier complexion.

Truth: “Though consuming antioxidants as part of a healthy diet would ultimately have an effect on your skin, it’s not a direct or linear effect. In other words, if you’re generally healthy and eating well, that’s reflected in your skin. But bottom line, the way to achieve a healthy complexion is to consistently use an effective skin-care routine.”

Myth: Facial exercise can prevent sagging, fine lines, and wrinkles.

Truth: “Just the opposite: Repetitive muscle movement causes wrinkles. Facial exercises are a wrinkle workout.”

Myth: Doctors’ skin-care brands are superior to drugstore brands.

Truth: “In most cases, doctors’ brands are not superior. There are two kinds of doctor skin-care brands: private-label versions of the same formulas you might see in any over-the-counter product, and custom-made, for which the doctor developed the formula with a lab. The important thing to remember is that you don’t need a ten-step routine. Most people only need a moisturizer, a retinol treatment product, a vitamin-C serum with L-Ascorbic acid, and sunscreen. It’s not complicated!”

Originally published on June 22.