Skin care myths spread easily since everyone seems to want a quick fix for every blemish and perceived imperfection.

And we get it – you can’t hide your skin and it’s something that you have to wear every day.

But one thing you can really do to help yourself out is be well-informed about what’s true and what’s trash.

Start with these 10 myths we all need to stop believing:

1. MYTH: Winter or being inside means you can skip the sunscreen

Maybe a windowless bunker feels like a good place to be right now, but unless you have one and you plan on staying in it all day (which we also don’t recommend), you need sunscreen.

Yes, it’s inconvenient. But so is skin cancer. And so is the visible skin damage the sun causes years down the line.

The sun is out whenever it’s light outside and it penetrates clouds and windows. And if you can see the sun, it can see you too and damage your skin.

The sunscreen you apply in the morning is also pretty ineffective by the afternoon as well. If you wear makeup, the SPF 15 that might be in it isn’t going to cut it either.

Get an SPF 30 to touch up your face and hands (and anything else exposed – especially if you drive a lot!) in the afternoon.

If you’re stressed about premature wrinkles and the loss of collagen and elastin in your face, all the expensive products in the world won’t do you any good unless you’re also protecting your skin from the sun.

2. MYTH: Popping a pimple makes it go away faster

Don’t touch your face. It’s as easy as that. Unless you’re washing it or applying makeup with clean hands, keep them away during the day to avoid spreading any bacteria that can lead to irritation and breakouts (and illnesses!).

When you pop a pimple, for example (yes, even if you do it with a tool), you are basically creating a tiny open wound on your face. And, surprise, that’ll only make things worse – it can even leave you with a scar.

If you have an important event and a huge pimple, see a dermatologist for a quick, sterile extraction or a cortisone shot.

Even if a pimple looks ready to erupt, you’re going to have far less scarring if you just leave it alone.

Pimple-popping might be interesting to watch online by the pros, but when you do it yourself, you’re probably pushing the contents of the pustule (like bacteria) deeper into your face – and that’s what’ll lead to more redness (aka inflammation).

3. MYTH: Expensive skincare is inherently better

Maybe you don’t really believe this but you’re still willing to splurge for a few favorite products. That’s ok if they work for you.

But if you’re spending money on luxury items in lieu of ones with active ingredients that have real evidence behind them, then you’re wasting money.

Of course, those active ingredients can be expensive too!

The key is to spend money on what works.

Some of us have grown attached to a few luxury products. But skip the algae-laden $400 moisturizer if it means you can’t afford a good Vitamin C formulation (with l-ascorbic acid!).

Retinoids, Vitamin C, and niacinamide all have solid evidence behind them.

Snail slime does not.

4. MYTH: Products that say “clinically proven” or “dermatologist approved” are more trustworthy

There aren’t many regulations on beauty products since they tend not to make medical claims (and, at least in the U.S., don’t fall under the purview of the FDA, which makes sure claims are backed up with evidence).

As a result, beauty product packaging is all marketing.

“Clinically proven” means nothing if the clinic is one owned by the company making the product and they got a couple of people to say it worked because they gave them free skincare. And “dermatologist-approved” means even less. There are plenty of shady doctors willing to back a product. And where’s the proof that a dermatologist-approved it anyway? What exactly did they say about it?

There’s no guarantee that these products are safe or effective just because the bottle implies that.

It’s really a shame that we’ve put profit over people, but it’s what we do.

That’s why it’s good to have a dermatologist you trust to give you some advice. (And there are some less costly telemedicine alternatives for those who don’t have access to one.)

5. MYTH: Moisturizer will eliminate wrinkles

That would explain why everyone is dissatisfied with their moisturizer!

Listen, we all age (if we’re lucky), and as we do our skin loses collagen and elastin and our bodies don’t make it as effectively anymore. That’s life. How fast it happens has to do with genetics, but more significantly with things like sun exposure, smoking, etc.

Nothing we slather on our faces can eliminate a wrinkle.

A good moisturizer or hyaluronic acid might help plump your skin, give it the moisture it needs, or make the area look brighter. That will give make your wrinkles look less obvious, but that’s as good as it gets.

Nothing short of an invasive procedure (like Botox or a facelift) is going to eliminate that drooping skin. It just can’t.

Wear your sunscreen, stop smoking, use your moisturizer to trap in moisture, and you’re in good shape to look your age or maybe a bit younger.

But at some point, you’re going to need to embrace your face for the age it is unless you want to look like a sad, plastic version of your former self.

So stop throwing away that moisturizer just because you still have wrinkles after a week of using it!

6. MYTH: “Clean” or “all-natural” products are always safe and better for you

You know what’s also “natural”? Arsenic. Botulism. Poison ivy. Do you want those in your skincare?

“Clean beauty” is a multi-billion dollar industry that plays off a fear of “chemicals” that they themselves have created. It’s just a way to get you to buy their products instead.

Sure, ingredients like phthalates are best avoided, but that doesn’t mean every chemical is sinister or interfering with your endocrine system. We’ve created many products in a lab that are more safe and effective than what you can pick in a garden.

If you’re confused, don’t look to magazines that get paid to write stories claiming the new fad is the best one (only to claim something different in the next issue). Ask your dermatologist about data-driven formulations.

Skip the pseudoscience and “greenwashing” and buy what works for you.

7. MYTH: Freckles are inevitable

There have been many calls to embrace our freckles rather than cover them. And that’s fine. They’re there and we have to live with them once they show up.

But we don’t actually have to let them come out to play in the first place.

NO ONE is born with freckles. There are people genetically predisposed to getting them easily, but freckles only occur when activated by sunlight and that means they’re a sign of skin damage.

You’ve had your freckles since you were a toddler? Sure, but that just means your parents didn’t put sunscreen on you when you needed it.

We all have them and they’re nothing to be ashamed of, but the pro-freckle movement has even encouraged people to get out in the sun and bring out their freckles come Springtime. And that’s just silly. Put on your sunscreen instead.

8. MYTH: You need hypoallergenic products if you have sensitive skin

There’s no such thing as a product that’s guaranteed not to irritate your skin because everyone reacts differently to different products.

“Hypoallergenic” is a marketing term, not a scientific one. The beauty industry has lobbied long and hard to avoid government oversight on their claims – and that’s partly because it would force them to prove things they simply can’t (or all abide by a standard that they’re not willing to accept).

So companies get away with claiming all sorts of things. And, to be fair, some of them make great products.

But if you insist on splurging on hypoallergenic products – especially in lieu of buying important things like high-quality sunscreen and moisturizer – you could be throwing away your money.

Most “hypoallergenic” products have been found to include at least one ingredient known to irritate the skin.

9. MYTH: Getting a tan can clear up acne

How are we still propagating this ridiculous myth?

We know quite well that any kind of unprotected sun exposure is going to do far more harm than good to your skin.

There’s no evidence at all that the sun’s rays affect breakouts in any way. If you see an improvement in your skin at all after getting a tan, it’s likely because the redness from acne stands out less now that your skin is darker or redder.

And how is that helping?

In fact, we need to get over the idea altogether that people look healthy with a tan.

10. MYTH: You can shrink your pores with products

Pores don’t have muscles, so they cannot contract. You also cannot open them.

Did you hear that? PORES DO NOT OPEN OR CLOSE. They also do not shink.

Dirty pores might look bigger, but that’s just because you can see them better when they’re full of gunk. Steaming your face does not open your pores, it merely softens the sebum and other “stuff” inside for easier removal.

Even after they’re clean, they do not contract to fill the space. It’s physiologically impossible.

No matter what Instagram filters want you to believe, everyone has pores. Some of us are just more adept at blurring them out.

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There are plenty of beauty companies out there – most of them, in fact – that want women to feel beautiful and empowered after using their products.

But the fact that they’re also willing to use misleading claims to get people to buy them is the problem.

A little knowledge on your part can save you lots of irritation – on your skin and in your bank account – in the future.

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Source: Brightside, The Atlantic, American Academy of Dermatology Association