Beauty myths busted

Be it health or sexual fallacies or wrong perceptions about beauty, once accepted, myths are tough to be dumped. Here are some of the most common beauty myths that we get experts to bust.Myth #1: Sun screen isn't required during winters/cloudy daysWe believe in what we see and accordingly perceive a myth as the gospel truth. As the name suggests, sun screen doesn't imply that it needs to be applied only when Sun is shining bright. Experts say that the harmful UVA and UVB rays continue to render their damaging effects even when it's cloudy.Fact : "Ultra violet (UV) rays are even stronger on cloudy days and they easily penetrate, even more so, through the clouds. These rays can infiltrate the skin and that's the reason why we get a tan even while sitting in an air-conditioned car. We don't feel the burn because it's cold inside, but our skin gets damaged significantly. All air hostesses and flight crew should wear UV protection on an aircraft because at the altitude at which they fly, the atmosphere is much thinner and the harmful rays penetrate through the windows of the aircraft," warns ace make-up artist Cory Walia.Myth # 2: Chocolates and fried food causes pimples and acneDenying the notion that eating chocolates and fried food leads to pimples, medically supported studies have shown that the prime cause behind pimples is extreme stress or dead skin cells blocking the skin's pores.Fact : "Formation of pimples is an allergic reaction attributed to certain factors that the body is unable to process. It's basically an interaction between digestive fluids from the liver and the hormones in the body and when there is a clash between the two, excessive toxins and amino acids are pushed into the blood stream. These fats accelerate the growth of pimples. You will see very beautiful people who eat two bars of chocolate every day and still their skin keeps glowing," explains Walia.Myth #3: Drinking lots of water makes the skin beautifulExcess of anything is bad and the same holds true for this age-old belief that states that drinking lots of water makes the skin glow. Though water intake does contribute towards the betterment of our skin's texture, too much of it will only result in bloating and leading to several trips to the restroom.Fact : "Water helps flushing out the toxins from our body, but one need not go overboard. It's a good idea to go on a Detox program once in a week where you should ideally consume 4-5 litres of water and this can include a liquid diet of vegetable and fruit juices. When you are eating wrong, doing no exercise etc, then there can be radical damage that causes ageing and disease, as it is thinning the collagen in our skin, so the water enters the body only in a limited quantity," shares skin care expert Jamuna Pai.