Jade Rollers, Sheet Masks And More, Paula Begoun Tells You What Really Works For Your Skin

The bevvy of skincare treatments are many and all of them promise the same thing - flawless, blemish-free and dewy skin on your D-day.

But do they really work? Or which one should you opt for? If these are the questions on your mind, here's help. 'Cosmetics Cop' Paula Begoun, who is best known for her investigative beauty journalism and the brand Paula's Choice, tells us if the trending beauty treatments really work.

'I’ve never advocated “simple” skin care because what you use depends on your skin concerns. If you have acne, rosacea, sun damage, wrinkles, clogged pores, dry skin, oily skin, combination skin and on and on what you use varies and can be complicated (especially for many of us who have more than one concern). Age is not a skin type. If you are 20 and have dry skin what you use doesn’t differ if you have dry skin at 50 or 60. The essential ingredients for skin everyone need at any age. Think of it like your diet, what’s healthy for your body is the same regardless of your age. Skin is merely the largest organ of the body and what it needs is the same for everyone. The differences depend on the type of concerns you have and the level of damage you have,' she says.

So, here are her research-based answers on our burning beauty questions:

Brides Today: Gua’sha, Jade Rollers or Microneedling – Do they really work? Please explain.

Paula Begoun: Jade rollers are useless for any skincare benefit but if you use it very gently and with minimal pressure they might feel nice. Other than that there is no independent research showing any of the magical claims jade rollers are possible. However, it’s important to keep in mind that if you overdo it and use jade rollers with too much pressure they pose the same problems as massage or facial exercises do: if you see your skin move, up or down or sideways, you are stretching and eventually breaking skin’s support structures (collagen and elastin). Although you can use jade rollers without damaging skin there is no independent research anywhere showing any of the claims for its magical properties are remotely possible.

Gua’sha is truly one of the worse skin care treatments I’ve seen in a while. I have no words for how terrible it is for skin because it’s so easy to overdo and increase the risk of damage. Gua’sha almost instantly generates inflammation (check out the videos where the model’s skin is clearly turning red during the process: that’s inflammation, not healthy blood flow—healthy blood flow should not show up as red on any part of your body). What we think of as aging skin is mostly about inflammation from many sources the sun, pollution, the unhealthy foods we eat, but also the skincare products or routines we do that inflame skin because they contain irritating ingredients or are harsh and abrasive on the skin.

The main claims about microneedling are that it enhances the penetration of skincare ingredients. Although there is some research showing microneedling can help deliver topical prescription ingredients into the skin this doesn’t apply to traditional skincare ingredients. But even if microneedling could help skincare ingredients penetrate better it does so by injuring the skin and doing that on a regular basis damages skin and makes it more vulnerable to dryness and environmental damage. It’s also important to keep in mind that when it comes to skincare ingredients they penetrate based on their molecular structure or the delivery of the product system. Plus, not all skincare ingredients need to penetrate deeply into the skin. A brilliant skincare product contains ingredients that interact with varying layers of skin. If everything absorbed deeply it wouldn’t be where skin needs it most.

BT: Do you use sheet masks? Which one is your favourite?

PB: NEVER! Sheet masks are a total waste of time and money!  These fibre, rubber, gel, bamboo, or cloth-like masks are saturated with skincare ingredients that you’re supposed to leave on your face for a rather long period of time (some recommend between 20 and 40 minutes every day), with the claim that they allow the ingredients to penetrate better than other types of masks or products but they aren’t true.

Sheet masks don’t help ingredients absorb better. As I mentioned above skincare ingredients absorb into skin based primarily on their molecular size, and sheet masks don’t change an ingredient’s molecular size. However, even if sheet masks could help ingredients penetrate better, you don’t need every ingredient to absorb to the same level. The best products are formulated with some ingredients that remain on the surface, others that absorb a bit more, and others that absorb even deeper to repair skin cells. Bottom line: there isn’t any research showing that sheet masks work better than traditional masks or just using brilliant skincare products.

BT: According to you, what are the good skin habits that are so underrated?

PB: The need for using a gentle, soothing, effective facial cleanser. The essential need for daily use of a sunscreen with SPF 30 or greater.

BT: Having battled acne issues yourself, what is your take on the current slew of instant acne hacks on social media – Retinol, Microdermabrasion, anti-pollution skincare, Glutathione.

PB: Microdermabrasion is bad for the skin. When you constantly wound skin you impede healing and cause the surface of the skin to become impaired. Pollution doesn’t cause acne (if it did everyone in polluted cities would have acne and that certainly isn’t the case). Anti-pollution products (those loaded with antioxidants) are important for skin and reduce inflammation which is helpful for all aspects of skin but they don’t directly stop acne. Retinol is a great anti-acne/anti-wrinkle ingredient with 50 years of research behind it, but for acne, it works best in combination with a BHA product (salicylic acid).

Glutathione is an important antioxidant and there is some research showing it can be helpful for acne, however, there is no research showing it works better than other potent antioxidants (of which there are many). The gold standard for treating acne starts with BHA, next would be BHA and a product containing benzoyl peroxide. Perhaps the best “hack” is not using any irritating skincare products or tools which inflame and damage skin and risk making acne worse.

BT: Do you believe in the adage- you are what you eat? If so, how do you practice it?

PB: The research makes it a 100% clear that an unhealthy diet, along with other unhealthy lifestyle choices such as smoking, exposure to second-hand smoke, not using daily sun protection, using irritating and skin-damaging skincare products) causes skin aging and skin disease. It’s that simple.

I only eat low-fat meat and fish, big green salads loaded with fresh vegetables, no overcooked vegetables, no processed foods, no sugar of any kind (they are no healthy sugars), no charcoal foods, low fat (and only small amounts of healthy fats), low carbs (and only carbs with a high fibre content).

BT: What is the 3 skincare advice you wish you could give your younger self?

PB: Sunscreen! Sunscreen! Sunscreen!

BT: What is your go-to beauty look that can be done in 5 minutes when you are rushing to a shindig?

PB: For daytime, it never takes me more than 5 minutes to get my makeup on, but for going out at night to a fancy party and I’m wearing an evening outfit then I do everything and it takes a lot longer than 5 minutes! Putting on my eye design along (which for me includes false eyelashes) takes at least 5 to 10 minutes!