Member-only story
Can You Really Detox Your Skin?
Often, we hear of celebrities trying out a new cleanse or detox to lose weight and “get healthier.” There was a lot of controversy surrounding the Master Cleanse made famous by Beyonce when she lost 20 lbs. for her movie “Dreamgirls” because she only drank a mix of hot water, lemon juice, maple syrup, and cayenne pepper for two weeks (via Diets In Review). Registered dietitian Rachael Hartley told Insider, “Our body is able to cleanse or detox itself by using normal bodily functions,” so there is no need to take the extra step to cleanse or detox the body. While such drastic cleanses might help you lose weight quickly, it has disadvantages, and no one really needs to go on an intense detoxing cleanse. Detoxes aren’t sustainable, and you’re not getting enough nutrients, so you’re just going to feel weaker, and usually, the lost weight comes back again.
Similar to detoxing the body, skin detox is pretty popular nowadays, with beauty aisles filled with products and ingredients that claim to help detox your skin. On a day-to-day basis, our skin surface deals with pollution, makeup, and sweat; all the fancy “detoxing” products can help cleanse your skin and unclog pores for healthier-looking skin but they mostly work on the surface, per Allure. But do these treatments also help remove toxins from the skin, which is what detoxing actually means? Here’s what the medical professionals have to say…