To quote Emily Dickinson, “Beauty is not caused. It is.” Having been mired in the health field throughout my entire professional life, I am often intrigued at the measures people endure to attain a desired appearance. But do the actions pursued actually result in the desired outcomes? Let’s examine some of the more common beauty myths and distinguish fact from fiction.

Myth: If you shave, your hair will grow back thicker and darker.
Throughout history, there has been any number of misconceptions about shaving. Perhaps one of the more common misconceptions is that shaving will cause hair to grow back darker and thicker. The fact is, shaving has no bearing on the growth rate, color or density of hair. However, shaving may change the appearance of hair on the body. As a person shaves, hair is cut at the base, causing the widest part to grow out first, resulting in a thicker, stubbly appearance. As hair continues to grow from its root, it may continually lighten. The lighter color may be a result of the effects of the sun, skin care products or genetic programming, but the diameter of hair is not changed.

Myth: Applying petroleum jelly to your skin will prevent wrinkles.
How many times have you heard people say that they rub petroleum jelly on their face when going to bed to prevent or remove wrinkles? Because petroleum jelly is a potent moisturizer, it helps prevent oils in the skin from evaporating. When oil evaporates, skin becomes dry and dry skin causes a person to have an older appearance. By adding moisture in the form of petroleum jelly to the skin, wrinkles become less apparent. However, petroleum jelly does not remove or prevent wrinkles. If you want to have wrinkles removed or reduced, try using retinol, which is essentially Vitamin A. When applied to the surface of the skin, it penetrates to the lower layers where collagen and elastin reside. Retinol can be effective in adding moisture and improving the elasticity of the skin, thereby smoothing wrinkles.

Myth: Brushing 100 strokes per day will make your hair healthy.
It has been said that brushing your hair 100 strokes at a time will cause natural body oils to be secreted from the scalp. Thus, the act of brushing will spread the oil on to each hair strand straight to the tips. However, brushing 100 strokes does more harm than good. Excessive brushing causes the protective covering of the hair to roughen, possibly resulting in matting and tangles. Light brushing using a natural-bristle brush is effective at removing dirt and product build-up as well as distributing excess oil along the shaft of the hair.

Myth: Certain foods, such as sweets and fried foods, cause acne.
I remember growing up as a teenager and being told to avoid chocolate and oily foods such as pizza because these foods would cause my skin to break out in pimples. Truth be told, the foods you eat and beverages you drink have little, if any, affect on acne. Acne results from rising hormone levels during puberty, when the sebaceous glands enlarge and produce more sebum. Other factors related to the cause of acne include stress, heredity and genetics.

Some people believe that if pimples do appear, the best way to make them go away is to squeeze them. This is a myth. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, popping or squeezing pimples will cause healing to be unnecessarily extended, leading to scarring. To treat pimples, wash your face with warm water and apply a cream which contains benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid.

Another myth regarding the treatment of acne is to tan. While oily skin can dry out from tanning and thus make acne less visible, the acne is not removed or prevented. Tanning may cause acne to turn into facial scars. Of course, the impact of tanning is very well documented as it relates to the development of skin cancer.

Myth: Developing a base tan will protect the skin from sun exposure in the future.
Follow this simple thought: If your skin develops a color other than the color with which you were born, you may have been unnecessarily exposed to the harmful rays of the sun. Increased frequency and length of sun exposure creates a cumulative effect, thereby promoting the risk of developing skin cancer. Developing a base tan does not protect you from subsequent sun exposure and harm.

Beauty is the result of your being and not necessarily your actions. Enjoy the beauty within you.

Dr. Philip Heit is Professor Emeritus of Physical Activity and Educational Services at The Ohio State University.