On the occasion of Eid-e-Milad, we like to celebrate by discussing his teaching with all and holding night-long prayers and processions. What we also do on occasions such as these, is try to help those we care about with their problems by offering solutions, which sometimes even extends to Skin and Hair issues.

Skin and Hair Advice: Does it work for all?

While offering help is a much appreciated quality, we must remember that we do not know how the other person’s problem is different from ours and that this can potentially cause the problem to become much worse. In other words, we might end up doing more damage when our intention was simply to help the person out.

How can something as small as offering solutions to someone create problems you ask? Let’s have a look:

• Cause of problem: When we share stories about similar skin problems with others, we often only discuss about the symptoms and not the causeEither because one of us is unaware of the cause, or because we don’t understand the importance of it.Overall, we tend to neglect the root cause of the issue.This poses as a problem because some conditions that appear to be similar on the surface are actually completely different conditions.To understand this point better, let’s take a simple example. Dehydration makes the skin look flaky and rough, leading many to believe it is a case of dry skin(1). Though applying moisturizers and keeping the skin hydrated does help, the individual has to be told to drink plenty of water, which only a professional would be able to point out accurately.

• Skin type: Sometimes, though the problem is the same, the way you address the problem depends on your skin type. Let’s say we are looking at a case of acne, you and your friend have different skin types.This will be a problem because how you treat acne with dry skin is different from how you’d treat acne with oily skin. Though neither of the skin types causes acne, a balance has to be maintained between both extremes.While oily skin needs to be controlled to not secrete too much oil and make your acne worse by clogging your pores (2), dry skin needs to be moisturized to not trigger more breakouts of acne (3).

Also read: Skin Conditions by Skin Type: A guide

• You might be misinformed: All of us, at some point in our lives, have been believing rumors about something or the other. The same applies for skincare tips.We might have heard a piece of information from a friend or a relative that we believe to be true, which we pass on to others. One common example is asking someone with Vitamin D deficiency to go out in the Sun more.Though it is true that the Sun is a source of Vitamin D, it is also equally harmful for your skin. Exposing your skin to the sun for prolonged periods of time can cause problems such as wrinkles and age spots(4). There are better and less harmful ways of addressing this problem, such as taking Vitamin D supplements.

It is important to ensure that we have all the information we need before providing suggestions to someone about skin care tips. It’s very common that we merely listen to another person’s advice and pass it onto someone with similar problems, not having gained any proof substantiating the same.

Thus, on this day of Eid Milad un Nabi, let’s spread knowledge by providing the right information to others. If we are unsure of how to help our friends or family, it’s better to ask them to seek the help of a dermatologist. That is sure to help them address their issue in the right way. Eid Mubarak to all!