As patients are greatly interested in skin aesthetics, they often come across information about the skin that lacks scientific evidence. It is important to be able to distinguish truths from myths. This ability is crucial not only for patients but for doctors so they can provide accurate diagnosis and treatment. In this series, Dr. Won-serk Kim, Professor of Dermatology, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Kangbuk Samsung Medical Center, will discuss medical facts related to popular beliefs or myths about the skin. We hope this series will help the clinical practice of our readers.
Lately, an injection procedure with strange nicknames of ‘white jade injection,’ or ‘Cinderella injection’ is becoming popular. This treatment intravenously injects large doses of various substances thought to be beneficial to the skin.
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Ingredients of the injection include various vitamins and extracts with anti-inflammatory and antioxidative actions. In a way, this injection has been overly commercialized and its effect has been exaggerated. However, it is true that the skin can benefit from various nutrients that are ingested, applied or injected, etc.
Historically, scientific facts and popular myths about the relationship between food and diseases coexist in all societies. Especially, Koreans have strong beliefs about particular foods being the cause or treatment of a disease. For example, many people seem to believe that eating chocolate, greasy food or salt, etc. exacerbates acne. As with the belief that greasy food increases cholesterol and causes a heart disease, this belief has deep roots in the minds of the people. Dermatologists and doctors specializing in aesthetic medicine should be familiar with popular myths related to the skin and provide accurate information to patients.
In short, there is limited data regarding the effect of certain foods or nutrients on the aesthetic improvement of the skin. Studies on this topic generally involve subjects without nutritional deficiencies. Therefore, I would like to briefly review the scientific evidence and research data on the effect of vitamins and minerals that are easily ingestible in the form of health supplements.
-To be continued-
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