1. Soap is Bad for Your Skin.

误区一：香皂对皮肤有害。

Traditionally, soap was a mix of animal fats and fruit or vegetable oils. This combination has a high PH and is drying to skin, particularly to aging skin. These days, however, soaps are formulated¹ with synthetic² elements that are milder than traditional soap, and therefore suitable to cleanse³ skin. Most soaps have emollients(moisturisers) added, so they are beneficial for the skin. If you prefer the feeling cleansing⁴ with soap provides, don't let those purveyors of fine skincare bully⁵ you--there's nothing wrong with using soap.

传统上，香皂是动物脂肪和水果油或植物油的混合体。这种化合物的PH值很大，会令皮肤，尤其是老化皮肤，变得干燥。如今，香皂的配方中加入了较传统香皂更为温和的人工合成成分，因而适合清洁皮肤。大多数香皂都添加了润肤剂（润肤霜），所以对肌肤有益。如果你更喜欢用香皂洁肤的那种感觉，就不要让那些高档护肤品经销商们把你给喊住了——使用香皂一点儿问题都没有

2. Dry Skin Causes Wrinkles.

误区二：干燥皮肤造成皱纹。

Around eighty percent of lines and wrinkles are caused by the sun. The other twenty percent are the result of facial expressions such as smiling and frowning. If you smoke, the appearance of these wrinkles is accelerated. Also, as one ages the skin makes less natural oil and this makes the wrinkling more apparent. A moisturiser will help temporarily smooth away some early fine lines. Protect yourself from the sun, and you impede⁶ the development of fine lines. Remember, a tan is your skin's reaction to an injury.

约80%的条纹和皱纹是由阳光造成的。另外的20%则源自于微笑和皱眉等面部表情。如果你吸烟，这些皱纹就出现得更快。另外，随着一个人年龄的增长，皮肤分泌的天然油脂会减少，而这令皱纹更加明显。润肤霜会有助于暂时抚平一些早期细纹。避免让自己受到日晒，你就会抑制细纹发展。记住：晒黑就是你皮肤受损的反应。

3. It Can Be Too Late to Start Wearing Sunscreen.

误区三： 想要开始涂防晒霜时可能为时已晚。

The cumulative⁷ effect of the sun's rays causes a multitude of damage to skin, but it's never too late to start protecting skin from the sun. There is clinical evidence that once you start protecting the skin, it has the ability to repair itself. This repair is not going to happen overnight; it's a gradual process that can take a couple years to yield significant results. Do your skin a favour and start the day with a layer of sunscreen. And remember to wear sunscreen during the winter. Just because you don't feel the sun's rays, doesn't mean its harmful UVA and UVB rays are not penetrating⁸ your skin. If you can see shadows, you need to protect your skin.

日积月累的日晒会对皮肤造成严重损害，但是什么时候开始让皮肤避免日晒都不晚。临床证明，一旦你开始保护你的皮肤，它就拥有了自我修复能力。这种修复不会在一夜之间发生；它是一个循序渐进的过程，可能需要几年时间才产生显著效果。帮帮你的皮肤吧，涂上一层防晒霜再开始一天的生活。此外，在冬天也要记得涂防晒霜。就因为你感觉不到阳光，并不意味着有害的紫外线A和紫外线B不会渗透到你的皮肤中。如果你可以看到影子，你就需要保护你的皮肤。

4. Everyone needs Moisturiser.

误区四：人人都需要润肤霜。

According to dermatologists⁹, you only need a moisturiser if your skin experiences the following: redness, scaliness¹⁰ or itchiness. These symptoms are more frequently seen during the colder seasons. That everyone needs a moisturiser is a multimillion dollar myth the cosmetic¹¹ companies propagate in order to make you hand over your hard-earned cash.

根据皮肤科医生的说法，只有在你的肌肤出现以下状况时你才需要润肤霜：发红、多鳞或发痒。这些症状在天气更冷的季节更为常见。人人都需要润肤霜是化妆品公司花费数百万美元宣扬的一个神话，目的是为了让你掏出自己的血汗钱。

5. For Best Results You Should Stick to One Product Line.

误区五：为了达到最佳效果，你应坚持使用同一系列的产品。

Another fallacy promoted by sales reps. Certainly, you may love how all the products work together but using products from different lines won't kill you. Every cosmetics¹² line has products you should avoid because they contain irritating ingredients, inadequate¹³ amounts of sunscreen, or moisturisers that over-saturate the skin. Experiment and find the products that are right for you.

又是一个销售代表宣扬的谬论。当然了，你可能喜欢整套产品一起使用的效果，但使用不同系列的产品不会害死你。每个化妆品系列都拥有你该避免使用的产品，因为它们含有刺激性成分、含量不足的防晒成分或是过度滋润肌肤的润肤剂。要在适用后找出适合自己的产品。

6. Expensive Products are Better Because the Ingredients are Better.

误区六：贵的产品更好，因为成分更好。

Completely untrue. All cosmetics contain standard cosmetic ingredients. They can't contain anything else, as drugs do, or they would be regulated differently. The quality levels of cosmetic ingredients don't vary that much, and every company that buys cosmetic-grade ingredients all buy the same quality. Expensive cosmetics are predominantly all hype. Estée Lauder Crème de la Mer is a very costly¹⁴ cream that doesn't contain anything particularly extraordinary or unique, unless you want to believe that seaweed extract can be worth huge sums of money. Seaweed extract is neither a rare nor expensive ingredient. How expensive can it be to stick some seaweed extract, mineral oil, glycerine, plant oils, minerals and vitamins into a jar?

完全不属实。所有化妆品都含有化妆品所需的标准成分。它们不会像药品一样含有其它物质，否则它们会受到不同的管制。化妆品成分的质量等级相差不是很大，每家购进化妆品级原料的公司其所购物品的质量都是相同的。昂贵的化妆品基本上都是炒作。雅诗兰黛公司的“海洋之谜”是一款非常贵的面霜，不含任何非常特殊或是独特的成分，除非你愿意相信海藻萃取液能值很多钱。海藻萃取液是一种既非稀有也不昂贵的成分。将海藻萃取液、矿物油、甘油、植物油、矿物质和维生素塞在一个瓶子里能有多贵啊？

7. Eating Chocolate and Fried Foods Causes Bad Skin.

误区七：吃巧克力和油炸食品造成皮肤不健康。

No, it's not because I'm a chocoholic! Studies have shown that pimples¹⁵ are caused from factors such as extreme stress or dead skin cells blocking pores. However, eating fresh fruits and raw vegetables does promote a healthier complexion¹⁶ due to their vitamins and minerals.

并非如此，倒不是因为我是个巧克力狂！研究表明，粉刺是由承受极度压力或死皮细胞阻塞毛孔等因素所致。然而，食用新鲜水果和生蔬菜确实可以借由其所含的维生素和矿物质来促成一个更健康的肤色。

8 Frequent Trimmings Can Make Hair Grow Faster.

误区八：经常修发会使其长得更快。

Hair, whether it is cut or not, grows about half an inch per month. Hair does grow slightly faster in the summer, but that is due to hormones¹⁷ rather than the stylist's scissors. A worrying trend among young Chinese girls is to rub a paste made of crushed contraceptive pill into their scalp and hair. This does not lead to stronger, glossier¹⁸, faster growing hair. In fact, the hormones, while initially¹⁹ improving the condition of the hair, quichly lead to hair loss.

无论剪发与否，头发都会以每月约半英寸的速度生长。头发在夏季的确会生长得稍快一些，但那要归功于荷尔蒙而非发型师的剪刀。在年轻的中国女性中出现了一股令人堪忧的风尚，那就是将避孕药碾成粉末弄成糊涂到头皮和头发上。这不会令头发更加坚韧、更有光泽、长得更快。事实上，荷尔蒙虽然在最初会改善头发状况，但会迅速导致脱发。

9 Shaving Makes Hair Grow Back Darker and Coarser.

误区九：刮除毛发会令其长得更黑更粗糙。

As above. Cutting or shaving any hair on your body does not affect it growth. Repeat until nauseam.

如上段所述。修剪或刮除身上的任何毛发都不会影响其生长。可重复去做，直到厌倦为止。

10 You Can Get Rid Of Cellulite.

误区十：你可以摆脱桔皮组织。

The truth is, nothing can be done to permanently²⁰ eliminate cellulite--not even liposuction. The removal of cellulite remains²¹ one of the holy grails of cosmetic dermatology. It doesn't matter whether you're fat or thin, rich or poor, luck of the gene pool determines who will and won't get cellulite. Take heart though, you can, however, temporarily reduce its orange peel-like appearance. Specialist firming creams containing caffeine tighten²² and smooth the skin, while basic moisturisers will also work to hydrate and swell²³ the skin, making cellulite a little less obvious. Slap on a bit of fake tan to aid camouflage²⁴.

事实上，做什么都无法永久去除脂肪团（橘皮组织）——甚至吸脂也不行。去除脂肪团至今仍是皮肤美容学上的终极目标之一。它与你的胖瘦、贫富无关，基因库的随机性决定了谁会拥有或不会拥有脂肪团。尽管如此，但还是要振作起来，你可以暂时缓解皮肤呈橘皮状的现象。含有咖啡因的专业紧肤霜会紧致和平滑肌肤，而一般的润肤霜也会令皮肤吸入水分而丰盈，让脂肪团看起来稍微以晒黑霜来帮助掩饰。