Three years after her controversial statement was published on Preview, Dr. Vicki Belo remains firm about her stance on moisturizer. The celebrity doctor still doesn't recommend anyone to use it, especially in the Philippines where it's hot and humid.
However, it looks like her followers remain curious about her reasons. That's why when she was asked about it on her Tiktok account, the dermatologist to the stars explained her stance anew.
"Bakit ayaw niyo sa moisturizer?" a user asked Dr. Vicki. In response, the doctor emphasized that she does not recommend using it in the Philippines, and then went on to clarify why.
The doctor began by defining what moisturizer is, and differentiated it from a hydrator. "For me, moisturizer is usually a cream that's pretty heavy with a lot of oil and waxes. And when you put it on the face it kind of clogs your pores. A hydrator is something that absorbs water or keeps water in the skin," she explains.
This distinction between moisturization and hydration is important, because it means that Dr. Vicki does not discourage hydrating our skin with other products—she simply thinks we shouldn't add oil when there's already a surplus of it.
She continues, "In the Philippines, we have such strong humidity that it keeps the oil in our skin, so if you put another layer of oil, you clog your pores, and guess what happens? You get a white head which will then become a pimple."
"I've also noticed that a lot of cosmetic brands in their advertisements interchange moisturization and hydration. But as you can see, moisturization is oil, hydration is water."
In her original article, Dr. Vicki stated that the only time that we should use moisturizers is when we're traveling to a cold country, "where you can actually feel your face drying up." Otherwise, the doctor says that instead of "lubricating" with moisturizer, we should be exfoliating and hydrating our skin to get rid of dead skin cells and prevent dehydration. Noted!
Watch Dr. Vicki Belo's original video on Tiktok below:
