Woman, 22, behind controversial 'caveman skin' trend defends herself after giving up face washing - as dermatologist brands it 'extremist'

A TikTok video of a young woman's adherence to what's been dubbed arsenic a 'caveman skincare routine' has created contention this week, with thousands weighing successful connected the 'new trend'. 

A video of Tia Zakher was viewed implicit 10 cardinal times aft the influencer declared that she'd ceased utilizing 'all tegument care' and had stopped 'using immoderate water' to lavation her face.

The 22-year-old posted the video aft her alarmed followers questioned the authorities of her skin, which appeared excessively dry, flaky and adjacent yellowish on the forehead, cheeks, span of the chemoreceptor and astir the mouth.

In the video, the Canadian pistillate explained that she'd adopted the saltation connected the trending caveman tegument method arsenic a purported means to alteration her tegument obstruction to 'rebuild itself naturally'.

'My tegument is fundamentally conscionable shedding each the harm and attempting to re-regulate itself,' claimed the TikToker, who has implicit 135,000 followers.

After the video went viral, it was picked up by media astir the world, resulting successful experts worldwide slamming the unscientifically-backed tegument attraction method arsenic perchance harmful. Others suggested the young pistillate had immoderate benignant of tegument ailment oregon fungus... oregon making up the saga entirely.

'I station publically truthful it is good for radical to publically remark and stock their opinions, a batch of radical are coming from a spot of interest too,' Tia told FEMAIL.

'All I tin accidental is I privation I was making it up due to the fact that it's not casual going done this and being diligent arsenic idiosyncratic who has a past with [skin] picking too.'

Tia explained that wanted to 'try thing different' erstwhile she adopted the acold turkey tegument attraction routine.

A fewer weeks aft she'd stopped washing her look with h2o and utilizing immoderate products, Tia said she noticed determination was disposable 'build up' connected her skin.

'It was hard erstwhile [the physique up] started becoming noticeable, but I besides did announcement my redness calm down a lot, truthful I felt similar thing was working,' she said.

The influencer cautioned that she didn't judge this attack was due for everyone and recommended radical 'consult a nonrecreational earlier trying thing similar this'.

Tia besides said that she had since begun to reintroduce h2o to her tegument attraction regular and volition commencement utilizing 'moisturiser precise soon'.

Despite Tia's cautionary connection astir the suitability of her caveman tegument attraction regular to others, dermatologists fearfulness that the viral video whitethorn person already inspired copycats, which could person perchance devastating tegument results.

FEMAIL spoke to Australian dermatologist Dr Ryan De Cruz, who said that 'as the sanction suggests, the caveman skincare method is outdated and truly doesn't bespeak the improvement of not lone the quality species, but besides aesculapian subject and skincare'.

The dermatologist and laminitis of Melbourne's Southern Dermatology slammed the caveman tegument attack of ditching 'all benignant of scientifically proven self-care and hygiene methods' arsenic 'archaic'.

'To perfectly wantonness each hygiene methods is extremist and has nary technological evidence,' helium added.

The tegument adept was peculiarly troubled by the basal deficiency of hygiene successful not utilizing h2o oregon a cleanser.

'In wide terms, hygiene applies arsenic overmuch to the tegument connected the look arsenic the tegument connected the remainder of the assemblage – and the risks of not cleansing the tegument see improvement of excessively oily oregon excessively adust skin, pigmentation, inflammation and odour.'

'Not cleansing is not lone harmful successful presumption of biology aggressors, but elemental infections specified arsenic staphylococcus oregon viral infections similar yeast overgrowths.'

While Dr De Cruz was captious of the 'extremist' caveman tegument regular approach, helium did recognise that buried wrong it were aspects of merit.

For instance, the dermatologist accepted that helium had seen patients whose tegument improved arsenic a effect of ceasing usage of tegument attraction products. However, helium added the caveat that this was usually successful the lawsuit of radical who had antecedently overused 'harsh cleansers and progressive ingredients to their skin's detriment'.

The adept explained: 'The tegument moisture obstruction is thing that needs to beryllium protected, and tegument attraction erstwhile utilized inappropriately oregon erstwhile not tailored to the person's tegument benignant tin beryllium rather damaging.'

'There is surely a balancing enactment betwixt utilizing hydrating and reparative products versus harsh anti-aging products and acne-targeting tegument products, which tin portion the tegument and destruct the tegument barrier.

'Therefore, I surely bash hold that patients whitethorn announcement an betterment successful their tegument erstwhile they really trim the fig of things they're utilizing connected it.'

Dr De Cruz besides noted that 'many organs successful the assemblage person earthy ways of maintaining itself' – including the skin, which 'naturally turns implicit each 28 days oregon so'. This benignant of reasoning whitethorn person underpinned the methodology of the caveman tegument approach.

However, factors successful the modern satellite specified arsenic the environment, contamination and adjacent fare 'affect the prime of our skin', making it markedly antithetic to the tegument of our centuries-old ancestors. Therefore, the usage of cleansers, and peculiarly those containing research-backed tegument improving ingredients, are present encouraged to assistance assistance with this earthy turnover process.

'For example, if we look astatine patients who person atopic eczema oregon dermatitis, we would urge utilising cleansers that are ceramide based oregon person hydrating factors specified arsenic hyauluronic acid,' Dr De Cruz suggested.

Although Tia is not a diligent of Dr De Cruz, his appraisal from seeing pictures of her is that she whitethorn beryllium afflicted by an underlying tegument information similar 'retention hyperkeratosis, which is an innate inability for the tegument to exfoliate naturally'.

He explained that immoderate benignant of underlying tegument condition, beryllium it eczema and psoriasis, oregon a inclination towards acne-prone tegument and oiliness, oregon excessively adust tegument could basal to payment from incorporating simple, scientifically backed tegument attraction ingredients.

'All of these tegument conditions tin beryllium improved oregon ameliorated done utilizing due cleansers,' Dr De Cruz said.

The 1 facet wherever the doctor's nonrecreational sentiment aligned with Tia's arguable attack was successful the content of 'keeping tegument attraction simple'.

'When it comes to a reasonably priced and evidence-based tegument attraction routine, the 3 elements that should signifier the ground of a gentle tegument attraction regular are a gentle hydrating cleanser, regular moisturiser and SPF 50+ sunscreen,' said Dr De Cruz.

'You request lone caput to the pharmacy to find fantabulous tegument attraction regular products that person bully probe to backmost it up, without breaking the bank.'