PPR 01

Proficiency Practice
Reading
Ex.01
To cleanse or not to cleanse.... These days, that no longer is the question. Common sense
dictates that whatever comes to rest on the face in the course of the day- makeup, dirt, airborne
pollution, oil and sweat—needs to be removed regularly.

But while no one disputes the benefits of facial cleansing, everyone has a different raison
5 d'être. Question a group of experts on the ritual and you'll find that their philosophies on why
we cleanse and how best to accomplish it could fill a cosmetic version of "Rashomon."

Current thinking ranges from "cleansing does just what you think—removes dirt—no more"
to "cleansing is an integral part of skin care, preparing the face to take full advantage of
whatever additional products you apply." Some experts pooh-pooh the value of soap and
10 water; others claim these old reliables are the only things that can really break down surface
oils. Even cleansers and toners occasionally come under fire. One camp is convinced that
creamy cleansers clean the face gently; another maintains they leave a film on skin. For every
individual who believes toners work in tandem with cleansing, there's a naysayer who insists
they should be used only by very oily-skinned individuals. And as if all the brouhaha isn't
15 confusing enough, the act of cleansing itself is being scrutinized: Certain ingredients or
cleansing agents should never be used on the face, claim purists. It's not what you cleanse with
but how gently you treat skin, argues the opposition.

Who would have imagined, during all those times Mom took a bar of ivory and a washcloth to
our faces, that nearly 20 years later the art of cleansing would assume such complex— and
20 confusing—proportions. Maybe it's not so surprising, given that women in the United States
take facial cleansing to heart. For two years, experts at Chesebrough-Pond's conducted
intensive research on skin care, including interviews with more than 3,800 women. So serious
were the researchers that they even set up cameras in subjects' bathrooms to record real-life
daily skin-care regimes. What experts found was that the main skin-care concern among
25 women is whether one can achieve a "thorough cleansing" using a bar soap or a cleanser.

But pondering such issues may amount to so much hot water in the minds of some experts.
Surprisingly, no matter how or with what we cleanse, we can't counteract the effects of air
pollution on skin. "The important thing in terms of combating pollution is what you put on the
skin after cleaning to protect and treat it," explains John Penicnak, Ph.D., senior vice president,
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Proficiency Practice
Reading
Ex.01
30 Lancome Scientific Department. "Cleansers, which are meant to be removed from the face,
won't have the same kind of impact as a cream that remains on the skin."

In fact, zealously washing one's face may do more harm than good. American women are
obsessed with cleansing, which is why they often end up with irritated skin", adds Joseph
Gubernick, senior vice president/research and development for Origins Natural Resources,
35 Inc., who cautions against trying to offset the effects of air pollution by overcleansing. "Two,
or in some special cases three, cleansings a day are sufficient for most people. Washing 10 or
20 times a day definitely won't improve your complexion and probably will end up damaging
it."

A minimalist approach towards cleansing may be a woman's wisest choice. "The role of
40 cleansing in skin care is often hype", says Gubernick, whose company's four cleansers have
found their niche in the "specialist" rather than “skin-care” category. "A skin-care regimen
involves basic treatment, doing something from an active point of view to improve the
condition of the skin. Cleansers aren't therapeutic in any sense—they simply remove dirt,
makeup, and excess sebum [oil] from skin, much like shampoo takes dirt off hair." Nor are
45 cleansers, according to Origins' philosophy, part of the serious skincare business. They're
necessary, true, but the act of cleansing should be "fun and enjoyable", says Gubernick.
PPR 01
Proficiency Practice
Reading
Ex.01
Mark the best choice according to the information in the text.

1. Which title seems to be the best for the article?

a) To Cleanse or Not to Cleanse?
b) Interviews with Women.
c) The Minimalist Approach towards Cleansing.
d) The Modern Art of Cleansing.

2. Lines 2-3, "airborne pollution" is the pollution caused by,______________.

a) the air
b) sweat
c) make up
d) cream

3. Line 10. "others" refers to________________.

a) other additional products
b) surface oils
c) old reliables
d) other experts

4. Which is TRUE?
a) Washing the face more than three times a day is overcleansing which results in
irritated skin.
b) Cleansers are unnecessary, however, cleansing is enjoyable and fun.
c) Cameras were set up in subjects' bathrooms to check their daily diet.
d) At present the art of cleansing is very simple.
PPR 01
Proficiency Practice
Reading
Ex.01
ANSWER KEY

1. d

2. a

3. d

4. a