Are You Washing Wrong?.. Dermatologists Reveal Five Common Mistakes to Avoid!
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Excessive exfoliation, hot water washing, and using too many disposable tissues are some of the biggest mistakes people make when washing their face.
These methods can break down your skin’s natural barrier, drying it out and clogging your pores.
MailOnline spoke to dermatologists to find out what to avoid when it comes to cleanliness of the face.
excess product
From using charcoal face masks to moisturizing your face with petroleum jelly, social media is full of skin-clearing tips.
But following these trends may not be the best way to maintain a healthy glow.
Dermatologists warn that too many steps using many different chemicals can strip your skin of its natural oils, leaving it inflamed and dry.
Just because a famous person has recommended a product doesn’t mean it will work for your skin.
Dr. Penelope Brazzo, Consultant Dermatologist and spokesperson for the British Skin Foundation, said: “The most common skincare mistake people make is that they tend to over-complicate it. People like to follow the latest skincare trends according to social media recommendations. often lead to difficult regimens that may not be suitable for their skin and cause skin irritation. But there is no universal approach to skin care. Your skincare needs to be unique and match your skin type.”
“Don’t feel like you have to follow a certain regimen because someone famous recommended it,” she added.
Dr. Salome Dharamchi, a Birmingham-based dermatologist in private practice, believes that “less is more” and suggests sticking to a simple procedure such as two to four steps.
She said wash your face in the morning, apply moisturizer and sunscreen. Wash your face twice at night, remove makeup, and then gently wash again to make sure your skin is clean and moisturized.”
Stop rubbing
Another common mistake people make is over-cleansing their skin.
While exfoliation will remove dead skin cells, oil, and dirt to help keep your skin looking flawless, experts say it will also remove healthy cells from your skin.
This can lead to irritability, just like sticking to a regimen that is too hard.
“I’m not a fan of physical facial peels because they are often painful and cause irritation, dryness, or blisters,” Brazzo said.
Instead, she recommends using chemical exfoliators such as glycolic acid and retinol. Within about 10 minutes, these agents gently exfoliate the skin, with noticeable results within two weeks.
She added: “Microfiber face towels are said to be gentler on the skin and help exfoliate for people with sensitive skin. Therefore, it may be beneficial for you to wear make-up to remove it at the end of the day.”
Dr. Dharamshi agrees that a microfiber cloth is just as good an exfoliator as a soft sponge.
Excessive washing
According to dermatologists, washing your face twice a day is the optimal amount.
Keep it in the morning and evening just to remove dirt and grease and get rid of stains.
But if you start trying to scrub it more, you can end up with dry, irritated, or even flaky skin.
Dharamshi explained that excessive washing causes not only dryness but also pimples.
She said: “Excessive washing of the face increases the secretion of sebum, which is one of the causes of acne.”
It can also damage the skin barrier, causing redness and dry skin.
Dermatologists recommend therapeutic moisturizing treatments if you suffer from flare-ups of eczema.
For normal skin types, Dr. Pratso advises, “Follow the same principles, starting with day and night, cleansing with a cleanser that’s right for your skin type, and ending with a suitable moisturizer.”
hot water
If you are using hot water, you can lower the temperature slightly.
Using too hot or too cold water can dry out the skin excessively, which in turn can lead to excessive sebum production, making it oily and blotchy as a result.
“The water has to be warm, and people often use very hot or very cold water. If the water is too hot, it can damage the skin, cause redness, and dry out the skin. It also damages the skin barrier.” – Dharamshi said. According to experts, warm water is the perfect balance for washing your face.
And while some people use hot water to open their pores and then cold water to close them, Dharamshi says it doesn’t really help.
She went so far as to say that it was technically impossible to open the pores.
Since your pores are not muscles, they cannot open and contract, so there is little benefit to doing so.
But others say there is some logic to it.
Dharamshi explains that when you splash warm water on your face, it simply dilutes the sebum, i.e. the oil on your face, allowing it to slide off your face.
Similarly, splashing cold water on your face causes your muscles to contract, making your skin tight, but your pores don’t shrink.
Throw away the tissues
Facial wipes can be handy as they seem to clean your face in seconds.
But leather experts aren’t fans of this product, which sells for pennies on the high street.
Disposable face wipes are good at removing make-up, but they are not designed for daily face washing.
In fact, if you don’t have anything else to wash with that day, using water may be better than using pre-made wipes, dermatologists warn.
This is because wet wipes are not effective at removing all the dirt, makeup, and sebum left behind from the day’s problems.
If dirt remains on the face, over time it can lead to clogged pores, acne, and irritation from products left on the skin.
Source: Daily Mail