5 common skincare mistakes that damage your skin
We all dream of having flawless skin... And when we want to improve our skin, the first place we look is towards a proper skincare routine. But it takes more than just buying great products to reach our goal of healthy, beautiful skin because even the best products will not work - or even do harm - if they are not suitable for your skin type or if you are using them wrong.
Read on for some of the most common skincare errors and how to avoid them.
1. Over-exfoliating
Over-exfoliating is definitely one of the most common skincare mistakes.
The skin produces oils that keep it healthy and hydrated. Over-exfoliation can strip your face of what it needs to maintain a healthy, glowing complexion. Classic signs that you are over-exfoliating are irritation, redness, or inflamed skin. Your skin can also become dry and develop an uneven texture or a blotchy tone.
Your skin constantly sheds dead cells on its own. Depending on your skin type, the skin should be exfoliated only one to two times per week to help expedite skin cell turnover without causing damage. But not only the frequency but also how you exfoliate can cause harm to the skin barrier. You should therefore avoid an aggressive application of exfoliators and stop using exfoliators with harsh or stripping ingredients.
2. Sleeping with make-up on
We are sure you have heard this a hundred times already. But we cannot stress this enough: Take off your make-up every night before you go to bed! Yes, every night. Even on those nights when you come home late after a fun party with your friends and all you want to do is fall into bed right away.
The list of reasons why you should never be too lazy to properly cleanse your skin before going to bed is long. Sleeping with your makeup on can lead to premature aging, collagen degradation, acne flare-ups, and dry or irritated skin!
Leaving your eye makeup on overnight can even lead to eye infection.
With that in mind, be nice to your skin and never go to bed with makeup on!
3. Not wearing sunscreen daily
There are still many people that believe that they only need to apply sunscreen during the summer months or at the beach. This is wrong!
The sun is one of the biggest environmental factors that harm your skin. It is the main reason for premature aging of the skin (photoaging). In addition to contributing to fine lines, wrinkles and sagging skin, sun damage can also trigger hyperpigmentation, dark spots and, in the worst case, skin cancer. Therefore, if you want to avoid photo-aging, you should apply sunscreen all year round – even on cloudy or rainy days.
4. Washing your face with very hot or cold water
Face cleansing should be the first step of every skincare routine. It is not only important to choose the right cleansing product for your skin type, but also to use the right water temperature. Some people experience a feeling of tension after cleansing their faces. While this can have several reasons, one might be the temperature of the water. Hot water strips the skin of its natural moisturizing oils and dries it out. This can lead to issues with your skin barrier function. Also, common skin conditions like rosacea and atopic dermatitis can be triggered or worsened by hot temperatures.
Washing your face with cold water can have some benefits like reducing skin puffiness. However, cold water might not cleanse your face of bacteria and pollutants as effectively as washing it with warmer water.
Therefore, the most ideal water temperature for face washing is lukewarm.
5. Ignoring your neck, decolletage, and hands
Most of us spend a lot of time on skincare for our faces but neglect the neck, decolletage, and hands. However, these delicate areas get a lot of sun exposure too. On top of that, the neck, chest, and hands contain fewer sebaceous glands than the face does, meaning it produces less oil. Because of that, these areas show some of the first visible signs of aging. For that reason, they need just as much care as your face.
There are many products on the market that are specifically designed for your chest and neck. However, it is perfectly fine to use the same regimen for your face, neck, and chest as long as the products used do not have drying ingredients in them. For your hands, just use your favorite hand balm. Another important tip is not to limit the application of your sunscreen to your face, but to use it on all exposed areas of your body.