You’ve tried every trick written in the beauty Bibles. You wash your face before bedtime. Apply anti-aging cream to each wrinkle and switch skincare products so often that you are sure you’ve memorized proven ingredients of every brand by heart. However, the sad truth is that nothing works. Would you resort to drastic measures to make your skin smooth, soft, and radiant?
Once again, do you need a crazy amount of money to spend on complicated medical procedures? Hold it. What if the problem is the way you treat your skin? You’re probably unaware of the bad skincare habits you’ve picked up over the years. In this article, we’ve collected the most popular mistakes you need to stop making if you want to keep your skin healthy and young for a long time.
Now let’s find out what you’ve been doing wrong, starting with number one.
Too Often Facial Scrubs
You use facial scrubs too often. A facial scrub’s job is to exfoliate and cleanse your face. It’s an effective skincare procedure to slough away dead, flaky skin cells and reveal the smooth, healthier skin underneath. But how often should you use facial scrubs?
How can you tell if you’re exfoliating too much? Well, for a start, you’ll notice telltale signs like flakiness, dryness, stinging sensations and redness. In addition, you’ll notice that your skin is shiny, tight, and tingly. You had it, bad girl. The key to proper exfoliation depends on your skin type. For normal to combination skin, it is 3 times a week. For Oily skin, 5 times a week as per skin care routine. For sensitive skin once or twice a week.
Anti-aging expert, Dr. Aaron Taber also suggests avoiding facial scrubs that contain ground seeds or shells because the sharp edges can harm your skin. Instead of scrubs that can injure the upper layer of strip skin, the epidermis. Use chemical-based facial scrubs that’ll help you remove dirt from your pores.
Anti Wrinkle Cream
You use anti wrinkle cream and think it’s enough. Anti-aging creams can do wonders for your skin by reducing fine lines, wrinkles, and age spots. Unfortunately, the only way to get rid of wrinkles completely is to visit a plastic surgeon instead. Be proactive and delay the appearance of wrinkles for as long as possible by moisturizing your skin on a regular basis.
Dermatologist Robin Asinof, MD of Hackensack University Medical Center advises that prevention is the best medicine against skin aging. One of the best solutions to premature aging is staying out of the sun. Well, That’s practically impossible for most of us. So make it a habit to apply sunscreen, SPF 30 or higher on a daily basis before you leave home.
Yes, do this even when you’re not going to the beach.
Dry Face With A Towel
After washing and cleansing your face, you dry it with a towel. Um, of course you should dry your face after washing, but maybe you’re doing it the wrong way. Don’t dry your face by rubbing it with a towel. As this can damage your skin, you will irritate damaged skin and inflame your poor pimples. And force bacteria deep into your pores.
Shutter, gently pat your face with a towel and then let it air dry. Avoid using the nearest bath towel or kitchen towel. Use a special towel, preferably an organic cotton towel just for your face. Again, use this towel exclusively for your face and nothing else, and remember to change it regularly. Why?
Here’s a dirty secret. Dr. Susan Whittier, director of the Clinical Microbiology Lab at Columbia University Medical Center. Reveals that moist and damp towels are breeding grounds for Mesa. The Mayo Clinic describes MRSA (Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus) as an infection caused by staph bacteria.
So you’ll face a bigger problem than pimples in acne if you laze around in the hygiene department by not changing your face towel.
You Sleep With Your Hair Down
Hair contains a lot of dirt and grease that can damage the skin on your face thanks to the pollutants outside. It also has natural oils and chemicals from the haircare products you use every day, like shampoo, conditioner, and treatments. Once this potent mix touches your face, it can sink into your pores and cause breakouts.
Yikes. The solution is simple, although you might have a problem getting used to it. What is it? Sleep with your hair tied loosely enough to not cover your face. Don’t use elastic bands because they can damage your hair. Tie it up in a loose ponytail using a scrunchy. If you find a setup uncomfortable, wrap up your hair in a silk scarf.
Dirty Pillow and Pillowcase
You don’t pay attention to your pillow and pillowcase. It may seem unbelievable and ridiculous, but yep, your pillow and pillowcase can also cause pimples and acne. How? They can trigger acne mechanica, such futuristic terminology for an annoying skin problem. According to Dr. David E Bank, director and founder of the Center for Dermatology, Cosmetic and Laser Surgery, acne mechanica is a type of acne that comes from an object or material touching your face.
You can solve this problem by changing your pillowcase regularly, but. How often change it? Every two to three days or at least once a week. Can you escape this household chore by using a pillowcase made from a different material? Dr. Bank debunked this idea. He explained that even if your pillowcase is made of cotton, silk, or satin, if you don’t launder and replace it regularly, it can accumulate grime, dirt, and sweat.
Do yourself a favor. Don’t let a dirty pillowcase touch your face.
Ignore Clay Masks
You ignore clay masks. This is one of the most underrated skincare treatments. It can feel heavy on your skin, but it has loads of benefits. Dr. Edward. (Ted) Lane, a dermatologist based in Austin, Texas, declares that clay masks contain drying, fast, stringent, and anti-inflammatory properties for radiant skin that can reduce blemishes, redness, and inflammation.
They tighten your skin, minimize acne, and refine pores. Remove impurities and reduce eye bags and puffiness for glowing skin. It truly detoxifies your skin. There are different clay face masks made for different skin types. Use kaolin and clay for normal skin types as it’s the mildest of all clay masks. If you have sensitive skin, switch to Rose Clay, which keeps your skin hydrated while also removing dirt and oil. For oily skin, it’s better to use French green clay as it absorbs excess oil revealing a smooth and healthy complexion.
Don’t Eat Healthy Foods
You don’t eat foods that keep your skin healthy.
This is good nutrition and the natural way to get radiant and healthy skin instead of gobbling up medicines that can have side effects. It’s not only good for your skin, but also for your body to give you an idea of which foods to eat. Here are some healthy skin routine and items you can add to your grocery list –
- Broccoli reduces swelling and skin redness after sun exposure,
- Tomatoes and apricots protect you from the sun’s harmful UV rays, while also giving you a slight tan.
- Carrots and peaches can be a substitute for sunbathing if you eat them on a regular basis.
- Fatty fish, which is a source of omega-3 fatty acids. It keeps your skin supple and moisturized,
- Red and yellow bell peppers can help keep your skin firm and strong.
- Soy improves skin elasticity, keeping it smooth and healthy.
- Dark chocolate helps your skin to be thicker and more hydrated, and it also acts as a sunscreen.
Hide Your Problems
You hide your problems instead of solving them. We’re still talking about skin problems here. In case you got confused. Why? What were you thinking about? If you have a bad habit to use concealers all the time, you probably need to see a doctor who can help you solve your skin problems. They will tell you which skincare treatments are suitable for you. Do you practice any of these bad habits yourself?
