Skin 101

 Never wear makeup to bed

You must have heard this a ton and read it in almost every skincare blog, and that's how bad it is to wear your makeup to bed. Makeup sits on the outermost layer of the skin, and when it sits there for as long as the entire day and night, it starts to clog the pores. Once the pores are blocked, you increase the probability of facing multiple problems, from skin breakouts, rashes, rosacea flair-ups, and increased acne. Give your skin a gift and make sure you remove all your makeup each night; it will also shave a few years of your appearance!  Remember your body is renewing itself when you rest, including your skin, so let your face have the best night ever and add your serums too!

Avoid over-drying oily skin

Oily skin needs love too. Please stop over-drying your skin with harsh cleansing products. You have been given incorrect information, saying you have to dry out your skin’s natural sebum; this myth is wrong for so many reasons. Our skin produces sebum which has a multitude of benefits. It protects us from harsh environments, makes us less prone to skin irritations, provides a good supply of vitamin E, and prevents bacteria from invading other layers of our skin. The best choice is balance.

Be sure to give it time to balance by being consistent with your routine; no more jumping around from product to product and overstimulating your skin. 

More the better

It is unnecessary to have a twenty-step skincare routine or hoard a closet full of the latest beauty products. It’s not the number of products that counts; it’s choosing the right products for your current skin conditions and making sure they create healthy changes in your skin. 

 If you’re starting with a new line, or perhaps you need a change, it’s best to start with a few products and slowly add additional when necessary. This way, you experience a visible difference with your new products and get used to a new routine. 

Picking at your skin

I know how tempting it is to pick at your skin when an unfortunate pimple shows up, but try to keep your hands away as much as possible. It worsens the appearance of your skin and can also leave permanent scars and spread bacteria around your face. 

 

Over exfoliating

While your skin barrier is quite good at its job, it can also be easily compromised. While stress, pollution, and UV exposure contribute to damage, a lot of the damage comes from over-exfoliating and stripping your skin of its natural oils with overuse of things like harsh chemically based acids, too many chemical peels, sulfate laden cleansers, and excessive retinoid use.  

Most people can tolerate a balance of these products in their skincare routine, and when a product is formulated correctly, they certainly offer benefits.  

Here’s an example of how someone might overdo it:

You use a high dose of retinol every night without giving your skin a break; when your cleansers, toners, and moisturizers all contain harsh acids as their active ingredient and then are layered over your skin again in the morning this creates an unbalanced barrier. 

A damaged skin barrier can express itself in various ways, but at the core of the issue is water loss. The good news is, it’s pretty easy to spot! If you’re curious about what to look t it often appears dry and flakey, can be itchy or painful, and feel rough to the touch.

Breakouts and inflamed, red skin might also indicate that your skin barrier is damaged. Also, if your skin is burning and stinging when applying non-active products, that’s a pretty good sign your skin is compromised.

When healing your skin barrier, less is more. Take a couple of weeks off of active ingredients like harsh acids chemical peels, and retinoids. Especially avoid products with harsher chemicals designed to treat acne, exfoliate, or help with aging skin. We highly recommend using moisturizers that contain ceramides to help restore and replenish.

Once you’re ready to add an active back in or try a new product, go slow and introduce one at a time. Give it three to four weeks before adding more, especially if you have sensitive skin.