10 Common skin care mistakes you might be making
Jessica takes every effort to follow a strict skin care regime daily. She barely uses any makeup and purchases expensive skin care brands to ensure she gets the best. Yet, Jessica finds that she invariably suffers breakouts on her forehead every week. This bothers her and she wonders whether she is suffering from any thyroid problems like many of her friends, or if she is simply missing out on some key aspects of skin care.
Like Jessica many of us suffer from acne and dull looking skin inspite of our efforts to take good care of ourselves. What is often forgotten is that merely buying expensive brands or following a robotic skin regime doesn’t help always. Sometimes, the key lies in the details. Here are the top 10 common skin care mistakes that you must tick off your list immediately.
Sleeping with makeup on
One that almost all of us are guilty of. Even if you just have a BB cream, eyeliner, and compact powder on, you must wash your face clean. Any makeup will clog your pores overnight and lead to breakouts. Moreover, in the long run, this habit will cause your pores to widen permanently.
Exfoliating too frequently
Scrubbing away at oily skin daily won’t help reduce blackheads. Rather, it will put your skin cells into overdrive and they end up producing more oil. In addition, frequent use of scrubs will leave your skin looking dry and lifeless.Exfoliate a maximum of once or twice a week.
Skipping the moisturiser
Often those with oily or combination skin skip moisturiser for fear of increasing the grimy look. All skin types need a good moisturiser. If you have oily or combination skin, opt for a water based face lotion. Never make the mistake of washing your face many times and over drying your skin. This won’t take away the acne but will leave you with fine lines and cracked skin.
Picking away at your skin
Popping a nasty looking pimple seems so much better than stepping out with it on your face. You may think you’re ridding your skin of that boil, but you are in fact depositing more dirt from your nails. Picking at pimples and blackheads can leave long term-scars and cause early wrinkles. Invest in a blackhead remover or pay a visit to your beautician to get the job done.
Forgetting to wash your brushes
Don’t forget that your makeup brushes carry gunk and oil from your skin as you dab them on. Make sure to wash and sun-dry your brushes at least once a month, to avoid any nasty breakouts on your skin and to prevent contaminating your expensive make up.
Not getting enough sleep
If you skip out on much needed sleep, you are damaging your skin for good. You will not only end up with under eye circles, but also become victim to dark spots and wrinkles. You need a minimum of 7 to 8 hours of sleep every night for your body to have had sufficient rest.
Forgetting to change pillow covers
Sleep is necessary and so is clean bed linen. Studies show that pillow covers are the most forgotten item when we do laundry. Pillow covers absorb oil and dust from your hair and transfer it to your skin. People often get acne and rosacea from sleeping on dirty or shared pillows. Make sure you change the covers at least once a week and wash them in hot water to kill any dust mites.
Overloading the skin regime at night
Your skin needs to breathe and heal while you sleep. Overloading it with many serums won’t help at all. After you cleanse, choose one night cream, and stick with it. If you apply more than one product, they collectively cancel out each other’s effectiveness. Also, don’t apply any product, unless you really need to, for a specific condition such as wrinkles.
Not following the right diet
Yes, the cure is in your plate. Consuming a diet rich in sugar and processed snacks will cause thyroid problems. Thyroid problems lead to severe acne breakouts and leave your skin looking dull and lifeless. Include fresh fruits, leafy vegetables, nuts, seeds, lean meat, and whole grain as part of your daily diet. Stay hydrated with water and fresh fruit juice.
-
Trying to heal at home
Never skip that much needed visit to the doctor to find out why your acne problems have worsened. Acne, psoriasis, and many other skin problems might be warning signal of underlying health issues including thyroid problems. Buying an expensive face wash will merely suppress the physical symptoms and leave the underlying medical condition to worsen.
