I understand it feels so frustrating when you spend half of your life on research to set your skin care regime and willingly spend a bomb to get the right products to take the best care of your skin, and for certain reason it just refuses to cooperate with you. Mostly we end up going out and buying some alternative product as we think the product is the issue?
Well, that is not always the case. Being a dermatologist, I always discuss the problem with my patients and figure out that it is not about the products but very common skin care mistakes is the culprit behind this.
Most of us have a skincare routine that we stick to out of habit and it's all about a repetition of steps you have to do day in and day out.
But what if you are repeating the wrong steps? I always suggest my patients that they need to re-evaluate their regime in timely manner to assure that they are not causing more harm than good.
By making some very simple skin care mistakes we at times inadvertently sabotage all the best efforts which we have put in. So, if a skin issue is bothering you, before you spend even more money in search of the next miracle, holy grail product, check our list of the most common skin care mistakes blocking your way to the beautiful, ultra clear, and glowing skin.
Here are few of the top skincare habits we're all guilty of.
1. Peel off mask are everyone’s favorite and easy home trick, due to its great hype. But It is a big NO NO!! I will not recommend regular use of peel off mask as they are the culprits in stripping off your natural oils from our skin. So avoid frequent use of peel off masks.
2. Are you frequently using darker shades of lipsticks and retouching it often during the day? This is a very common habit we all are guilty of. But this is the cause of darkening of lips as it contains metals like lead.
3. If you're applying eye cream in a swiping motion on a daily basis, you could be unknowingly doing a great damage to eyes and contributing to dark circles. Instead of rubbing in your products, pat or dab them into the skin The action of rubbing eyes can tug on the sensitive skin surrounding the eyes and can even break blood vessels around your eyes, contributing to dark circles.
4. Excessive use of hand sanitizer or too frequently washing your hands with antiseptic soap can backfire. Over-washing can cause hands to dry out and strip out essential oil and moisture from skin and thus causing dryness to it. Therefore, switch to mild soaps and apply moisturizer after washing hands at least in winters.
5. Another common mistake we commit is while choosing our face wash. We should always choose our face wash as per our skin type and not according to our skin problem. For instance choosing a strong acne face wash for acne prone but dry skin will further strip of moisture from skin and worsen the damage. So such patients can choose non-foaming, less drying cleansers and face washes.
6. We spent a lot of time searching for the best facial hair bleach and are often confused about which is the right one. But the fact is all bleaches contain chemicals like sodium hypochlorite which is responsible for bleaching action and therefore all bleaches are same and work in same manner.
7. Are you applying several coats of waterproof mascara? Well! It is not good for your lashes at all. Firstly, the agents used to make it waterproof is also drying out your lashes and sticking to them. Secondly, it takes more effort to remove waterproof mascara, which can lead to excess rubbing and tugging on your lashes and delicate eye area leading to falling out of eye lashes.
8. Most often people come with a complaint of yellowing of nails. The biggest mistake they are performing for this to happen is excessive and prolonged use of nail paints. The chemical present in nail paint can react with the keratin protein in your nails and make it brittle and yellow. So avoid wearing nail paint regularly keep them bare for couple of days in a week.
9. Most of us commonly assume that sunscreen is not required in winters or on a cloudy day. This is actually not true. Even on cloudy days, sunlight diffuses and the skin absorbs the harmful UV rays. Fluorescent bulbs at home can also let through UV rays that can cause photo-damage. Further sitting all day in front of laptops and phones is equivalent to 20 minutes of sun bathing. Therefore sunscreen must be worn 365 days, whether inside or outside the house.
10. We all know conditioner is used on your hair, but that’s all it’s good for? No! Conditioner contains moisturizing properties that hydrate your hair, so it’s even kinder to your skin. The next time you’re shaving your legs, ditch the shaving cream and try conditioner instead. It’s great for sensitive skin and ensures your razor glides smoothly to avoid nasty cuts.
11. Studies have shown that your mobile handset may have 18 times more harmful germs on it than the flush handle. So keep your mobile screen clean to avoid pimples or sweat rash.
12. Persistently pressing your face into a pillowcase causes trauma to the skin. Over time, this trauma aggravated by the friction of cotton can cause permanent creases as our collagen breaks down. So to minimize the damage switch to silk pillowcases, which are gentle to your soft skin and do not cause any friction induced damage.
Going to the doctor – no matter which kind – can give anyone anxiety bouts. But don’t let your fear of a doctor keep you from going to a professional when it comes to your skin. Because a proper skin care regime can gift you flawless and glowing skin whereas a simple blunder borne out of a myth can damage it to the core.
Keep Healthy! Keep Glowing :)