Scary truth: You can wreak a lot of havoc on
your own face. Scarier truth? You can even
do it in the process of trying to improve the
quality of your skin.
For some tough-love insight, we looked to
two of our most trusted experts, celebrity
esthetician Renée Rouleau and
dermatologist Rachel Nazarian, M.D., at
Schweiger Dermatology Group, to spell out
the most common bad habits that keep
women from achieving the complexion of
their dreams. The main takeaway? It's not
our skin—it's us .
1. Picking
Reminder: You're not a dermatologist and
should not be picking at your pimples,
ingrown hairs, or anywhere else on your
face. It's one of the biggest assaults against
your skin and can have permanent effects.
"The more people press and manipulate
blemishes, the more inflammation they
create underneath," explains Dr. Nazarian.
"The result is scars or discolorations left on
the skin, which can last months, if not
forever."
2. Over-Exfoliating
Your skin can't take too much of a good
thing, especially when it comes to
exfoliating. Dr. Rouleau's advice? Use a
good facial scrub or exfoliating acid—
sparingly. "It can be used seven days on
and seven days off," she says. "During the
days when it is not being used, nourish the
new healthy cells with a great moisturizer
appropriate for your skin type."
3. Over-Washing
Washing is another skin habit that will
suffer from surplus. Don't forget, your skin
is a super delicate organ—be very
particular about what you put on it and how
often you do so.
"Most tend to use harsh soaps that strip
natural oils from their body and disrupt the
ideal pH of their skin," says Dr. Nazarian.
"Chronic over-washing will cause skin to dry
and crack, leaving it prone to infections and
flares of inflammatory conditions like
eczema, and can even highlight signs of
aging, like small wrinkles and lines."
To ensure you're not over-drying your skin,
look to super-hydrating cleansers that gently
clean without destroying the balance of
natural oils.
4. Using the Same Products Year-Round
Your skins needs different things from
season to season. Each change should be a
reminder to re-evaluate your regimen. Here
are Rouleau's recommendations:
Winter: "The focus should be on
moisturization and hydrating
products."
Spring: "Think spring cleaning with
deep pore cleansing and exfoliating
products to revive the skin from the
winter dryness."
Summer: "Focus should be on
protecting skin from the sun with
sunscreen and antioxidants, which have
powerful protective qualities. Products
should be lighter-weight in the spring
and summer since there is more
humidity in the air."
Fall: "Increase exfoliation to repair
the skin from the summer sun damage."
5. Tugging at the Skin Around Your Eye
This is where skin is thinnest, which makes
it the most delicate. And since it's the first
to show signs of aging, be gentle with it!
" Pulling on the skin while putting in
contacts, applying eyeliner, or rubbing
aggressively to remove stubborn eye
makeup can create wear and tear on the
collagen and elasticity fibers, causing visible
lines and wrinkles prematurely," explains
Rouleau. "Always apply eye cream with the
ring finger (it's the weakest) and use a
gentle patting motion to avoid rubbing and
tugging."
6. Tanning and/or Not Wearing Sunscreen
It's no secret that sunning yourself is just
about the worst thing you can do to your
skin. "Every tan, even a slight darkening, is
a sign of skin damage," explains Dr.
Nazarian. "With repeated exposure to UV-
radiation, skin cells can mutate, causing
deadly skin cancers like melanoma. If that
wasn't bad enough, chronic radiation and
tanning also causes signs of skin aging, like
wrinkles, sagging and drooping, brown
spots, and uneven tone."
As far as protection goes, you should be
taking precaution daily if you want to
prevent wrinkles and skin cancer. "Every
day of the year, rain or shine, harmful UV
rays come through windows in your office,
home, or car," says Rouleau. "Make sure
your moisturizer contains a sunscreen, so
you only need to apply one product. Don't
forget, the best anti-aging product in the
world is sunscreen."
7. Smoking
As if you needed another incentive to quit,
just know: Your skin will be so grateful. In
addition to causing premature aging and
wrinkling, it's endangering your health.
"Smoking cigarettes increases your risk of
squamous cell skin cancer, a dangerous skin
cancer that can metastasize and spread if
not caught early," warns Dr. Nazarian.
8. Neglect
Failing to look after your skin, like you
would your teeth or hair, is its own form of
abuse. But just cleansing ain't gonna cut it:
"Washing your face in the morning isn't
quite enough to satisfy your skin-care
quota," explains Dr. Nazarian. "Skin
requires daily moisturizing, daily sun-
protection, and annual monitoring to screen
for skin cancer. Skin cancers can usually be
treated, and cured, if caught early. There's
no excuse for neglecting your health by
skipping your exam."
Source-Marie Claire
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