Everything is good in moderation: how too much care can harm your skin
'28.11.2020'
Source: burning hut
Not always the cause of skin problems lies in genetics, poor ecology or inadequate care, explains Burning hut.
Dermatologists believe that excess skin care also destroys its protective barrier and makes it susceptible to everything. Finding out how we came to excessive self-care and whether it is possible to rewind time and improve.
The market for face and body products is constantly offering us something new that will make our skin better. I want to try everything at once, and that's okay. Indeed, sometimes it is only through trial and error that you can find a suitable remedy. But sometimes such experiments can affect the condition of the skin in a bad way.
The main signal that you are overdoing grooming is skin irritation.
Irritation is a broad concept, everyone puts their own meaning in it. Dermatologists have come up with a simple and convenient questionnaire to assess the degree of irritation on your skin by its characteristics. French doctors offer patients to independently assess skin problems on several points:
- General discomfort
- Burning
- Itching
- Redness
- Feeling of a rush of blood to the face
- Pain
- Tightness
- Tingling
If you regularly experience at least two of the symptoms from the list above, then your skin is most likely sensitive. And the increased sensitivity of the skin is often caused by the use of improperly selected cosmetics or excessive care.
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What products can ruin the skin if they are used incorrectly
- Shower gels and wash products
Soaps, shower gel, and cleansers can dry out the skin and exacerbate eczema, rosacea, and acne. Especially products containing aggressive surfactants. These are surfactants that wash away dirt and sebum. Some of them are too active - the face becomes tight, dry, the skin flakes, dandruff may appear on the hair.
These are all symptoms that the natural lipid barrier is damaged. It is easy to deal with this - you need to wash as little as possible, and it is better to partially wash in those places that smell the most. These are the armpits, feet and groin area.
How to use it correctly: Use products with mild surfactants for your face, body and hair. They must not contain SLS.
- Serums, toners and acid cleansing discs
Determining what you've gone overboard with acids in your care is easy. The classic set of symptoms: redness, flaking, hyperpigmentation, small pimples all over the face. Another non-obvious symptom is excessive shine, similar to the effect of "radiant skin".
Healthy, radiant skin looks hydrated and firm, like Japanese pancake. The shine from excess acids in the care resembles more wax, while the face is dry and rough. This is a Japanese cheesecake, a completely different dessert.
If you overdo it with acids, give your skin a rest. For about 28 days. During this period, the skin renews itself. Moisturize and be patient.
How to use it correctly: you only need to exfoliate the skin 1-2 times a week - this is enough to renew the skin without consequences. If you have normal skin type, look for mild acids like lactic acid. If you have an oily skin type, use salicylic acid, but in a low concentration (2%).
- Retinol products
When retinol products are first used, symptoms of redness, flaking and dryness are a normal response to active care. But if time passes, and the face becomes covered with spots and scales with dead skin, you most likely overdid it. Retinol also causes a reaction in bright sunlight, so you need to use an SPF cream so as not to provoke a burn.
We're talking about retinol, which can be bought over the counter. If you notice irritation on the skin after using it, it is enough to pause for a few days. Then add more hydration and continue using retinol when the skin calms down.
For example, blogger Adel Miftakhova recommends mixing it with cream so as not to harm yourself.
But the pharmacy forms of retinoids are prescribed only by a doctor, he also prescribes a treatment regimen and additional care in case of skin irritation. You cannot use these funds on your own.
How to use it correctly: start using retinol 2-3 times a week at night, not more often. Before that, you should cleanse your skin. Watch for the reaction, and if there is no irritation, you can gradually switch to daily use. You need to apply retinol in a thin layer, the amount of the product should be the size of a pea. On top is a moisturizer. In the afternoon - a cream with an SPF of at least 30.
How to care for your skin in moderation
- Determine if you have skin problems
If you think that you have acne that urgently needs to be dealt with with retinol, do not rush to order a jar. Take a closer look at the reflection in the mirror. What girls sometimes mistake for blackheads can actually be sebaceous filaments. There is no understandable word in Russian yet, but the point is that this is normal for oily skin accumulation of sebum in the pores. It does not need to be squeezed out, cleaned to a squeak, and even more so removed with retinol.
Only a dermatologist has the right to accurately determine the condition of the skin and its problems. Competent care is based on professional diagnostics.
It is a healthy human curiosity to try different treatments and track the results. But if everything is in order with the skin, conduct your own experiments within the framework of basic funds.
- Get the Minimum Proper Skin Care
Care should help the skin, and not interfere with it and make a mess. Dermatologists advise building a basic care on three principles: cleansing, moisturizing and sun protection. This is enough to keep the skin healthy.
- Know the useless and harmful combinations of care products
If you do use serums, toners and creams with active ingredients, you should know how to combine them with each other. Some of the ingredients in the steam can either stop acting on the skin altogether, or harm it. Remember these combinations - try to avoid them.
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Incompatible components of care
- Retinol + AHA- and BHA-acids
The risk of skin irritation and damage to its lipid barrier increases. Use them on different days.
- Retinol + Vitamin C
Peeling skin and increased sensitivity to the sun. Apply separately according to the scheme: in the morning - vitamin C, in the evening - retinol.
- Benzoyl Peroxide + Vitamin C
Together, the effectiveness of the ingredients is zero. Use on different days.
- Benzoyl peroxide + retinol
Together, the effectiveness of the ingredients is zero.
- Several acids at the same time
The risk of skin irritation and damage to its lipid barrier increases.
Wash less
Take a bath or shower when you really need to, rather than for a daily exercise, use mild skin cleansers. The new beauty trend is minimalism. Constant washing and cleansing are simply not needed in a society where there is nothing to get dirty from in a day. Sterility does not mean health. Microbes normally have to live on the skin in order to cleanse it or repel other harmful bacteria, viruses and fungi. When germs are ruthlessly washed off the skin, it becomes sensitive.
In the book Beyond Soap, you can read that 46% of people around the world rate their skin as sensitive. The culprit is excessive self-care and too thorough hygiene. The book was written by Sandy Skotnitsky, an American dermatologist with many years of practice. She encourages everyone to stop over-cleansing and wash less often. And for every day, leave washing the places that smell the most - armpits, feet and groin area.
The material is published for informational purposes only, does not constitute medical advice and does not replace medical advice. ForumDaily Woman is not responsible for any diagnosis made by the reader based on the site's materials, as well as for the consequences of self-medication, and may not share the point of view of the author or expert.
