A daily skin care routine is essential to keeping your skin clear, vibrant looking and healthy, and can go a long way in preventing premature signs of aging…as long as you avoid the mistakes that often does more harm than good. To identify the mistakes you may unknowingly be making in your skincare routine, and to get solutions on how to correct them, New Beauty writer Liz Ritter, interviews celebrity skin care expert Renee Rouleau, in the article “9 Skin Care Mistakes Almost Everyone Makes.” New Beauty explains “Bad habits are hardly ever unique to just you—and the same goes for the ones you are making with your skin. Celebrity aesthetician says she sees these blunders all the time. Here’s how to break them.”
1.) Dealing with Acne the Wrong Way
Most people suffer from adult acne at some point (if not constantly) throughout their lives. There is effective adult acne treatments out there, but most of us don’t utilize them, and try to deal with zits, pimples, or blackheads, on our own, often to the detriment of our skin. According to Rouleau “picking at [blemishes,…] applying spot treatments at the wrong phase of the breakout, and using the wrong breakout treatments on the wrong kinds of blemishes…will result in a blemish lasting longer and leaving a post-breakout red or dark scar than can linger for months.” If you deal with acne on a regular basis, it’s best to seek out professional acne treatment or invest in quality skin care products formulated to get rid of zits, pimples, or blackheads.
Related Article: How to Reduce Acne Overnight
2.) Not exfoliating enough
If you can’t make it in to your medspa for a professional exfoliation, such as microdermabrasion or a chemical peel, you should still exfoliate from home. Skin care experts recomend you exfoliate 2 to 3 times a week. Exfoliating helps remove dead skin cells that often clog pores, leading to acne and other blemishes. New Beauty states “Exfoliation is one of the best things you can do for your skin, so you’re missing out on some major skin improvement when you only use it once in a while.”
For those who have a hard time getting in their exfoliation, exfoliating serums is a good alternative. New Beauty recomends an acid serum that uses “ingredients like glycolic, lactic and salicylic acids.” When exfoliating serums are applied to the skin at bed time, “they work deeply to dissolve the glue that holds dead cells together, revealing a brighter, smoother and clearer appearance in the morning.”
Related Article: Glycolic Acid: Why the Best Skin Care Products Have It
Chemical Peel in a Bottle
Chemical peel in a bottle is from NYC’s premiere skin spa, SKINNEY Medspa’s skincare product line. It is infused with 5% Glycolic acid, along with 2% Salicylic acid (another great anti-aging acid) for ultimate exfoliation. Chemical Peel in a bottle helps acne, gently exfoliates, and can aid in cellular turnover, all leading to a more radiant, healthier, younger looking appearance.
3.) Exfoliating too much
While exfoliating is good for your skin, too much of a good thing, can be a bad thing. This is true for most skin care products and practices. New Beauty addresses an illogical beauty trend: “In the quest to look younger and have smoother skin, people are doing too many aggressive exfoliating treatments that are actually injuring their skin.” Excessively exfoliating can compromise the skin’s moisture barrier, significantly dehydrating your skin, which can lead to dry, flaky or inflamed skin. Furthermore, Rouleau explains that exfoliating too often can possibly lead to “destruction of healthy cells, and a stimulation of melanin activity causing increased hyperpigmentation.”
4.) Sun Screen: Applying too little and not enough
Skin care experts make it abundantly clear: the number one worse thing you can do to your skin is leave it unprotected against UV exposure. Protecting your skin from the sun can be tricky, especially when the majority of UV rays hit our skin in the form of “incidental exposure” or the instances “when you don’t think you’re getting the damaging rays,” like on cloudy days, or while driving in your car. Another mistake comonly seen when trying to protect your skin from the sun is not applying enough sun screen. In order for the sunscreen to work, explains New Beauty’s skin care expert, it must “be applied generously or it will not provide adequate protection.”
So how can you better protect your skin from the sun? New Beauty has two suggestions: Find a sunscreen you love, that is at least SPF 30, and feels light on your skin. “If you have a sunscreen that feels too heavy on your skin, you’ll probably only apply a small amount and you’re not doing your skin any good.” And apply it often.
5.) Not using toner or using the wrong kind
According to New Beauty “Toners are an important step in a skin care regimen” and should be used after washing your face. Benefits of toners include cleansing the skin of “drying chlorines and minerals found in tap water” and, when applied prior to your daily moisturizer, can help the skin absorb moisture and other active ingredients of your moisturizer.”
But it is important to use the right kind of toner. Toners that are heavy in alcohol content “will only dehydrate your skin and cause an increase in dull cell buildup.”
Related Article: Bustle Magazine “How to Deal with Dry Skin
6.) Neglecting the neck
Those who actively battle the signs of aging with daily applications of moisturizer and sun block, often times neglect the neck. “A woman will typically rub moisturizer onto her face and then whatever is left over on her fingertips will extend down onto her neck,” New Beauty explains. “While the intention is good, it’s truly not helping that much in the quest for smooth, moist skin on the neck.” The expert advice on the matter: share the love. Consider your neck an extension of your face, and protect it with generous amounts of sun screen and moisturizer.
For those who have neglected their neck and are dealing with the loose, lax skin associated with collagen break done, skin tightening solutions, such as Thermage may be a solution.
7.) Not following Directions on Skin Care Products
We have all heard the horror stories of skin care products that cause adverse reactions. But the majority of problems caused by skin care products can be avoided by simply following the instructions provided on the product. Especially when it comes to the amount of product you use or how often you apply the product. This can be especially challenging in the case of acne treatments. Many people erroneously theorize that more product means less acne. This is not the case. Especially with skin care products containing skin benefiting acids. New Beauty explains “Acid serums, like Chemical Peel in a Bottle, that contain glycolic, salicylic or lactic acid, are designed to reduce clogged pores and breakouts to promote clearer skin. They should not be overused because too much exfoliation can actually increase breakouts for some people due to irritation and inflammation.” Rouleau reiterates “Cosmetic formulators create products with certain intentions and using them as directed will give you the best results.”
8.) Not wearing foundation
Wearing quality makeup can help protect your skin from the sun and other harmful environmental factors. There are a lot of women who don’t want to wear make up for many reasons, but not wearing makeup to allow your skin to breathe, is illogical explains New Beauty. “The skin doesn’t have a respiratory system.” So just remember to take your makeup off each night and you should clog your pores.
Reverse Skin Damage
Advance skin care technologies can effectively treat skin blemishes such as acne, acne scars, or discoloration and signs of aging such as fine lines, wrinkles, or loose and sagging skin. Find out how advanced skin care treatments can help your skin look younger, healthier, and more vibrant by scheduling a free consultation with one of the skin care experts at SKINNEY Medspa. Click now, and receive 20% off your first treatment.
