While we now know that some common acne “hacks” are not the best treatment for pimples (like spot treating with toothpaste), there are a couple skincare mistakes that are still pretty common practice.
For example, when it comes to sunscreen application, many people think they don’t need to apply sunscreen when it’s cloudy out. But, realistically you should be applying sunscreen every day, rain or shine. Even if it’s cloudy or even raining outside, UV rays are still affecting the skin. So, always apply sunscreen!
Another common (but wrong) skincare practice is the thought that “if it burns it’s working.” If you’ve dealt with acne then you’ve probably been through some of the most rough-on-your-skin acne treatments that likely have not been the best on your skin.
A lot of the time some of these products may even produce a tingling/burning sensation that makes you believe that the product must be working. But, if a product makes your skin feel like it’s burning, then it’s more likely that your skin is telling you that it does not like that product.
Unfortunately, the common skincare mistakes don’t stop there. Lots of common mistakes are still in practice that may be causing some negative effects on the skin, like the following:
1. Over-exfoliating the skin
If you deal with certain skin concerns like clogged pores, acne, or hyperpigmentation, exfoliating may be a regular step in your skincare routine.
Exfoliating is a great step to include in your routine as it helps remove pore-clogging and acne-causing elements from the skin. But, over-exfoliating the skin can have some adverse effects.
Exfoliating is usually recommended as a 2 to 3 times a week treatment to help keep pores clean but also to avoid over-exfoliating. Exfoliating every day can cause dryness, irritation, and compromise the skin barrier leading to potentially more breakouts.
Instead, it’s best to stick to exfoliating only a few times a week to help keep the barrier intact and prevent any unwanted effects like dry, irritated skin.
2. Skipping moisturizer if you have oily skin
Having oily skin sometimes feels like you can get away with skipping moisturizer. All that extra oil must be keeping your skin moisturized right? Well, not really.
Depriving your skin of adequate hydration could actually cause the skin to over-produce more oil to make up for the lack of hydration. So, you actually end up making your skin even more oily if you skip moisturizer too often.
Plus, there are tons of moisturizers that help hydrate the skin without leaving behind a heavy, greasy feeling. Some also include ingredients that help regulate oil production to keep oil production in check.
3. Doing at home extractions
When a pimple is staring right back at you in the mirror, we understand the temptation to pop it. But, popping a pimple isn’t always the way to go especially if you have cystic acne.
The same goes for blackheads. Yes they may be super satisfying to squeeze out, but constantly extracting blackheads on your own at home might be causing some skin damage. Consistently popping pimples and squeezing out blackheads can lead to inflammation and scarring and it doesn’t really stop them from coming back.
Whether it’s blackheads or pimples, it’s best to treat the underlying causes of these skin concerns instead of relying on just popping or squeezing your skin. Blackheads and pimples tend to pop up due to a buildup of bacteria, dead skin cells, and excess sebum. So, adding in an exfoliant to remove these blemish-causing factors can help reduce the amount of breakouts and blackheads.
4. Having a 10+ step skincare routine
With the popularity of the 10-step skincare routine, it seems like the more skincare products you have, the better your skin will look. But, that’s not always the case.
Realistically, you likely don’t really need all those steps. Having too many steps and products can be heavy on the skin if you aren’t following a routine meant for your skin type. And, if your skincare routine ends up causing some adverse effects on the skin, having too many steps can make it difficult to identify which of your products is the culprit.
But, this doesn’t mean you can’t have a couple extra steps apart from your daily cleanser and moisturizer. Instead, you can start by adding additional products slowly to make sure they mesh well with your skin.
5. Using actives without taking a break
Whether it’s an exfoliant, acne treatment, or anti-aging product, some skincare products have some pretty serious actives in them to help with these types of skin concerns. For example, Retinol is pretty well known for triggering a “purging” stage in which your skin breaks out for a period of time while using the product.
If you’ve scrolled through TikTok the past couple of months, then you may have heard of the “skin cycling” trend. This skincare practice can be useful to follow if you have a couple different actives in your skincare routine.
Skin cycling involves using strong treatments like an exfoliant one night, a Retinoid the next night, and then taking a break and using a skin barrier supporting product the next few nights to help your skin recover.
Lastly…
While this may not be an extensive list of some bad skincare habits to break, it’s best to do some research or contact your dermatologist if you’re ever iffy about your own skincare routine.
