You want to look your best on your friend’s engagement. You have bought a lovely dress and matching jewelry to go with it. But when you get ready, you notice the blotched patch on your skin, the dark circles under your eyes and pimples around your cheeks. Seeing this, you are absolutely devastated as you had always taken care of your skin and used expensive products. Then how did this happen?
We give you 10 skin care habits of yours that are bad for your skin. Avoid these and get a flawless complexion.
1
# Not moisturizing fast enough
Result: Dry skin.
You maintain the- cleanse, tone, moisturize routine but miss out on the ‘when’ part of it. In a dry weather you need to moisturize your skin within 3 minutes of taking shower, as this will ensure that the moisture on skin is locked inside and doesn’t evaporate with water. Moisturizers do not hydrate the skin, they just lock in the skin’s own moisture inside, so if you apply moisturizer when the skin is dry, it doesn’t help much.
2# Forgetting the Neck and Chest
Result: Sun burned or dehydrated neck and chest area
You take utmost good care of your face, you apply sun block, moisture it and cleanse it regularly but you forget your neck and chest. Thus your neck may appear shades darker as well drier than your face. Your neck and chest skin is also exposed to sun, air and pollution as your face, so you need to take equally good care of them too. Moisturize and apply sun block to these areas whenever you are going out.
3# Washing your face with Soap
Result: Dehydrated, irritated skin
There is nothing wrong with soaps, they are about removing dirt and grime and killing germs. But they are meant for hands, legs and the body but not the face. Soaps tend to dry out the facial skin and the many fragrances in soaps irritate the skin. Cleansers are specially designed for your face and they also contain ingredients that will prevent wrinkles as well provide moisture. Remember to choose a Face cleanser suitable to your skin.
4# Having your makeup as sunscreen
Result: Risk of sunburn as well long term risk for skin cancer
Either your foundation has sunscreen or your moisturizer promises SPF protection, hence you never bothered to wear sunscreen over your make up. This can spell trouble for your skin as skin that remains unprotected from the sun can lead to skin damage, more wrinkles and yes, risk of skin cancer. Wear sun block with SPF protection of 30 underneath your foundation whenever you go out in the sun and reapply it every 2 hours.
5# Not taking the make-up off
Result: Irritated skin and clogged pores
The makeup products that you use, make you look beautiful but don’t love them too much that you keep them on till the morning. Make up products can do all sorts of harm to your skin, they can clog your pores, the eye make can irritate your eyes, and chemical ingredients can harm your skin. Hence it is important to gently remove them before sleeping at night to let the skin breathe and repair itself on its own.
6# Forgetting the area under the eye
The result: Dark circles underneath the eyes with visible veins
The skin under your eye is very thin about 1/6th of that of our facial skin. This skin is very sensitive and needs to be looked after. Apply sunscreen in this area as exposure to sun can make it thinner and darker. You can also apply the under eye creams sold by reputed companies. Keeping cucumber pieces on it and applying almond oil also works. Remember however to never rub this area it gets irritated fast.
7# Not checking the expiry date
The result: Possible bacterial infection, allergies and pimples
When you are so careful about the products you buy for your skin, why do you ignore the expiry date of these products? All make-up products - from the foundation to the lipstick have a certain shelf life, but if you continue to use it nonetheless; it can harm your skin. Store your cosmetics in a cool dry place and use them carefully. Check the product pack for its expiry date.
8# Smoking, Drinking
The result: Premature aging, wrinkles
Smoking affects the collagen production which results in less elastic skin, it also deprives the skin of the oxygen rich blood and thus the skin loses it youthful appearance and appears dry and old. Alcohol on the other hand, robs the skin of its moisture and the skin looks dry. Drinking also gives a red, flushed look to the skin. If you care for your skin, control your smoking and drinking.
9# Missing on Sleep
The result: Dull skin with acne, pimple
Sleep is the time when your body does most of its repair work. It is when the skin cells are provided with the nourishment that they require. It is also the time when the body repairs and recovers from the damage done in the day. Hence, if you stay up late or miss out on your sleep, your skin is likely to suffer. Lack of sleep also leads to worsening of psoriasis and eczema.
10# Overusing some cosmetic products
The result: Red, irritated skin
You want to get rid of the pimple hence you use anti-acne creams twice a day; you like your lip color hence reapply it every hour. In make-up, less is more, too much of creams, chemicals on the skin are more likely to cause a break out and give you an irritated skin than the beautiful skin you had in mind. Remember to use only one product at a time and read the directions for the number of times you can apply.
Avoid these mistakes and take care of your skin. Remember, when you use common sense and believe in nourishing your skin from within by eating and sleeping right, you will have a beautiful, flawless complexion with or without make-up.
