‘Oh, but she has such a soft skin’, ‘Oh, but she has such a flawless skin!’, ‘Oh, but he has such a clear skin!”…statements like these and more have become the norm of the day as pollution, erratic eating habits and generally an unhealthy lifestyle are beginning to take their toll on our skin, rendering those with clear and healthy skin almost rare!
Men and Women have different skin types, so how can they make common skin care mistakes?
Sure men and women have different skin types as women have a delicate and much more sensitive skin as compared to men. However in India, we have whole families sticking to using the same bar of soap, same cold creams, etc, mostly for purpose of economy and secondly due to a lack of basic awareness regarding skin types and appropriate hygiene products for each skin type.
Plus with men looking down on skin care as a feminine ‘thing’, it is they who suffer the most by making common mistakes when it comes to skin care!
How can I make mistakes in skin care, when I am taking bath regularly?
Misunderstandings form a big part of skin care mistakes and these mistakes are made unconsciously by both the genders. Common misunderstandings as the one stated above and many others such as the belief that washing your face once a day is enough or using greasy cold creams without realising their negative impact, etc. form the very crux of the mistakes one makes when it comes to skin care. These result in your skin becoming dry, losing its moisture, developing skin infections, acne etc.
So what are all these skin care mistakes?
Skin care mistakes are basically mistakes which one makes during the course of their skin care regime. Here, in India, a majority of us are guilty of not knowing our basic skin types and most skin care mistakes stem from this very ignorance! Following is a list of 6 such common mistakes when it comes to our skin care
- Washing our face with soap:
Soap contains harsh chemicals which dry out our skin i.e. they rob the skin of its moisture and natural oils. Most often people buy a soap bar without knowing their skin type and then damage their skin even more! Plus fragrant soaps contain a lot of chemicals that are added during the manufacturing process. These can actually make your skin rough.
If you cannot stop using soaps, try buying soaps with a high moisture content or those soaps which are mild and contain glycerin that cleans the skin without taking its moisture away.
- Not applying Sunscreen when Indoors:
With summer upon us, we are all feeling the heat of the sun on our skins. To protect it, we have begun using moisturizers and sunscreens. But judicious application of the sunscreen when going outdoors alone will not to help you! Many people make the mistake of applying sunscreen while going out. Don’t get confused - What we mean is that you should apply sunscreen when going outdoors but also when you are indoors!
Applying sunscreen when indoors is beneficial as the sun’s UVA rays are strong enough to penetrate through the windows and affect our skin. To protect our skin from the UVA rays and also to avoid wrinkles and spots its best to apply sunscreen even when you are indoors. While sunny outdoors may demand a sunscreen of SPF* 50 or SPF 60, an indoor sunscreen can be of SPF* 15.
*SPF- Sun protection factor, it indicates the degree to which the sunscreen protects the skin from the sun’s rays.
Using moisturizer only in Winters:
Another common mistake is that of not using moisturizers all round the year. People tend to think that the skin needs to be taken care of, only during winters when it appears dry and flaky, but the truth is that our skin needs to be moisturized all round the year!
The skin will appear healthy, supple and remain soft only when it is well moisturized from within. But due to poor eating habits along with pollution and the summer heat robbing the skin of its moisture, it becomes difficult to preserve the natural moisture of the skin. This is when the role of the moisturizer comes into play; a common rule of moisturizing the skin is to apply the moisturizer immediately after a bath.
- Touching your face often:
While this may not be an actual part of the skin care regime, it is a mistake nonetheless. Just try keeping a count of the number of times you touch your face within a day; you are bound to lose count around mid-day; this is how often the face gets touched!
Cutting down on the unnecessary touching of the face can considerably lower the chances of developing a skin condition. Our hands touch a variety of surfaces and can accumulate a lot of germs and bacteria, which when transferred over to the face can give rise to various skin conditions. Those with Acne are advised not to touch their faces unnecessarily as it can aggravate their Acne, plus spread the bacteria to unaffected parts of their face increasing their chances of developing more Acne!
To avoid touching your face excessively you’ll have to stop supporting your cheek and chin on your palm as you sit, other times consciously avoid touching your face.
- Not following the nightly routine:
What most people don’t realize is that to have a clear and healthy skin, one needs to wake up with one! Confused? Don’t be, what we mean here is that just as you take care of your skin throughout the day, it needs to be taken care of before you go to bed.
All throughout the day when you are outdoors, the skin tends to accumulate dirt, oil and the free radicals floating around. Washing or cleansing and toning is recommended as it helps you to get rid of the dirt, so that the skin can breathe. Remember to always finish washing your face with cold water so as to close the pores. One would even be advised to moisturize their face before going to bed, so as to provide moisture to the skin through the night.
- Over or under washing the face:
The main problem why people aren’t privy to a clear and healthy skin is because of their lack of understanding when it comes to their skin types. This leads to under or over washing of their facial skin, both of which come with their own cons. However the end result is a damaged skin that either appears dry or greasy, or is rough and prone to Acne!
Under washing of the face points to a face being washed only once a day. This doesn’t clear the skin of the dust it accumulates through the day, leading to Acne and other similar skin problems. Similarly when a face is over washed, it leads to a dry and rough skin stripped of its moisture and natural oils.
We are sure that with the help of the above points, you will be able to avoid common skin mistakes and also have a clear and healthy skin!
