3 Embarrassing Home-Care Mistakes That Irreversibly Change Skin: A Dermatologist’s Verdict

Cosmetologists agree that the effect of any, even the most powerful salon procedure, must be supported by careful home care. At the same time, few people warn us that these same beauty manipulations at home can in some cases reduce all our efforts in the pursuit of youth to zero.

The expert spoke to VOICE about the most fatal home skincare mistakes that will only make your problems worse. We don’t want to scare you, we just warn you: sometimes the consequences of such domestic “executions” on your own face are irreversible.

you just need wash with soap. This is a huge mistake, because soap has an alkaline pH, and our skin’s pH is acidic, varying from 4.5 to 5.5 for different types. Oily skin has a higher pH and is more alkaline, so it is more prone to acne than other skin types.

The pH is one of the most important characteristics, and it should not be violated. The qualitative and quantitative composition of the skin microbiome (microorganisms living on its surface) depends on the pH values. From these microorganisms, in turn, depends the immunity of the skin, which opposes the development of pathogenic microflora.

Soap with alkaline pH destroys the conditions for the development of a respectful skin microbiome and destroys the components of the hydrolipidic mantle (protective barrier). In addition, when using soap, the development of dryness, dehydration, inflammation and wrinkles is inevitable.

What to do?

Of course, change the means of care. You should clean the skin with products with a pH of 5.5. Foams, gels or other means adapted to your skin type and condition.

By the way, it is immediately worth dispelling the myth that soap cleans best. It dries and degreases the surface of the skin, so it seems to us that it “almost squeaks clean”. In fact, it is harmful cleanliness: it injures the skin, and even with subsequent hydration, the balance on the surface is not restored.

The second mistake is not cleaning your skin daily and forgetting to remove your makeup before going to bed. This oversight leads to the formation of hyperkeratosis (thickened stratum corneum) and the appearance of sebaceous plugs – comedones and inflammation on the face.

It is especially harmful not to clean oily and combination skin from cosmetics. No matter the price of decorative products, no matter how marketers tell us about “respiratory pores”, any coating on the face without timely cleaning causes pollution and enlargement of pores, resulting in dramatic changes in the condition of the skin.

What to do?

At least once, but normally twice a day, you should wash your face with the right cleansers and apply extra care. At night, washing with a cleanser is a must.

And the last mistake is to use aggressive scrubs and brushes in the care. Often, women think they are only doing better to care for their skin, when in fact they are causing it irreparable damage!

Aggressive scrubs containing minerals, stone particles or nutshells as an abrasive not only destroy the protective barrier of the skin, but also damage the blood vessels, which leads to the formation of rosacea and even the development of a disease such as rosacea. The latter, by the way, is not completely cured, but at best is introduced only in remission.

Scrubs and brushes are unconditionally contraindicated for people with acne-prone skin, as well as for those with sensitive skin prone to redness and rosacea.

How then to clean the face in depth?

If the skin is insensitive, without acne or other rashes, you can use gentle exfoliating products, but no more than once a week.

For a gentler, but no less effective cleansing, use acid or enzymatic peels that gently but thoroughly cleanse the skin without negative consequences and are suitable for all skin types.

Photo: Velizar Ivanov/Unsplash