My past skincare mistakes
STOP! Before you dash that skincare product in the bin, THINK! Is the product the problem, or are YOU? As consumers, it’s easy to blame the product for ‘just not working’. We don’t often think about our part. Are we using the product correctly? Are we applying it the right way? At the right time? Are we using it often enough? Are we using it too often? There are so many consumer mistakes that can make a good product, bad for the consumer. I would like to share about my personal experience, and the skincare mistakes I made while I was trying to get my acne under control, which left me with sensitive skin, more hyperpigmentation, and more breakouts(Not at all the outcome I was going for).
I over exfoliated
Back in 2021 I used to have this sweet-smelling apricot scrub which I LOVED and used daily. Yes, I would exfoliate daily, first with my apricot scrub, then with a BHA toner. I was clearly over exfoliating my skin. As a result, my skin got dry and flaky, which are common consequences of over exfoliation alongside irritation and redness.
It is best not to use potent exfoliants every day. Over exfoliation exposes immature skin cells and strips out oil from the lipid matrix. The lipid matrix helps prevent Transepidermal water loss and keeps harmful substances and microbes out of the skin. Over exfoliation also causes microtears in the skin, leaving the skin, the skin barrier compromised and making the skin more prone to microbial infection.
The best way to incorporate an exfoliant in your routine is by skin cycling. Skin cycling consists of applying specific actives on some days and other actives on other days. Choose 1-3 days max in a week on which you would like to exfoliate, and only exfoliate on those days. Ensure that every “exfoliation day” is at least 2-3 days away from the previous one/next exfoliation day, and that no potent actives(e.g retinols) or any potent serum(see section 4).
2. Used astrigent products only
Despite having acne, I have dry skin. Dry skin requires more hydrating and moisturising products as it easily loses moisture. Oil free products work best for oily skin types, which produce a high amount of sebum. However, I did not know this at the beginning of my skincare journey and opted for drying oil free products to “fix” my skin. Using oil free products made my skin very dry, and led to dullness, and peeling
. Having acne is not synonymous to having oily skin. Dry skin types can still break out. Because dry skin peels faster, dead skin cells can get stuck in pores causing breakouts. Furthermore, dry skin can trigger the overactivity of sebum glands, leading to sebum accumulating in the pores and causing more breakouts. If you have dry skin, it’s important to use products that help your skin retain moisture. Such products are rich in humectants, emollients and other moisturising agents that prevent water loss and help your skin retain moisture.
3. I Didn’t wear sunscreen
Despite having acne, I have dry skin. Dry skin requires more hydrating and moisturising products as it easily loses moisture. Oil free products work best for oily skin types, which produce a high amount of sebum. However, I did not know this at the beginning of my skincare journey and opted for drying oil free products to “fix” my skin. Using oil free products made my skin very dry, and led to dullness, and peeling
Having acne is not synonymous to having oily skin. Dry skin types can still break out. Because dry skin peels faster, dead skin cells can get stuck in pores causing breakouts. Furthermore, dry skin can trigger the overactivity of sebum glands, leading to sebum accumulating in the pores and causing more breakouts. If you have dry skin, it’s important to use products that help your skin retain moisture. Such products are rich in humectants, emollients and other moisturising agents that prevent water loss and help your skin retain moisture.
4. Used too many potent active serums/ products at once
My routine then consisted of an exfoliating cleanser, a BHA toner, a retinol serum, a niacinamide serum, and a moisturiser. This was the routine I followed daily, for months. I was using too many actives, at once.
Layering too many potent actives can irritate your skin. Over-layering your products can also decrease the absorption of the products into your skin, making the products seem less effective. Daily application of potent actives like retinol, which increases cell turnover, or exfoliants can cause peeling, irritation, and dryness. The best way to follow a skincare regimen with different actives by skin cycling.
5. Solely relied on skincare products
There are so many other factors beyond skincare products that can affect your skin. Things like not changing your bedding often enough, diet, sleeping with makeup on, the kind of makeup you use, the beauty tools you use, and how you maintain them, affect your skin. For example, not changing bedding exposes your skin to bacteria, which leads to more breakouts. Some beauty tools like cleansing brushes can irritate the skin. Long story short, so many things can impact your skin. As consumers, it’s easy to blame the skincare products and not investigate what other habits we may have, that may be impacting our skin. I was guilty of this mistake, trying to reach my skincare goals by only changing my skincare. This didn’t work, and with time I had to slowly abandon habits that were making my skin worse. For me, this started by refraining from using a skincare spin brush to wash my face, but it could look very different for you!
