TAKING CARE OF YOUR SKIN
Top ten tips on what not to do to your skin
There is a huge amount of skincare products and cosmetic technologies available these days to help your skin look its best but in order to achieve amazing results there are certain things you shouldn’t forget. Here are ten points that most dermatologists would never do to their own skin and would advise you to avoid:
1. FORGETTING YOUR SUNSCREEN
The sun’s harsh rays not only cause premature ageing, but substantially increase your risk of skin cancer. Australians have the highest rate of skin cancer and melanoma worldwide, affecting both the young and old. Protect yourself from lines, wrinkles, or worse. Apply SPF 50+ sunscreen regularly, avoid sunbaking or prolonged sun exposure and don’t forget protective clothing and eyewear.
2. PICKING AND SQUEEZING YOUR ACNE
As tempting as it sometimes is, the worst thing you can do to a pimple is pick and squeeze it. It will cause increasing redness and swelling and more than likely leave a scar. Find a gentler alternative, apply an alcohol based solution, or Clearasil containing benzoyl peroxide, or an antibiotic lotion to treat the affected area regularly.
3. RUBBING AND SCRATCHING YOUR ECZEMA
Dry itchy skin will only be made worse by rubbing and scratching your eczema. Instead, apply a cold washer or water spray, or a nonirritating moisturiser, or even a topical steroid treatment as advised by your doctor. Be sensible. Rubbing and scratching will simply prolong the scratch-itch cycle causing more inflammation and increasing your discomfort.
4. FORGETTING TO REMOVE YOUR MAKEUP
Sleeping in your makeup is a recipe for disaster for your skin. Congestion of pores and acne are the likely outcomes and so the vicious cycle begins. You wear more makeup to cover the blemishes and you continue to sleep with extra makeup, which makes the problem worse. Sleeping in your makeup will also promote milia, tiny hard balls of keratin that look like acne and need to be manually extracted. It takes less than 5 minutes to remove your makeup at night. Make this an essential part of your daily skin care routine.
5. WEARING YOUR MAKEUP TO THE GYM
Wearing your makeup to the gym is simply a bad idea. Makeup will mix with sweat while you exercise. This will block skin follicles and cause congestion and acne. If you are feeling very self-conscious then consider a tinted moisturiser or sunblock as an alternative.
6. NOT WIPING AWAY YOUR SWEAT WHILE EXERCISING
Sweating in its own right, whether you are wearing makeup or not, can cause congestion and acne. Keep a towel on hand at the gym and wipe away your sweat as your exercise to keep your skin free of pimples. Shower immediately afterwards to freshen up and protect your skin.
7. NOT WEARING THONGS IN THE GYM SHOWERS
Unless you want warts and tinea on your feet, invest in a pair of rubber thongs to keep your skin free of viruses and fungus!
8. OVER-EXFOLIATING YOUR SKIN
Too much exfoliation can leave your skin feeling a little raw. Be kind to your skin. If we inflame skin too much through repeated treatments that traumatise, we will do more damage than good. Excessive inflammation can cause worsening of pigmentation and blood vessel formation.
9. USING TOO MANY ACIDIC PRODUCTS
Acidic products inherently dry out your skin. Too many will simply dry it out too much. The skin will not appear rejuvenated, but inflamed and scaly. Be sensible. Less is definitely more.
10. CHOOSING PRODUCTS NOT SUITABLE TO YOUR SKIN TYPE
The products that are suitable for dry skin are very different to the products that are suitable for oily and acne prone skin. Don’t simply follow trends. Seek advice from your skin doctor about what is best for you. When it comes to skincare, it is important to talk to a professional to ensure you don’t do anything that may damage your skin permanently. If you are concerned about your skin, seek out a cosmetically and dermatologically trained doctor who can provide you with up-to-date, carefully considered and individually tailored information on how to manage and improve your skin.