9 COMMON SKIN CARE MISTAKES

Khushi Gupta
7 min readApr 15, 2022

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Our skin is the first to suffer the awful harmful ways of our lives. Pollution, wind, humidity, heat, etc. These are only a few to name, but enough to cause skincare issues like blackheads, pimples, acne, pigmentation, sunburn, and rash, etc. To prevent these harmful effects, or to remove them, we must follow a skin care regimen, which is based on our skin types and the environment in which we live. You may follow all the skin care commandments — such as using face wash and applying moisturizer — but those bright, smooth results you’re after just won’t show. Or, worse, you might be damaging your skin in the process. Now apart from using the right products, it’s necessary to be mindful of the common skincare mistakes people generally make.

  • SKIPPING OUT ON SUNSCREEN

Now it’s no mystery that exposure to Sun’s rays can lead to the appearance of fine lines and can also cause skin cancer. But the blue light coming from our mobile phones, and other electronic devices, can also penetrate through our skin and cause hyperpigmentation. Don’t think that you can just skip this step. Not applying sunscreen is like asking for skin cancer. You should apply an SPF 30 or higher. It should also be broad spectrum, which means it helps to shield you from UVA rays (as well as UVB) which are known to cause photoaging of the skin. Remember to reapply it every 1–2 hours when you’re not in water, and every 30–40 minutes if you do go under water.

  • INCONSISTENCY

This would probably be one of the worst, yet common, skin care mistakes you could make. Consistently changing your products, not using them regularly. Remember the golden rule, even if it looks super fancy, it isn’t always good.

Don’t buy a product just because it looks good, and most definitely don’t keep changing your products. Skin care results are like weight loss, you need to be patient and consistent with your effort in order to get results. Changing your products, once your skin has already built up a tolerance to the products you’re currently using, can actually cause a reverse effect on your skin, and lead to more breakouts. It takes a while to get the results, but trying to cut the process short will be a ‘good for nothing’ idea.

  • POPPING YOUR PIMPLES

Popping your pimples and pinching your skin for blackheads, is most definitely the worst idea that has popped into our heads at least once. No matter how tempted you feel to do it, Don’t Do It! When a dermatologist drains a pimple they apply downward pressure, but when people try to do it themselves, they squeeze from the side which ends up backfiring because it causes infection to go down deeper into the pore. It will rupture your pore follicles, spread an infection, and create a cyst out of your pimple, which is just creating an even bigger hassle for your skin. Don’t perform your minor mirror surgeries. Benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid, and niacinamide acid are extremely effective for clearing your acne.

  • OVER-EXFOLIATING AND NOT EXFOLIATING

Over time dead skin cells pile up on our skin, which if not cleaned off, can clog your pores and cause breakouts. Exfoliating your skin can get rid of these skin cells, and even out your skin tone. Skin care products work so much better when dead skin cells aren’t in the way. Over-exfoliating can make your skin dry, and chafed, and we all know that dry skin is very much prone to ageing. People with acne or the occasional pimple think they need to dry out their skin, so choose products that are too harsh — which can cause further irritation than the breakout itself. It just over all does more harm to your skin. Apart from physical exfoliants, invest in some good chemical exfoliants as well, like AHA exfoliants. AHA can be found in a lot of chemical exfoliants as it promotes cell regeneration, and reduces the visibility of age spots. Don’t follow the ‘if it’s not burning then it’s not working’ trend. Totally not cute.

  • NOT USING EYE CREAMS

The skin under your eyes is much thinner and delicate as compared to the skin on the rest of your face. This makes it lose moisture easily, and more prone to ageing, and fine lines. A good eye cream works on reducing the appearance of dark circles and puffiness, aside from keeping it hydrated. Hyaluronic acid, Ceramides, SPF, Peptides, Vitamin E/C, and AHA’s, should be a few of the key ingredients you should look for in a good eye cream. Check if it’s dermatologically-tested. If it matches your skin type, then you’re good to go.

  • WASHING YOUR FACE WITH SOAP

Soaps contain harsh chemicals that aren’t meant for your face. They are harsh surfactants that will end up removing good lipids from your skin. Your skin’s natural barrier is made up of an acid mantle. When the pH scale shows 7, it is neutral. Anything below that is acidic and above it is alkaline. Our skin’s pH balance is generally between 4 and 6.5, even when the skin is very oily. Soap, on the other hand, is extremely alkaline and goes towards the other extreme. So, if you use soap on your skin, it messes with its pH balance and acid mantle, causing it to make skin conditions worse. This will break down your skin’s natural moisture barrier and make it severely dry, causing breakouts. Which is definitely not what you want.

  • FORGETTING YOUR NECK

Your skincare routine doesn’t end with your jawline. Just like our eyes, our necks have thin, delicate skin, with few oil glands. This makes it more prone to wrinkling, sagging, sun spots, and other signs of ageing. Neglecting your neck will just make you look like an entirely different person from under your jawline. You can use the same products that you use on your face, on your neck. Besides, you can’t wear turtlenecks all year long, and when you’re back in the V-neck and swimsuit season, you’ll thank yourself for remembering this detail.

Repeat after me: Trust the process!

  • NOT WASHING YOUR HANDS

Come on guys, if there’s anything we’ve learnt from this pandemic, it’s that we should be as hygienic as possible. Wash your hands! Especially while doing skincare routines. You go throughout the day touching whatnot with your hands. You have no idea what kind of germs and bacteria are on your hands. And on top of that, you make the decision to touch your face with those dirty hands. We carry natural oils in the palms of our hands, which can easily transfer it all to your face and your products. By starting with squeaky clean hands, you’ll avoid contaminating your skin and spreading persistent blemishes, acne, pimples, and rashes. And then there’s pink eye… Try to not touch your face throughout the day as much as possible, and to wash your hands before applying skincare products. Don’t be nasty, don’t keep your hands dirty.

  • NOT GETTING PROPER SLEEP

Now Beauty-sleep is not a myth. Your skin cells need to rest to be able to rejuvenate themselves. When you sleep, your skin’s blood flow increases which helps in collagen synthesis and repair the skin damage caused by the UV rays, pollution, dust, dirt, and much more. Sleep deprivation causes a decrease in blood flow to the skin surrounding your face. It all shows up as dark circles, swollen eyes, fine lines, crows feet, etc. Double cleanse your face, do the rest of your routine, get a good 8 hour sleep and let your skin rest for a while. You deserve it after a day’s work.

CONCLUSION

The popularity of skin care can be a negative thing because the influx of advice and tips from just about anyone can easily lead many of us to make some pretty big skin-care mistakes without even realizing it.

Although some of these mishaps can seem totally harmless, and ineffective, they can lead to irritation, breakouts, and maybe even a trip to the dermatologist. These are some of the most common, yet huge mistakes people make while doing skincare routines. Your skin requires regular care to keep it looking healthy but wrong care can lead to skin problems. So keep these in mind. Your skin is the largest organ in your body, and protecting and taking care of it is about more than just looking ageless or pore-less — it’s about staying healthy.

Do you feel that we missed something? Please make use of the comment section and add to the list!

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Khushi Gupta

I’m a content marketer and cater to the beauty industry. I’m an ambitious person who works hard to go closer to them each day.