"I'm young, I have dozens of skincare products that I use diligently, and I've never had oily skin, breakouts or rashes until now! I don't understand why this is happening to my face- I'm using the same stuff I always use."
If you're an experienced skincare lover, then you're already ingredient conscious and mindful not to overwhelm your skin for the sake of your moisture barrier.
However, if you're a novice skincare lover, you might be having a field day, happily slapping various moisturizers, oils, masks, toners, and everything in between onto your face on the daily and nightly, without much care for the ingredients (who knows what those words mean anyway), and as long as you're not breaking out-it's fine, right? Not necessarily.
Social media has largely popularized using multiple facial products in skin care routines and even the idea of having multiple routines throughout the week, a trend that is made attractive by circulating fun content that tells us to try this and that, mix this with this, put that here, massage that there, leave this on, exfoliate with this-it literally goes on forever! But...is it really in our skin's best interest to be doing this?
Most people do not know that adding multiple products, especially those rich in retinoic acid can damage the skin. This is where we start to see redness, burning, itching, irritation, and skin sensitivities. Or that overusing too heavy anti-aging skincare products at an early age, typically prior to your late twenties, can have the opposite effect on skin, causing premature aging.
Combining certain vitamin-rich products with other vitamin-rich products can also destroy skin and set our face up for the early appearance of aging, most often referred to as "premature aging".
A simple, consistent routine is more effective than complex, inconsistent routines in which new products are continuously being introduced to your skin in no particular order.
Using too many products can lead to "product fatigue" in which your skin stops reacting because it has become overwhelmed.
Adding and layering on too many actives damages the skin barrier.
This isn't to say that you should stop using new products, but there is a better way to test them out.
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Try a new product routine without combining it with the other products you've been using right way. This way your ingredients have less chance of having a negative interaction within your skin. You also get to see exactly which benefits you're receiving from the specific product. You might find that it works better when you don't add anything to it, than it does when incorporated into a routine with other products or vice versa.
- research the safety of certain trends before committing to them
- layer products thinnest to thickest, ending with an occlusive such as an oil or butter, to seal in moisture and ingredients.
Let's look at what premature aging is and some of the causes:
Premature aging is the early onset of aged-looking skin (before age 35), such as crinkling, wrinkling, and thinning, fine lines, dull, dried out-looking complexion, sunspots, loss of elasticity and sagging skin. Basically, you begin to see these signs of aging before your time.
Causes:
- Excessive exposure to UV rays (primary cause)
- smoking cigarettes and excessive alcohol consumption
- chronic stress levels
- obesity or frequent significant fluctuations in weight gain and weight loss (which can cause loose skin to sag and wrinkle)
- lack of sleep and insomnia
- genetic disorders
- overusing actives (For example, applying one product rich in Vitamin A (retinol), then applying another retinol rich product, and yet another, can not only cause thinning skin but can make skin more sensitive to UV rays)
- Too many skincare routines and using multiple anti-aging products at once, especially those involving the frequent use of retinoid creams and glycolic acids
- Over-exfoliating
- chemicals and toxins in binders and preservatives used in creams and lotions
What You Need to Know:
- Be ingredient mindful.
- Keep your teenagers informed of what skincare ingredients they should and should not be using. For example, teenagers should have no need for early application of anti-aging skincare unless recommended by a doctor. (There are numerous social media trends that inspire teens to purchase and use cool anti-aging products).
- More is Less, and Less is More, when it comes to skincare. Overuse and multi-product routines make skin care less effective, while keeping a minimalist routine offers the best results without overwhelming the skin.
- Remove face masks designed with clay, drying alcohols, or mud while they are still slightly damp, rather than letting them dry completely, as this experienced "tightening" when face masks are allowed to dry completely is due to too much moisture being pulled out of the skin (not the healthy skin tightening result it is often mistaken for). Apply moisturizer immediately after to replace lost moisture and strengthen the barrier. (After removing a face mask, I dampen my face with a little water and apply a lightweight nutrient-rich natural oil (Flora Face Hydrator), which I massage into my skin.)
- Try reducing your skin care routine down to 2-3 steps, if possible, with the first step being cleansing your skin, which should always be done before applying any product, including makeup.
- If the reason you are applying so many different products is to address a specific skincare concern, try consulting with a dermatologist to help you find the right product without destroying your skin in the process of searching.
- Rather than using multiple creams to get specific benefits from each, try switching to a natural skincare oil that delivers hydration, multiple nutrients, and antioxidants while protecting the skin from bacteria and inflammation.
- Mixing new ingredients with strong actives to already formulated skincare products (such as adding oil high in retinol content into a cream high in retinol to build a "stronger retinol cream". This can create adverse effects in skin and do more harm than good.
Above all, remember less is BEST!
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