5 Common Ways You Are Damaging Your Skin Without Even Knowing It

Whilst a proper skincare regime can do wonders for preventing pre-mature skin ageing, there are many ways you can be damaging your skin without even knowing it! Repeating these actions daily can over time lead to fine lines, irritation, redness or a dull complexion. Below we share the 5 most common skincare mistakes, how to stop them and the steps to take to be on your way to beautiful skin.

1. Stop Over Exfoliating

 When incorporated correctly into a skincare routine, exfoliation can help to keep your complexion looking plump, healthy and radiant by removing excess dead skin cells, clearing congestion and helping your other skincare products work effectively. With so many benefits, it is easy to see how many people can be tempted to overdo it. However, over-exfoliation can lead to too many layers of skin (your skin’s natural protective barrier) being removed, which lowers your skin’s ability to shield it self against allergens, bacteria and irritants.

This results in skin appearing irritated or inflamed, leading to flaking, peeling and dryness, feeling tight or uncomfortable or may be excessively shiny. In more severe cases, over exfoliation over an extended period of time can lead to rashes, itching and stinging, scarring and even hyper pigmentation. Luckily, reversing over-exfoliation is manageable by switching to a cleanser and creams that are nourishing, hydrating and anti-inflammatory.

2. Avoid Excessive Sun Exposure and Start Wearing Sunscreen

One of the most common outcomes of spending too much time in the sun is sun burn and sun damage, it can also lead to premature ageing in the form of fine lines and wrinkles, sun spots and pigmentation. One of the best things you can do to prevent sun damage is to wear sunscreen daily, even in winter or when spending time indoors. The easiest way to remember to apply sunscreen is to make it a part of your morning routine, by applying it all over your skin but paying particular attention to your face. When choosing a sunscreen, be sure to consider its SPF levels – the higher the better.

3. Stop Picking At Your Skin

It can be incredibly tempting to squeeze a bunch of black heads or pop a large pimple that has appeared overnight in an effort to remove or clear the pimple up faster. However, squeezing blemishes can make them worsen, spread bacteria and create new pimples, or cause damage both above and below your skin surface.

Each time your skin is damaged there is a possibility that when it begins to heal that tissue, collagen or elasticity will be lost causing pitted or depressed acne scarring – the greater the amount of damaged inflicted on the skin, the more tissue that can be lost. Dark spots or hyperpigmentation can also be the result of excessive skin damage caused by picking and squeezing blemishes.

These dark spots are typically classed as post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation and are caused by inflammation. As popping and squeezing pimples causes inflammation, this type of pigmentation is common once a blemish begins to heal and can be difficult to remove. The best policy is to steer clear of touching your pimples or try over the counter spot serums and cream treatments that will work to dry them out and heal them quicker.

4. Don’t Forget To Moisturise

Even if you have oily or troubled skin, it is incredibly important that you are hydrating your skin and applying moisturiser. It is common myth that oily skin does not require more hydration however; depriving your skin of moisture will only make your skin work overtime to produce more sebum, which can lead to congestion and acne. Further to this, daily moisture helps to protect your skin against environmental factors and locks in hydration to keep your skin soft and supple. Dehydrated and dry skin also tends to show the effects of ageing more.

5. Not Properly Cleansing Your Skin

Whilst washing your face every day may seem like a pretty fool-proof task, surprisingly, it’s something people often do wrong, even when using the best skincare products. Incorrectly cleansing can lead to a build up of make up, debris, sweat or pollutants, which can clog your pores and lead to breakouts or red patches. It can also lead to pre-mature ageing, rough skin texture or a dull complexion. To wash your face more effectively ensuring that you are cleansing at least twice a day using an oil-based make-up remover to help dissolve and remove your makeup completely.

If you are finding it impossible to reverse some of your skin damage, PicoSure may be the solution for you. PicoSure skin treatments are proven to treat and improve the appearance of a number of common skin concerns, such as acne scarring, pigmentation and pigmented lesions, sun damage, enlarged pores and an uneven or textured skin surface. PicoSure utilises targeted powerful energy to deeply penetrate the skin and stimulate the production of new elastin and collagen, for a rejuvenated and flawless complexion that you will want to show off to the world!

Find your nearest PicoSure provider today to get started.