Having radiant, youthful, healthy skin isn’t a birthright.
Nor is it as simple as washing your face twice daily.
In fact, factors such as genetics, drinking coffee or alcohol, smoking, sleep patterns, even the temperature of water you use in the shower can play a major role in maintaining beautiful skin.
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To put an end to wrinkles, acne, sagging, dull skin, steer clear of these three major skin sins.
Don’t take long and hot showers
“You might think that a steamy shower or long bath would help by hydrating the skin. But, taking this to the extreme can have the opposite effect, leaving your skin dry, cracked, and irritated. Very dry skin can progress to inflamed skin that may itch,” David Lortscher, MD, CEO and Founder of Curology, tells BlackDoctor.org.
Why does this happen? “Hot water will strip your skin of natural protective oils, and scrubbing long and hard or using harsh soap will further compromise the barrier that your skin naturally produces to protect your body from the outside world,” added Lortscher.
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Don't pop that pimple!
“If you are faced with an angry blemish—resist the temptation—do not squeeze or pick! If you can’t resist and pop a pimple, then makeup on top of that is not a good idea. At best, it can look like oatmeal, and at worst it may interfere with healing,” he advised.
Instead, first “try to nip acne breakout in the bud!” said Dr. Lortscher. “We want to prevent new blemishes, not ‘chase the old ones around,’ so we advise our patients to apply their custom Curology medication all over their face daily. When you treat preventatively, over time, you’ll have fewer and fewer blemishes that need covering up!”
Don’t overlook proper treatment
Meanwhile, “a cold compress may help decrease inflammation for early under the skin inflamed spots.” Resisting the temptation to physically exfoliate may also prove beneficial, says Lortscher. Exfoliating, Lortscher explained, "may irritate already sensitive skin and deroof blemishes resulting in oozing that can’t be covered up." She advises using a gentle cleanser instead.
If you’ve already made the mistake of poking and popping your zits, this expert suggests treating scabbing and bleeding with hydrocolloid bandages.
According to Lortscher, this treatment works by, “inhibiting the transmission of water vapor from the wound surface to the atmosphere.”
Adding, “They maintain a moist environment, which allows faster healing (skin cells cannot easily migrate across the Sahara Desert of a scab; they need a hydrated surface to live and close the wound!).
They also work like a sponge to absorb pus and oil from acne blemishes, reduce inflammation, and protect the area from contamination with microorganisms and from trauma (including picking!) and can minimize scar formation.
Though “tough to find,” the blemish-sized, or bigger hydrocolloid dressings can be found, assures Lortscher. “They are not always labeled hydrocolloid. They are often sold as blister bandages. I would just make sure that it also says hydrocolloid at least somewhere on the box. You should be able to find them at Target (Up & Up brand), Rite-Aid, Walgreens, etc,” said Lortscher.
Now that you know where you may have gone wrong in your pursuit of flawless skin, tell us, are you guilty?
