The Importance of Evening Cleansing
You’ve had a long day and can’t wait to jump into bed… so how bad IS it to skip washing your face before crawling under the covers?
Experts agree that evening cleansing is a crucial step to allow for the skin to repair itself while you are sleeping. Premature aging, breakouts, dryness and even infections can result from skipping this step.
For this reason, it is important to remove the dirt, dead skin cells, sweat, oils, and environmental pollutants that accumulate on your skin throughout the day. If you don’t, your skin has to continue working all night to fight off these free radicals which will then contribute to the breakdown of collagen, resulting in wrinkles.
Proper cleansing prepares the skin for the quality products we apply to address our skin’s needs, because while we are sleeping these therapeutic agents can work uninterrupted by sun, wind, makeup, workouts or other disruptions.
What is the best way to clean my skin?
The Double Cleanse Technique
Toss the makeup wipes! They not only pull and tug at the skin, but can also deposit their ingredients onto the skin. Lately, there’s lots of talk about the “double cleanse.” Simply put, it means washing your face twice, with a different purpose in mind each time. The first step should be an oil-based or micellar cleanser, like Mario Badescu Cleansing Oil for All Skin Types or Garnier SkinActive Micellar Water for All Skin Types to remove makeup.
It is especially important to remove all traces of makeup from the eye area to avoid clogging the delicate skin around the eye. Failure to do this step can result in red, puffy, inflammation around the eyes, over time causing hyperpigmentation.
The Second Cleanse
After removing makeup, you are ready for the second cleanse. A water based cleanser can really work it’s way into the skin and help to remove any leftover traces of your day. While fingertips are fine to perform this step as a manual cleanse, a good ultrasonic device like MYSKINBUDDY which uses four separate technologies (ultrasonic vibration, ion care, photon LED, and thermal heat therapy -available for purchase in my office) has been proven to more effectively provide a deeper cleaning.
Tailoring Your Cleanser to Your Skin
Washing your face is also a chance to treat skin concerns. Dry, sensitive skin can benefit from a hydrating, non-foaming cleanser like Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser. If you have acne prone skin or are more oily, a foaming cleanser or one with salicylic acid may be best.
One I like is CeraVe Renewing Salicylic Acid Cleanser, or I have several medical grade products available in office. Benzoyl peroxide is another strong acne-fighting alternative, but can be drying if left on the skin, so using it in a cleanser, the skin gets the benefit of the active ingredient without the side effects.
The Perfect Water Temperature
As tempting as it is, washing and rinsing your face with hot water is a no-no. Hot or very warm water can pull moisture out of your skin, possibly leading to dryness and irritation. Cold water is suitable for all skin types, and stimulates blood flow, helping to tighten the skin. Cold water also regulates sebum production, preventing breakouts and minimizing the appearance of pores.
Drying Your Face The Right Way
Drying should only be performed with a clean dry towel reserved just for your face. If washing multiple face towels each day seems like a chore, these single use face cloths are disposable, and are available with this decorative box to leave on your counter!
Check back to learn what to put on your skin to make the most of your nighttime routine!
Call 848-992-3157 or Contact Us with questions or to schedule a free skin care consultation
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