Habits that Haunt

January 27, 2012 at 1:43 am Derm RF

Scrubbing Away Good Skin

Great skin starts with clean skin. The wrong cleanser can undo all the right things you’re doing and make your skin drier and more oil-prone than before you lathered up. In fact, a bevy of bubbles is an obvious indication that your cleanser is likely stripping away your precious moisture barrier.

Gentle, low sudsing cleansers are best because they effectively remove dirt and oil without disrupting your delicate stratum corneum (top layer of skin). To exfoliate deeper, simply apply your cleanser longer, not harder. Over scrubbing is just as bad and can create small abrasions or leaks where germs and dirt can sneak in.