Sometimes, you have the best intentions to do a full regimen or make all the right skincare moves but then life happens. Here, we dive into how bad it really is to commit these notorious “skin sins,” and trust us: While you may be able to get away with a select few, there are still some that should remain off-limits.
Meet the Experts
Sunday Riley , CEO, founder, product formulator
Rachel Day, M.D., is a board-certified dermatologist in Pennsylvania.
Deanne Robinson, M.D., is a board-certified dermatologist in Connecticut.
1. SKIPPING WASHING YOUR FACE AT NIGHT
Verdict: Not so bad … if it’s done once in a blue moon.
We’ve all been there, a late night out or post-Netflix binge leaves you feeling too tired to wash your face. “It is important to remove the makeup debris to avoid congesting your pores and triggering acne breakouts. If you don’t wear makeup and don’t have obvious grime on your face, occasionally skipping your nightly cleanse is unlikely to be a major deal,“ says Rachel Day, M.D., a board-certified dermatologist in Pennsylvania.
Deanne Robinson, M.D., a board-certified dermatologist in Connecticut, adds, “Sleeping in skincare, sweat, impurities, and makeup is not kind to your skin. You could wake up with dry, irritated skin (makeup can be drying) and even some breakouts.” She explains that our skin follows circadian rhythm: “It depends on the nighttime hours to breathe, repair, and regulate, so over time if you skip washing you’re essentially getting in your own way.” Even though skipping your cleansing routine once in a while is no biggie, this is not something you want to do on the regular. If you forgot to wash, in the AM cleanse well, try a gentle cleanser like Sunday Riley Ceramic Slip Cleanser, and then restore hydration with hyaluronic acid and moisturizer, and of course follow it up with SPF.
When it comes to cleansing, should you do it in the AM, the PM or both? ‘We’re going to choose the PM. However, let’s not forget the morning, right? I know a lot of us, particularly those with dry skin, are thinking ‘I don’t really need to cleanse in the morning’. Sort of the problem is that indoor air pollution can often be worse than your outdoor air pollution. You probably didn’t know, you might not have had a lot of sweat. There’s those PM particles. We want to really help remove those that PM 2.5- PM10. Let’s remove those from the skin just by cleansing the skin in the morning. If you have dry skin where you might have been a little bit concerned, you don’t want to dry your skin out, right? So you might say, I don’t want to wash my face twice because when I wake up, my skin already feels tight and dry. Why would I wash it again? We’re just going to wash away that indoor air pollution. We’re going to wash away any grime. We’re going to wash that all away really gently, and then we’re going to infuse the skin in the morning with a fresh dose of skincare. We’re not going to leave that old residue on from the night before. I like to cleanse my skin with a very gentle cleanser in the morning. I mean, I’m gentle all day long, but the one I typically reach for is Ceramic Slip’, says Sunday Riley, CEO, founder and product formulator.
2. USING FACE WIPES REGULARLY
Verdict: Not so good!
“Wipes don’t loosen impurities in the pores, and they most likely won’t penetrate the oils at the skin’s surface to reach the deeper skin structures,” explains Dr. Robinson. “Face wipes don’t compare to the deeper cleansing abilities of a cleanser.” Your skin type may also play a part in how often you should rely on wipes. “The ingredients and fragrance in some face wipes can be irritating to those with sensitive skin with consistent and repeated exposure,” says Dr. Day. For patients with very sensitive skin, she recommends water mists to remove dirt and sweat after a workout. Oil cleansing is a soothing and effective way to remove makeup easily in patients with very sensitive skin.
3. APPLYING TOOTHPASTE ON A PIMPLE
Verdict: Don’t do it!
“Toothpaste has a pH level that can cause irritation to healthy skin — you can get overly dry from the baking soda (commonly found) and irritated from the fragrance/flavoring. Essentially this strategy can increase irritation and inflammation, which is the opposite of what you want on a pimple,” explains Dr. Robinson. Instead, look for pore-unclogging ingredients like salicylic acid, found in Sunday Riley U.F.O. Ultra Acne Clarifying Face Oil to treat blemish-prone areas. Or sulfur, it absorbs and dries out excess sebum and clarifies the surface of skin. You can find it in Sunday Riley Saturn, a medicated spot treatment mask that clears up acne while preventing new blemishes from forming. Formulated with 10% Sulfur, this acne-fighting spot treatment mask clears up blemishes and targets causes that lead to future breakouts.
4. POPPING PIMPLES
Verdict: Pretty bad, but we think you already know that this one is a no-go!
“A pimple represents our bodies trying to manage inflammation triggered by pro-inflammatory bacteria, excess oil and skin cell buildup in our hair follicles,” says Dr. Day. “When we squeeze pimples, we are traumatizing the skin and adding to the inflammatory environment.” She notes popping pimples can actually make the breakout worse. “It allows the bacteria that was localized around the hair follicle to be leached into the surrounding areas making pimples wider, redder, and increasing the risk of permanent scarring.”
Instead, apply the Saturn Sulfur Spot Treatment Mask by Sunday Riley. ‘High-strength sulfur dries excess (pore-clogging) sebum and removes dead skin cells. The antibacterial properties in sulfur further aid in combating acne by reducing bacteria on the skin, thereby minimizing inflammation and preventing new pimples from forming. Moreover, sulfur is known to have drying and exfoliating effects, which can help in managing excess oil and sebum production, a common concern for those with oily skin types. Additionally, sulfur’s anti-inflammatory qualities make it beneficial for soothing skin conditions like rosacea, eczema, and dandruff, providing relief from redness and irritation’, explains Sunday Riley. The ancient history of sulfur in skin care enriches its modern appeal, tracing back to centuries ago when civilizations such as the Romans and the Chinese recognized its therapeutic properties. They utilized sulfur in their baths and medicinal treatments, harnessing its natural powers to treat a variety of skin ailments and diseases. Sulfur’s enduring impact on the skin, with its effects lasting up to three days, is a testament to its potent and prolonged activity as a skincare ingredient.
5. SKIPPING EYE CREAM
Verdict: No!
Eye cream is another opportunity to hydrate a delicate area of skin which helps minimize the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles related to dehydrated skin. Once in a while it is ok to forget eye cream, BUT the eyes are one of the first places to see aging. You want to have separate specific products for eyes as they are formulated with the sensitive area in mind.
‘For the specific eye concerns, like dark circles and puffiness, your face moisturizer or your neck moisturizer, isn’t really going to help with that. It’s not something that you deal with in these areas. So you need something specialized and targeted that’s not just makeup and an ice cube to help with that. For example, for dark circles, we’re looking at AutoCorrect Eye Cream. So this is an amazing eye cream that’s really meant for dark circles and puffy eyes. Lots of eye cream typically are for lines, wrinkles and hydration, but not for the dark circles. Caffeine and Brazilian ginseng root extract rapidly reduce the appearance of puffiness and dark circles, energizing tired-looking eyes. Antioxidant-rich lutein provides a radiant glow to the fragile skin around the eye. Eyes look fresher, younger, depuffed, and more rested for immediate and noticeable results. It’s like 8 hours of sleep in one pump!’, says Sunday.
Just be mindful of active ingredients as they may not be suited for more delicate areas of the skin. “Retinoids and retinols that are okay on other parts of the face can be really irritating to the delicate under-eye area. I would not use your routine retinoid/retinol in place of a tested eye cream with retinol,” explains Riley. Try Sunday Riley’s retinol-infused eye serum, which is specifically designed for the gentle eye area: 5 Stars Retinoid + Niacinamide Eye Serum. It is a wrinkle-fighting serum powered by a 6% retinoid complex and bioactive Centella Asiatica to support natural collagen production. 5 Stars is also balanced with poppy seed extract and ceramides to soothe, smooth, and nurture the eye area while olive oil and shea butter rehydrate for overnight restoration.
6. GETTING A BASE TAN
Verdict: Please skip this one and slather on the self-tanner instead.
According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, tanning before the age of 35 increases your risk of developing melanoma by up to 75%! “The tan that you get from tanning beds does not protect your skin from a sunburn or help with vitamin D synthesis. Worst of all, tanning beds accelerate skin aging,” says Dr. Day. She adds, “tanning beds are a lose-lose. I advocate for safe, fun outside in our natural environment. It’s good for both our mental and physical health.”
7. WASHING HAIR ONCE A WEEK
Verdict: Maybe!
Washing once a week might be fine based on how oily your scalp is and the texture of your hair strands, says Dr. Robinson. However, be wary of loading up on dry shampoo every single day for a whole week. “Using dry shampoo too frequently might cause issues like scalp dryness, folliculitis, and seborrheic dermatitis — most dry shampoos contain alcohol or starch, which are very drying,” she says. Using dry shampoo frequently often leads to buildup on the scalp which can inflame and obstruct hair follicles, inhibiting healthy growth. Try applying dry shampoo towards the end of your blowout cycle instead of on day 2.
‘Not all of that product buildup can be washed away with shampoo (remember, even your shampoo and conditioner can leave a waxy residue). As a matter of fact, over-washing your hair can strip your hair off too much oil and dry out your scalp, with resulting flakiness and itchiness. The solution? Clarify the product buildup and exfoliate the dry flakes away with Clean Rinse Clarifying Scalp Serum, which is powered by glycolic (AHA) and salicylic (BHA) acid’, says Sunday Riley. This serum exfoliates the surface of your scalp (bye, white flakes) and removes oily scalp and product buildup (hello, healthy hair growth and cleaner scalp). It’s balanced with toning witch hazel and clays to pull out impurities. Not to mention niacinamide, panthenol, and zinc, which are important vitamins and minerals for healthy hair growth. Use it at least once a week and treat your scalp as an extension of your face. It can be used on wet or dry scalp, safe for color treated hair.
‘The scalp is one of the dirtiest places on the human body. Not only does your scalp have a plethora of sweat glands, but it also has an abundance of sebaceous (oil) glands, which produce oily sebum. Have you ever scratched your scalp and noticed white, waxy buildup under your nails? That’s sebum mixed with dead skin cells. It’s hard for shampoo alone to wash away your oily scalp issues. And issues like stress and weather can increase the scalp’s sebum production, making you even oilier. The sebum buildup needs a decongestant, like salicylic acid, to break it down’, adds Sunday.
8. SKIPPING SPF SOME DAYS
Verdict: Hear us loud and clear on this one: Rain or shine, you always want to apply a broad spectrum SPF 30.
“Wearing SPF everyday is the most protective thing you can do for your skin. It protects against UV damage which causes skin damage/cancers and also skin aging,” says Dr. Robinson. Furthermore, even if you’re just sitting in front of a computer, depending on the SPF used, “You are also protecting against HEV blue light, environmental toxins, infrared radiation, pollution … which can also accelerate skin aging, break down collagen, and cause pigmentation,” adds Robinson.
Ready to repent your skin sins? Talk to our experts and we will help you start fresh!
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