It’s creepy season, which means it’s time to find out if you have some creepy skincare habits!
If any of the following sound familiar, it’s time to make a quick change to your skincare routine.
Every day you repeat these habits you can damage your skin.
And damaged skin looks wrinkly, dull and dry – horrible!
5 Scary Skin Care Habits to Avoid This Halloween
1. Smoking
Smoking does terrible things to your skin. First, it breaks down the elastic fibers responsible for holding the skin’s shape. Second, it stimulates the enzyme that breaks down collagen – and collagen keeps your skin tight. Third, it constricts your blood vessels, restricting the flow of oxygen and nutrients to your skin.
Over time, this damage and breakdown causes yellowed, wrinkled, and sagging skin—a complexion worthy of a Halloween costume. Smoking also causes age spots and can worsen skin conditions such as psoriasis and eczema.
The good news is that if you stop, your skin will improve. Research shows that quitting smoking can reduce the signs of damage, including age spots, redness and other forms of discoloration.
In one small studyResearchers found that quitting smoking led to a reduction in the participants’ ‘biological age’ by 13 years. This number was based on factors such as the brightness, smoothness, elasticity and color of the skin. In a later studyscientists also found that quitting smoking led to the reactivation of collagen production.
The results are noticeable quickly; you may see changes as early as a month after quitting, and certainly after three months.
2. Use makeup wipes instead of cleanser
Makeup wipes can be convenient and quick, but don’t let them take the place of regular cleansing. If you have gotten into the bad habit of using only makeup wipes to cleanse, you invite disaster into your skin.
There are a few problems with this. First, many makeup wipes contain alcohol and other drying ingredients that dehydrate your skin for moisture. Over time, they can worsen dry skin and make fine lines and wrinkles more visible.
But most importantly, makeup wipes don’t get your skin clean enough on their own. You may remove some of the surface makeup, but you’ll leave behind some of the dirt, which will clog your pores and cause acne and irritation.
At most, the wipes smear around the makeup, dirt and dead skin on your face; they are not very effective at removing it.
Plus, makeup wipes leave stuff on your skin. Dr. Nada Elbuluk, associate professor of clinical dermatology at USC Keck School of Medicine, said TODAY.com that when you use wipes you leave unwanted ingredients on your skin:
“[Y]You wipe things off the skin to get the oil, makeup and dirt off,” she said. ‘But you leave some of the residue from the wipes on the skin. And that is also something that needs to be cleaned up.”
We also all tend to scrub a lot with a makeup wipe, thinking we’ll get it all off that way. But scrubbing can lead to irritation and redness, especially if you have sensitive skin. Plus, you’ll be scrubbing the ingredients used to make the wipe, which is probably not good for the skin.
Finally, makeup wipes can be bad for the environment. They create extra waste, often contain harsh chemicals and can be made from a mix of cotton and plastic.
It’s time to give up this terrifying habit.
3. Sleeping in your makeup
Speaking of cleansing, don’t rely on a makeup wipe, but Doing cleanse your skin before going to bed.
If you go to bed without cleansing your face, you’re asking for a horror show. Short Hills Dermatology from New Jersey even goes so far as to say that if you do, you trigger premature aging:
“Sleeping with makeup prevents the skin from undergoing this much-needed renewal, which breaks down healthy collagen. Light cannot reflect on the skin, making your skin look old and rough. Because makeup interrupts cell renewal, fine lines and wrinkles can develop. To keep the skin looking radiant and youthful, you can rejuvenate your skin by removing your makeup!”
When you sleep, oil flows to the skin’s surface to support the recovery process. Remaining makeup traps oil and causes clogged pores and pimples. Skin inflammation, dryness and blackheads all result from going to sleep without cleansing your face first.
No matter how long that Halloween party lasts or how much the candy has sapped your energy, do your skin a favor and cleanse it before you hit the sack!
4. Not getting enough sleep
Even one bad night’s sleep can be enough to make you look older the next day. Destroy the thought! Add to that a few nights of sleep deprivation and you might not even recognize the image staring back at you in the mirror.
In a study of women aged 30 to 49, researchers found that after five nights of poor sleep, participants doubled the number of fine lines and wrinkles and developed up to three-quarters more brown spots!
Sleep has a dramatic positive effect on the skin. It allows the skin to repair itself and gives the skin time to produce the nutrients it needs to look its best, such as collagen. Without enough sleep, the outer barrier suffers, increasing fluid loss and causing dehydration and dullness. The skin will sag more easily because there is no more collagen.
Lack of sleep also taxes the body, meaning it will release more ‘cortisol’, the stress hormone. This hormone is directly responsible for breaking down collagen and causing more skin sagging.
You can keep these harmful monsters at bay by making sure you get a good night’s sleep most nights of the week. That means 7-8 hours straight.
5. Using too many products
Using too many skin care products, especially those that are not suitable for your skin, can do more harm than good. Layering multiple products can lead to clogged pores and a dull, lackluster complexion. Worse yet, you could cause inflammation, irritation, redness, and even a rash.
If you’re not sure if you’re currently living in this kind of skincare haunted house, ask yourself the following questions:
- Do you have dry skin? Does it look dull and dull? If so, throw away all the products you are using and buy one that is effective! We recommend our Calming Moisture and Body Repair Lotion to help transform your skin from dry and dull to smooth and bright with a healthier, more vibrant glow.
- Are you breaking up? Reduce! Stick to a gentle cleanser, moisturizing toner (like our multi-benefit Rescue + Relief Spray, which is non-commode and won’t clog pores) and a high-quality moisturizer for a while until your skin comes back to life.
- Is your skin irritated? It’s time to listen to it. Redness, inflammation, itching and tightness all indicate that something is wrong, and your skin may be overstressed. Go back to basics for a few weeks to see if the situation improves. Try our CV Skinlabs minimal collection. All four products are gentle and proven to help sensitive skin; they boost moisture levels and tame inflammation, while restoring health and a youthful, radiant appearance.
With all the beauty products out there, it’s tempting to try this and that and the other. But this Halloween, sit back and review. Do these products really work for you? Is your skin happy, smooth, soft and radiant? If not, it’s time to make some changes before you descend into the darkness!
What creepy bad skincare habits are you avoiding?
Featured image courtesy of Los Muertos Crew via Pexels.
