Is Skincare Really Necessary?
Short Answer
Yes
Medium Answer
Dermatologists disagree on a lot, but they agree on two biggies:
- Everyone should wear sunscreen every day
- Everyone should wash their face every night
Your skin is your body's largest organ, and it works really hard to protect your insides. Life on earth contains a lot of things in it that are rough on skin, so if you want to keep your biggest organ healthy, cancer-free, and comfy for years, you shouldn’t treat it like a pair of old shoes.
Eating healthy food, staying hydrated, and not smoking are huge things you can do to keep your skin happier from the inside. But the outside stuff actually matters a lot to your skin.
As mentioned above, dermatologists tend to quibble, but they’re near unanimous on the sunscreen and the face washing. (A close third recommendation is moisturizer.)
Note that those things are EXTERNAL, and they’re the things you would call “skincare routines.” So skincare really is for everyone.
Why do we wear sunscreen?
Because humans are living a long time these days, and our skin can’t take the accumulated years of sunshine. Also, more sunshine gets through our windows than you think. The inflammation caused by sun exposure can lead to many problems, the biggest of which is obviously cancer. So no matter your skin tone, gender, or whether or not you give a hoot about wrinkles, buying and using sunscreen should top your list of skincare habits.
Why do we wash our faces?
The skin on our faces is particularly thin and delicate, and it gets a lot of exposure to the outside world (as compared to the parts of you that are usually protected by clothes). Even indoors, our world has a lot of pollution and dirt. Not to mention that your own body creates and excretes many materials through your skin.
It’s a good idea to get those things off of your face before you sleep. Some dermatologists say that your pores open up more at night, and that things on the surface of your skin can be absorbed further into the body. Others say “your pores don’t open more at night—that’s wacky!” but point out that smushing the day’s grime all over your face with a pillow isn’t a good idea. No matter which side of the pore-opening issue they fall on, dermatologists think that face washing at night is a big deal.
How do you wash the face?
The short answer for that one is that you want to get as clean as possible as gently as possible. Of course, face washing is our big thing, so we’ve written a lot on that topic (check it out here).
We’d be remiss if we signed off without mentioning that the Mitty was invented because our founder felt that all of the “normal” face washing methods were annoying, aggressive, time-consuming, and messy. So check it out. But even if you never touch a Mitty, please:
- Wear sunscreen every day
- Wash your face every night
Also in Company stories, skincare tips, and environmental news from Take My Face off
How to Help Teenagers with Skin Problems
- Avoid the temptation to go overboard! Harsh cleansers, astringents, and scrubs can make problems worse.
- Cleanse skin twice a day with a gentle cleanser. Make sure to rinse thoroughly.
- Avoid harsh soaps and creams (unless recommended by a dermatologist).
- If you want to try topical acne treatments, start off slowly.
What's the Difference Between Astringent and Toner?
Is Astringent Good for Skin?
It’s been a long time since astringents were the prom queens of the skincare world (that’s not the scientific term). What changed and why?
Skincare experts used to think that the way to manage oily, blemish-prone skin was to remove the oil and bacteria. Hence, they loved harsh, bacteria-killing astringents (among other products). But in the last few decades, those experts started changing their minds.
