Three Common Skin Care Mistakes That Will Cost You

I know you’re trying-you cleanse daily, use a retinol night cream and you even looked into using a broad-spectrum sunblock because you want to go that extra mile in really protecting against free radical damage from the sun’s rays. You really do care about your skin. In a sense it seems you may be doing everything right to keep your skin looking radiant and smooth.

With all the emphasis on social media and the current trend “selfies” it’s no wonder why we try so hard! On a deeper note, self-confidence is priceless and though it first needs to come from within, our skin care and lifestyle is a reflection of it.

But just in case you have doubts, I want to share three common mistakes I see my clients make that can really be costing you a lot more than you think.

1. Removing your makeup correctly.

Let me just use myself as an example-I wear makeup daily. I’m an aesthetician; I work in an office environment where my face needs to be presentable. And let’s just say as a woman, I spend a considerable amount of my hard earned money on skin care. Having this in mind, I notice at night when I go to wash my face and remove my makeup, as I pat my face dry with a towel, I notice makeup residue on my towel!

What does that tell me?

My cleanser didn’t get it all off! This means the night cream or exfoliant I decide to use will not penetrate and will serve me no use.

So I decided to try something new, and have already begun to see improvement in my skin, the best part that its super simple! Before I go to wash face at night, I use a makeup remover wipe and proceed my normal cleansing routine. It’s a small but important step that makes all the difference.

2. Switching products too soon.

We live in a fast paced world-we get impatient if we’re at the stop light for more than 32 seconds, we flip out when our WIFI isn’t fast enough and we give up our diets because we’ve been eating “perfect” for the last three days and still haven’t lost a pound! Okay… so maybe I exaggerated a bit, I hope.

Either way, we end up bringing this vicious lifestyle into our skin care routine as well. We want that miracle cream that will give you results in the first 7 days.

But the reality is, the cell turnover process (life-cycle) of skin cells is 28 days, and that of collagen is much longer (about 4 to 6 months), so you need to be patient.

Bottom line, if you’ve invested in quality products, give them a chance, don’t give up too quick. This is especially important when using a retinol or “anti-aging product”. Time and commitment is the key.

3. Don’t forget the eyes!

This actually should be at the top of my list because it’s the most often forgotten step in skin care. The skin around the eyes is so thin and delicate, and believe it or not, it’s where we show a lot of our age.

Here are a few things to keep in mind when it comes to them.

For example, when removing eye makeup, don’t stretch or rub the skin, this can cause wrinkles. Instead, use a cotton ball with your favorite eye makeup remover and hold it on the eye for a few seconds and gently wipe off.

Second, break out the over-sized shades! They aren’t only to make you look fabulous but they can really make all the difference in protecting our eyes from the sun’s damaging UV rays. Look for shades that offer more than 95% UV protection. Lenses that offer 100% UV protection may be labeled “UV400.”

Last but certainly not least, EYE CREAM is a must. You may think,”I use moisturizer on my entire face, including my eyes”, but the truth is, the skin round your eyes is much different than the rest of your face. It’s much thinner, wrinkles easier and is a lot harder to restore once the damage has been done. So my advice on this would be, to come about it in a more preventative manner. Botox is great for wrinkles around the eyes but wouldn’t it be nice to wait another 5-10 years before needing it? A good way is to use a hydrating, antioxidant-enriched eye cream.

So save money, time, and youthfulness with these simple steps. Which one have you mistaken in the past? Please share with us.

Iris