Skin is the largest organ in the human body and, when healthy, protects your other organs. Healthy skin involves healthy living, such as eating whole foods, getting plenty of exercise, and staying hydrated. But it also requires good skin care habits.
Are the skin care habits you've adopted good for your skin? Or bad?
At The Center for Dermatology Cosmetic & Laser Surgery in Mount Kisco, New York, our expert dermatologists offer skin care treatments and medical-grade skin care products too. However, if you don’t take proper care of your skin, all the products in the world won’t help.
We want you to take the best possible care of your skin between visits to the dermatologist. Good skin care requires knowledge about what your skin needs. Here’s a list of common skin care mistakes, and what you should do instead.
If you wear makeup, washing your face with a gentle cleanser and water before you go to bed simply isn’t enough. Makeup residue can clog your pores and make an acne breakout or other irritation more likely.
First, remove your makeup with a gentle oil or other type of makeup remover. You may need a specially formulated remover just for your eyes.
After you’ve cleansed your skin of makeup and rinsed off the remover, use a gentle cleanser and water to remove any residue.
If you don’t use makeup or makeup remover, simply wash and rinse your face twice. It takes more than one pass to get off the dirt and debris your skin accumulates during the day.
Your skin usually needs some help ridding itself of dead skin cells and debris, especially as you get older. But you should never treat your skin roughly or use exfoliating treatments every day.
Wash with a gentle cloth. Never scrub your face. Don’t use products with exfoliating grains; they can irritate and damage your skin.
Come in for a gentle monthly chemical peel and facial to keep your skin looking refreshed and renewed. Or, if you prefer, we can recommend an at-home chemical exfoliation formulated for your skin type.
First, make sure you clean your pillowcase at least once a week. Even a clean face leaves dead skin and oils on a pillowcase after a good night’s sleep. That can get transferred to your skin at night, making it more prone to breakouts.
Ideally, switch to a silk pillowcase. Silk has antimicrobial properties that keep your skin cleaner. The fine weave is also gentler on your skin, so you’re less likely to have pillow wrinkles when you awaken.
Silk pillowcases are actually good for your skin and may have anti-aging benefits. If you can’t afford a silk pillowcase, switch to cotton or bamboo. Both are natural and allow your skin to breathe, as opposed to polyester or other synthetics.
If you’re buying your skin care at the drugstore, you may be using the wrong types of products for your skin. Many over-the-counter products contain chemicals and fragrances that can irritate your skin or cause an allergic reaction.
We carry complete lines of some of the highest-quality, medical-grade skin care products in the world, including:
In addition to helping you find the right brand for your skin, we help you find the right routine. For instance, some people need toners, but others don’t. We determine your needs by examining your skin. We then recommend product types, such as:
Wearing a broad-spectrum SPF 30 or higher sunscreen daily helps protect your skin from wrinkles, sun spots, and skin cancer too.
If you pamper your face alone, you may regret it. The skin on your neck is extremely thin and isn’t well attached to the muscle underneath. Therefore, it’s more prone than facial skin to show early signs of aging.
If you don’t pamper your neck skin along with your facial skin, you may soon have sagging skin on your neck or even the dreaded turkey neck. In fact, a sagging neck is one of the clearest and most easily identified signs of aging. So, taking care of your neck now pays off in the future.
Find out what habits and products are best for your skin by contacting our knowledgeable team by phone or online form for individualized skin care recommendations today.
