How to Beat Bad Skin Habits

Even celebrities like Lindsay Lohan have trouble with their skin from time to time. But bad skin care habits often add to the problem. We take a look at a few of the worst and show you how to beat them!

1. Bad Habit: Cleansing With Soap

It’s okay to use regular soap and water to clean your face—as long as you never wear makeup, live in an area with soft water and have oily skin. But everyone else should steer clear, according to skin care experts.

The Danger: According to the pros, regular soap can easily dehydrate your delicate facial skin, leaving it prone to breakouts and dullness. Plus, it’s not really equipped to wash off makeup.

Quick Fix: Buy soaps that are specially designed to cleanse your face (it should say “facial soap’ on the label). Or, choose a gel, cream or foam cleanser that’s made for your specific type of facial skin (such as oily, acne-prone, normal or dry).

2. Bad Habit: Over-Exfoliating

Do you over-exfoliate? Scrubbing with a grainy, nice-smelling exfoliator can be addictive, for sure. Plus you see an instant result, which is great if you’re a gal on the go. After exfoliating, your skin will glow and feel soft. Plus any after-treatments, such as masks, are better absorbed.

The Danger: Over-do the exfoliation and you can run into trouble. Warning signs that you’re using these scrubs too often include patchy dry areas on the face, redness, irritation, skin tautness and occasional breakouts.

Quick Fix: Cut down on the number of times you exfoliate a week. Once a week is plenty for most skin types. You should also consider switching to a more gentle formula of exfoliator that uses natural plant extracts to remove dead skin cells without the need for harsh scrubbing or chemicals. Check the labels on products before buying.

3. Bad Habit: Sleeping With Makeup On

When you get home late, the last thing you want to bother with is taking off your makeup. This may be forgivable every now and then – but don’t make a habit of it or your skin and eyes will suffer.

The Danger: If you leave makeup on your face while you sleep, mascara can flake off, causing your eyes to get itchy and bloodshot (or worse, lead to an eye infection). Lipstick – especially long-lasting formulas - can dry out your lips, making them dry and flaky. And skin will get dull and start to suffer from breakouts because dirt collected during the day has not been removed from your pores.

Quick Fix: If you simply can’t find the time to wash your face in the sink, switch to a lotion-based cleanser that you remove with cotton balls. Leave a supply on your bedside table and remove while you’re settling into bed. Once you’ve seen how much dirt comes off your skin at the end of the day, you’ll never go to bed in your makeup again!

4. Bad Habit: Picking at Pimples

However tempting it is, never, ever pick, squeeze or mess with a spot – and don’t let anyone else (like a facialist) do so either.

The Danger: Play with pimple and you increase the chance of scarring your skin. That turns a temporary flare-up into a permanent mark on your face!

Quick Fix: However tempted you are, the breakout will only last longer if you fiddle with it, say dermatologists. Touching the area continually can lead to the infection spreading elsewhere. The best way to deal with acne is to keep the infected area completely clean and cut down on excess oil. Using spot treatments at night to dry out nasty breakouts will also make you less likely to worry about them during the day.