Dermatologists debunk ten myths near washing your face up

face wash

How often you wash your face up should depend on your skin type and other personal factors.
TORWAISTUDIO/Shutterstock
  • Separating the myths from the facts about washing your face can be disruptive.
  • Dermatologists recommend using a cleanser that's well-suited to your skin blazon over a bar of soap.
  • Washing your face twice a day isn't always necessary, only cleansing in one case tin can prevent breakouts.

Myth: You shouldn't wash your face up in the shower.

Washing your confront in the shower can actually be very constructive.
iStock

Although some retrieve washing your face up shouldn't exist role of your shower routine, information technology tin can be a skillful thing equally long as you're careful, said Shasa Hu, a lath-certified dermatologist and cofounder of the skin-care consultation service BiaLife.

"When you lot launder your face in the shower, the warm mist from the shower promotes deeper exfoliation and unclogs the pores," Hu explained.

She connected, "As long every bit you lot are not using scorching-hot water or harsh soaps, washing your face while you're in the shower will save you time, salvage water, and give you lot a deeper cleaning to prep your pare for the rest of your skin-intendance routine."

Myth: You should always launder your confront twice a day.

Washing your face twice a day is not necessary for all skin types.
Mindscape studio/Shutterstock

New York City-based dermatologist Hadley King told Insider that whether or non you lot need to launder your confront twice a twenty-four hours depends on your pare type and what you lot need to wash off.

Dry or sensitive skin types are fine to cleanse once in the evening, but oily pare might require yous to cleanse at least twice a solar day, Rex said. But if you complete a sweaty workout or wear heavy makeup, she recommends ever washing your face up after the gym or before bed.

"Cleansing earlier bed is generally recommended not only to remove makeup but also dirt and pollution that accumulates on our skin during the twenty-four hour period," she said.

Those particles can crusade oxidative damage and contribute to collagen breakdown and wrinkles.

"If you use overnight skin products that leave a residue or pic on your skin, then you will likely want to cleanse your confront in the morn too," she told Insider.

Myth: Your products are only constructive if your face feels a slight burn down or tightness after use.

If y'all have an adverse reaction to a production, it's best to contact a dermatologist.
AP Photo/Roberto Pfeil

"No pain, no proceeds" doesn't apply when it comes to skin intendance, said Audrey Kunin, a dermatologist and founder of the clinical skin-care make DERMAdoctor.

"When peel is burned or irritated by skin-care ingredients, it upsets the protective acid drape of the peel, which can lead to further pare sensitivities and even skin infection," she explained.

But certain acids and prescription-force retinoids tin yield a slight burning sensation or peeling reaction until the skin has adapted to information technology, according to Hu.

"In general, these symptoms subside as the cellular turnover gets re-equilibrated by the agile ingredient," Hu said.

If yous're unsure whether or not your skin'south reaction to a product is normal, reach out to a dermatologist before standing utilise.

Myth: Washing your face with soap and h2o will suffice every bit a routine.

Regular bar soap can cause dryness and irritation.
iStock

"Regular lather is for cleaning regular things. Your skin is not regular," Rachel Nazarian, a New York City-based dermatologist, told Insider.

Conventional soaps will strip your natural oils and "disrupt the pH of your peel and damage the skin barrier," she said, which can cause dryness and irritation.

Instead, launder your pare with a gentle, fragrance-complimentary cleanser that offers a deep clean and caters to your unique complexion.

Myth: Scrubbing with a cleansing brush is the best way to get a deep clean.

Cleansing brushes tin can lead to oil build-up.
MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images / Contributor

Contrary to popular belief, scrubbing with a washcloth or mechanical devices won't scuff away oil or makeup polymers on the surface of the skin, according to Hu.

"Over fourth dimension, your skin responds to aggressive mechanical exfoliation by producing more oil, which tin can pb to bottleneck," she told Insider. "This often then becomes a cruel cycle."

Mechanical scrubbers can even cause "microscopic fissures" on the skin that can heighten the risk of an allergic reaction or skin irritation.

If you must scrub, she recommended using a soft muslin cloth or a gentle, exfoliating cleanser.

Myth: Yous have acne considering yous don't wash your face every solar day.

Genetics and hormones tin crusade breakouts.
Shutterstock

Although maintaining a make clean complexion definitely helps forbid breakouts, at that place are other factors — like genetics and hormones — that tin cause acne, co-ordinate to King.

"If you accept oily peel and are acne-prone, then yep, you lot may get more clogged pores and acne breakouts if y'all are not washing your face regularly," she said. "Simply if yous are not particularly oily or acne-prone, not washing your face every day is not so likely to give y'all acne."

Myth: Y'all shouldn't use a washcloth to dry your face.

Information technology's OK to pat your face dry with a make clean washcloth.
Shutterstock

Drying your confront with a washcloth tin only really exist problematic in ii situations: Outset, if the cloth is contaminated with bacteria, yeast, or fungi, and 2d if the cloth is so abrasive it results in irritation.

But King said information technology's usually fine to use a clean textile on your face if you "gently pat dry without rubbing."

Myth: Y'all don't need to take your makeup off before you launder your confront.

Makeup removal should be the first stride of your nighttime routine.
fizkes/Shutterstock

Some people believe a cleanser tin strip away makeup and clean the pare in ane dive. Just Hu highly recommended making makeup removal the first pace of your skin-intendance routine.

"Makeup has paint, preservatives, minerals, and metals that often tin clog your pores if left on besides long … and prevent penetration of your peel-intendance products," she explained. "Information technology is essential to remove makeup equally the first pace in your nighttime routine."

Myth: "Washing" your face with merely a makeup-removing wipe will suffice.

Y'all should follow-upward with a water-based cleanser after using a makeup wipe.
Shutterstock

Although removing makeup should exist the first pace of your nighttime routine, information technology shouldn't be the only step, according to Nazarian, especially if you're using makeup-removing wipes.

"Cleansing wipes remove a majority of bacteria, clay, and oil, but also go out a trail of residue backside," she said. "This can potentially lead to acne and infected glands, especially around the eyelids and eyelashes. Appropriate facial cleansing requires a water-based rinse to fully clean."

Deal icon An icon in the shape of a lightning commodities.

Keep reading