The Right Way to Wash Your Face
The Right Way to Wash Your Face – Washing your face should be a part of your daily routine — it removes makeup, pore-clogging air pollutants, and more. But are you doing it in the most effective way possible? Learn the right way to wash your face.
Expert: Adam Friedman, MD, FAAD Assistant Professor of Dermatology, Director of Dermatologic Research, Associate Residency Program Director, Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Transcript
You do it daily (or at least you should), which means its easy to wash on autopilot. But careless cleansing can do your face more harm than good!
Before you start scrubbing, consider this: Except for the genitals, the skin on your face is thinner than ANYWHERE else on your body. So, protect it by picking the mildest cleanser that will still thoroughly remove dirt from your skin.
Look for buzzwords like oil free, non-comedogenic (which means pore-clogging), hypoallergenic, and non-acnegenic (which means acne-causing). Just make sure you use SOMETHING. Sticking to plain water won’t sufficiently remove bacteria, dirt, and impurities.
First, wash your hands thoroughly and then use them to wet your face with lukewarm water. Extreme temperatures can shock your skin, potentially causing sensitive red patches to erupt on your face. Now, squeeze a dime-sized amount of cleanser on your fingers and begin at your forehead. Work down your nose, then outwards to your cheeks and down to your chin and neck. Use a soft, circular motion–never scrub or rub. This is a mini-massage for your face. The blood and oxygen that will rush to your face will leave you rosy and radiant. Continue for about 30 to 60 seconds before gently rinsing with more lukewarm water. Make sure you get ALL the soap– it dries out skin, which is the opposite of what we want.
Once your face is gunk-free, pat, don’t rub, it dry with a soft, clean towel. You should always wash your face like this before bed, and most dermatologists recommend that you also wash in the AM.
And although many people stop here, next, it’s time to exfoliate. To do so, rub a small-grained exfoliant into your skin, following the same path that you did when washing. Although people with sensitive skin shouldn’t exfoliate daily, EVERYONE should scrub up at least several times a week. That’s because this process eliminates dead skin cells and deeper layers of dirt, allowing the moisturizer to penetrate easily.
The good news is that regular exfoliation digs deep into every part of your skin, which means you can skip gimmicky products like pore strips, which cause you to yank at your skin, and leave sticky residue behind. And skip toner, since gentle cleansers should be sufficient to strip away the day’s dirt and makeup.
Once clean, trap that moisture to keep your skin hydrated, healthy, and soft with a non-oily moisturizer. Then, hit the hay, and dream of the beautiful skin your’e in! Check out more videos on this site for more skincare tips!
Last Modified: 2012-11-17
Category: Health and Nutrition, Videos
