How to choose your cleanser or face wash?
If you are a person who wants to take good care of your skin, but doesn’t know which products to use, then I would suggest you stop and read ahead before you get a clarity.
What happens when you use soap or body wash on your face?
Soaps have high pH and body was is also strong to remove dirt and grime. Skin of the face needs a gentle handling compared to the rest of the body and more frequent wash. So if you use strong washes or soaps, the skin is stripped off its natural moisturising factors or NMF which are produced by your body to protect the top layer from external insults. When our NMF is lost, our skin barrier is lost. This means we give entry to all the irritants and allergens of the environment to reach the inner layers. Such agents can cause allergy, can cause aging changes and a lot more damage. So, step 1 is not to use soap or body wash on your facial skin. Be very gentle about it.
How frequently do you need to wash your face?
Washing your face needs to be kept minimal as necessary. If you have a very oily skin, you can wash up to thrice a day with your face wash. If you have a normal skin, wash it twice. If you have a dry or sensitive skin, wash once or twice with cleanser and not more than that. Over washing the face with too much face wash and cleanser will cause more harm than good.
What sort of Face wash or cleanser to use?
If you have a very oily skin, you can go with foam face washes, those with micro-beads even, to help better cleansing. Contents of face wash for oily skin can range from salicylic, glycolic, tea tree oil, and other oil control ranges. Sometimes leaving the face washes on the skin with the lather helps the actives to work on the skin and give better oil control.
If your skin is a combination skin, you can use something like a lactic face wash, glutathione containing face wash, or regular foam washes with minimal quantity. Do not work up the lather when you don’t have very oily skin. Quick rinse is enough.
If you have a very dry skin or a sensitive skin, make sure you do not use any of the face washes which can cause lather. Always use mild cleansers with no foam. The aim is to remove the dirt and makeup from the skin, without removing the NMF or natural moisturizing factors, which are the saving grace of a dry skin and should not be lost at any cost. Micellar water can be used in sensitive skin for cleansing, as well as probiotic containing face cleansers restore the natural pH of the skin, thereby helping it stay healthy.
When your skin has its own set of troubles, like Acne or pimples, Pigmentation, Skin allergies, Skin infections, skin thickening, aging changes, then only a face wash cannot do all the magic. However, if you seek professional help for these conditions, you make sure you get a proper skin care routine to back up the treatment process.
So, stay tuned for more updates on skin care and hair care.
Happy Skin Care!!!
Dr. Annie Flora. G
Senior Consultant Dermatologist,
Ray & Rio’s Speciality Clinics – Egmore & Neelankarai.
Apollo Cosmetics, Apollo Spectra Hospital, Chennai.
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