Don’t Make These Three Skin Mistakes

Your skin doesn't come with an owner's manual. That's why it's so easy to make common mistakes with skin care. There's a lot of bad advice floating around there from beauty experts who don't have the training to understand how to trigger cell turnover, nourish the skin and avoid skin irritation.

Figuring out what your skin needs becomes harder with age because factors like sun damage, oxidative damage and a slowdown in collagen production make it harder for cells to repair themselves the way they did when being ready to head out the door with a glow was as simple as splashing some water on your face.

Don't let common skin mistakes stop you from having amazing skin! The good news is that being skin smart by ditching the top three skin care mistakes we make can turn skin around in a matter of weeks. Take a look at three bad habits to break for beautiful skin at any age.
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Mistake #1: Not Exfoliating

Many people avoid exfoliation products because they assume that exfoliation is too harsh on the skin. The myth that exfoliation actually causes skin wrinkles is often repeated. The truth is that exfoliation can be important for healthy, glowing skin. Here's why exfoliation is important:​

• Exfoliation removes oil and debris from pores to create an instant glow. It can also help to reduce imperfections by scrubbing away dead, dull skin.
• Exfoliation can improve the effectiveness of topical skin products by enhancing absorption.
• Exfoliation can clear the pores to prevent breakouts.
• Exfoliation increases circulation for a healthy, soft glow with improved elasticity.
• Exfoliation enables cell turnover to reveal "baby" skin.

Not exfoliating can actually dehydrate your skin by making it impossible for your moisturizer to penetrate beyond dead skin cells. Even foaming cleansers and toners can only do so much if that top layer of dead, flaking skin isn't being removed to allow for fresh skin to be exposed.

Gentle exfoliation at home with a scrub can be done two to three times per week. Many people also use professional exfoliation procedures like dermablading and microdermabrasion to expose new layers of skin. Regular exfoliation can increase collagen production to improve skin elasticity while minimizing lines and sagging.

Mistake #2: Using Comedogenic Ingredients

Unfortunately, many moisturizers on the market today are packed with comedogenic ingredients that clog pores. This can lead to pimples, acne and skin breakouts that leave skin red, bumpy and irritated. Comedogenic skin products aren't necessarily "artificial" or "low-quality" products.

Many natural oils can actually cause breakouts if you have sensitive skin. One great way to ensure that you're using skin and beauty products that are compatible with your skin type is to go over the ingredients in the products you're using with a cosmetologist.

​Some small tweaks in your beauty routine may help you to avoid irritated, inflamed skin that's out of balance. What's more, it's always so important to reevaluate our skin routine as we age to make sure the ingredients we're using still work for our skin. What worked at age 25 may not work at age 35 due to changes in hormones, skin elasticity, lifestyle and collagen production.

Mistake #3: Not Compensating for Collagen Loss

Collagen is what gives skin that tight, supple and youthful appearance. Our skin is bursting with collagen during our youth. However, collagen production slows down dramatically once we hit 30. Collagen production continues to decline every year after 30. This big collagen dip shows up on the skin as:

• Reduced elasticity.
• Thinner, crepe-like skin.
• Increased wrinkles.
• Increased sagging.
  

While this can seem discouraging if the goal is to maintain youthful, wrinkle-free skin, hope isn't lost for keeping skin tight and glowing just because you've hit a certain age. There are ways to stimulate your skin's collagen production. One of the most effective ways for restoring collagen production is a treatment called Collagen Induction Therapy (CIT).

You may have heard CIT referred to as microneedling. The idea is that creating harmless "traumas" activates your body's healing response to ramp up collagen production for fresh, youthful skin.

CIT reawakens your skin's ability to produce collagen using sharp, tiny needles that create hundreds of micro-channels. Your body responds by revving up collagen production to repair your skin with new cell turnover. In addition to increasing collagen production, CIT also triggers the release of growth factors and cytokines that help to create "baby" skin.

The new collagen-rich, ultra-smooth skin that comes in can resemble skin that you haven't seen in decades! Many people see improvements in appearance of wrinkles, acne scars, skin texture, pore size, skin tone, brown spots and stretch marks.

There are many benefits to using CIT over other more dramatic and invasive skin treatments. Many people like that CIT is a natural, minimally invasive procedure that doesn't come with a long recovery time. Some benefits of CIT include:

• No chemicals or toxins.
• It can be used on the face and chest.
• Works on all skin types.
• Creates results relatively quickly.
• Very little downtime required.
• It's a cost-effective beauty treatment.

Many patients feel comfortable with returning to work immediately following a CIT treatment. In fact, you can book a CIT treatment Braintree appointment on your lunch break. Healing is typically fully complete within 24 hours. Full results can be seen around 14 days after a CIT treatment.

Knowledge Is the Secret to Beautiful Skin

There's no need to continue repeating these common skin mistakes once you know the secrets to getting fresher, younger skin without invasive procedures. The good news is that there's a lot you can do right at home to fight aging, breakouts and dullness.

​However, consulting with a cosmetologist about everything from the right products for your skin type to the age-defying benefits of CIT can get you on a path to skipping the mistakes that keep so many people from having amazing skin!