"Life happens sometimes, so going a day without washing your face will not totally ruin your skin—but making a bad habit of not doing so most days leads to a cascade of poor outcomes in your skin health," Dr. Adeline Kikam, DO, MSc, FAAD, a board-certified dermatologist and the founder of Brown Skin Derm, says.
“If your skin feels tight, that is its SOS to add in moisture, stat.” And if you're washing too little, you may end up dealing with acne and breakouts due to clogged pores. So be sure to wash your face at least once a day in the evening or right before bed.
You've heard it plenty of times before: “Always wash your face.” No, splashing water on your face doesn't count. So what's the big deal? If you don't wash your face twice a day, your skin is in danger of breakouts due to oil, dirt and makeup clogging pores.
“Best practice is to wash your face twice daily,” he explains. “However, if you're going to skip one time, I tell my patients to skip washing in the morning. It's important to wash your face at the end of the day to remove dirt, oil, sweat, makeup, and pollution that build up [over the course of the day].”
Zeichner typically recommends washing your face twice per day, in the morning and before bedtime. But going to bed with clean skin is a must.
It's not necessary to wash your face with a cleanser every morning. Rinsing with lukewarm water will likely be sufficient. However, depending on your skin condition and your nighttime skincare routine, it can be beneficial to wash it with a suitable cleanser.
Acne isn't caused by neglecting to wash your face. Other factors, like bacteria or changing hormones, cause this skin condition. Yet regular cleansing is a key step in your acne treatment routine.
Your face retains more moisture.
Try washing with a mild cleanser in the evening to remove your makeup and simply splashing your face with water in the mornings.) “Rinsing with warm water will accomplish a reduction in some oils, and lifting of buildup and dead skin cells,” she says.
It protects your skin's natural barrier
“Washing your face in the morning can strip your natural defense barrier,” says Carlen. Then it will spend the rest of the day trying to build it again.
How many times a day should I wash my face? “Realistically, you only need to wash your face once a day — twice at the most," says Dr. Todd Minars, MD, a dermatologist and Assistant Clinical Professor of Dermatology, University of Miami School of Medicine.
Old skin cells naturally turn over and are replaced by new ones in 28-day cycles. However, skincare products block our epidermis (the outermost layer of our skin structure) and stop it from naturally peeling off. Due to the blockage, our skin fails to turnover, and its natural renewal cycle is disturbed.
"Our skin is busy repairing itself overnight with increased cell repair and regeneration occurring, so there's truth to 'beauty sleep' and waking up with great skin," she says.
Like many others, you might not be wearing makeup as you normally would for a typical work day, and the number of times you go outside is less than before. So, you are probably wondering: does that mean you should still be washing your face every day? The answer, according to the experts, is a resounding yes.
“Basically, buildup of residue, oil, dirt, cosmetic products left on the skin can leave the skin looking dull in appearance, and it also contributes to clogging your pores, which then can lead to acne or enlarged pores,” Megan Rogge, a dermatologist with UT Health and UT Physicians, told me, explaining that ideally we ...
Washing your face can dry it out.
"Each time you cleanse your face, you will remove some of the natural oils that your skin produces. For this reason, individuals with dry or sensitive skin may benefit from skipping a wash in the morning."
Gently massaging some yogurt or milk into your skin may not only clean off dirt and debris, but contribute to a glowing and healthy complexion. Use raw, whole milk or plain yogurt on your skin. Massage the yogurt or milk onto your face with your fingertips, which can also help clear away debris.
As dermatologist Dr. Joshua Zeichner told Allure, “If you're going to skip (a wash), then it's better to skip the morning one than the evening one. At night, you want to remove the dirt, oil and particulate matter that accumulate during the day.”
That's not a good idea, says dermatologist Laurie Polis, MD. "Just going overnight without washing your face isn't going to age you five years," Polis says. "It's more of a missed opportunity. There's great blood supply to the skin and a number of different metabolic processes going on at night.
Stress pimples will usually pop up in the oiliest areas of the face, like the forehead, nose and chin. Your T-zone might look greasier and more congested too. Doctors say that if you're getting clusters of pimples all at once, stress can be a factor—hormonal pimples happen one at a time.
Washing your face several times a day can further irritate your skin, leading to more breakouts. What to do instead: Wash your face twice a day — when you wake up and before you go to bed. You'll also want to wash your face when you finish an activity that makes you sweat. Dry out your skin.
Contrary to popular belief, these are not pores with trapped dirt nor do they come from not washing your face often enough. Sorry mom. Blackheads are open pores filled with dead skin cells and sebum, an oily substance. When the oxygen in the air reacts with the dead skin cells it becomes “oxidized” and turns black.