Are your skincare products ruining your skin?

My skin has changed dramatically since I had my babies. I had my twins 3 years ago, but my skin is still yet to go back to how it use to be. I have had a hard time dealing with the changes in my body and skin. The pregnancy and the parenting books did not prepare me for the many changes I experienced and still experiencing. I guess there is no way to fully prepare yourself for all these changes, because we all have different experiences.

 

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I went many shades darker, and I am still dealing with a lot of hyper pigmentation. I battle with pimples and spots every now and again, and my skin has just been up and down. I took it as one of those things and tried not to worry too much about it, but it became more and more difficult to ignore.

I found it hard to understand how and why a 30 year old woman would still be dealing with teenage skin issues. I didn’t think twice about my skincare products, and the fact that I may have outgrown them. And that they may be the cause of my skincare misery.

As a beauty blogger, I review a lot of skincare products every now and again. Some of the products become products I swear by, some become products I use on regular basis, and some become products I never use again. I also have skincare products I have used for donkey years, long before I even thought of blogging, and still use, well not anymore.

I have used a particular brand (F&W) for my lotion, body cream, serum and soap for over 15 years now. I have used this brand in my daily skincare routine for this long, and only just realised that I have outgrown it.

All the products now do nothing for my skin, so I have stopped using them all, but I only just realised or should say, it only just clicked, that the soap I have been using exfoliates my skin, in other words, it is an exfoliating soap. Now this was ok to use 15 years ago, even though I believe exfoliating your face everyday is a no-no regardless of your age, but it is definitely not a great idea for a woman my age.

 

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Here are a few reasons why you should not exfoliate your skin every day

  1. It would strip the skin moisture (lipid) barrier layer resulting in dehydration, dryness, flaking, redness and inflammation.
  2. It causes your skin to age quickly due to chronic and prolonged inflammation.
  3. It destroys healthy cells.
  4. It causes the stimulation of melanin activity possibly resulting in an increase of hyper-pigmentation/brown spots and patches.
  5. It could irritate the skin, leading to acne and other skin problems.

 

These are just a few of the reasons why exfoliating your skin regularly is a bad idea. I have had to learn the hard way, and my skin is still recovering from the many years of daily exfoliating.

I would advise you to go through your skincare products to make sure they are doing what you need them to do. I have done that and changed my entire skincare products. I will be sharing more on that in a few weeks so look out for the post.

Thanks for reading and have a lovely day.

40 responses

  1. This post is really helpful. Exfoliating can be quite addicting but it’s not really good for your skin. I only exfoliate twice a week. with the St. Ives Apricot scrub. It’s still my favorite so far.

  2. I rarely exfoliate my skin to be honest but I do always cleanse, tone and moisturise. I’ve found my skin has become a lot worse since having children and now I have really dry skin that breaks out in spots once a month. My youngest is only 18 months though, so I think it will still take a bit of time to settle. I’m hoping to find the right combination of skin products in the meantime though.

  3. I have always had a reasonably good skin even in the early years when the adult children were small. I never really used make up then as I wasnt keen on the products and how unnatural they were back then. I know I have been lucky.

    Since leaving the ex, finding myself etc over the past 17 years I have learnt so much about makeup and skin. It is very different today. I have recently changed my skin products for the first time in years. That was because of my beauty salon range they stock.

    It is something I havent thought of regarding chamging brands at different seasons of life. I shall certainly keep it in mind for the future. Great topic Stella

  4. Really interesting to learn how exfoliating every day can be bad…I didn’t know that. Luckily I don’t do it anyway! I do need to start some sort of skin routine though as I’m not great at keeping tabs on it.

  5. My skin has changed since having my children too, my youngest is two and I still have dark pigmentation around my eyes and nose (the butterfly mask). I have not changed my skin care routine since I was in my 20s so I probably should change things x

  6. I don’t exfoliate my skin often enough 🙁 but I was surprised to read above about the possible negative effects if done too often

  7. I really need to get into a good skincare routine again, i love the feeling after exfoliating!

  8. You know what I am so glad you have touched upon this. I literally thought that I was the only one. My skin went super dark with pregnancy and it has only started going sort of back to how it was pre-pregnancy. hormones can totally be a funny thing.

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  10. I notice that my skin changes with seasons and the older I get the more it does change. I’m usually normal but now I’m having combination skin. Loved your article. Please check out my website.

  11. Exfoliation. The HOLY GRAIL! Even though it is an amazing way to take care of your skin, thanks for mentioning that too often is not necessary. A few times a week, at the most to give your skin proper time to shed, and to generate new skin growth. I use Mario Badescu glycolic acid face wash with ambi fade cream and sunscreen(!!!) and it has worked wonders for my hyperpigmentation.

    P.S. I love that you voiced your vulnerable moments, and then and turned it into a solution. Best of luck!

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