Face Washing: Quality over Quantity
I’ve mentioned before the dangers of overwashing. It’s common for acne sufferers to become obsessed with washing their face, doing so every chance they get - often four or more times per day. This actually has the opposite effect of promoting healthy skin, as you’re constantly stripping your skin of its protective layer of oil and leaving your pores dried and exposed (often dilated, as most wash with warm-to-hot water). Remember that your skin needs some oil to naturally moisturize and protect itself, and let’s face it, most of the time acne has little to do with any surface dirt that might have found its way to your face. It’s because of this that products such as on-the-go medicated pads are really not something you should even be bothering with. However, while washing too frequently is a bad thing, that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t wash well when you do wash your face.
So what do I mean by washing well? I mean taking your time and washing gently but thoroughly - not simply rushing through and rinsing off your face as soon as you’ve worked up a lather. One of my science professors once did an experiment where two students were made to wash their hands after getting them dirty, one washed for 15 seconds and the other for a full minute. Afterwards, the professor took pictures of their hands using a high-power microscope. The difference that those extra seconds made was remarkable. While both students’ hands looked about the same to the naked eye, the student who had only washed for 15 seconds had a whole lot of dirt left over when viewed up close. The lesson was simple: when washing, it doesn’t do you much good to rush.
Soap tends to work best after a rich lather has been achieved, so massage that lather over your face with care for long enough that the soap is able to free up the dirt and bacteria clinging to your skin. You don’t have to be rough and scrape away at your skin - giving the chemicals time to work is often more important than merely applying pressure. Washing like this 1-2 times per day will likely do more good and leave your skin cleaner than constantly doing quick washes that strip away natural oils without even cleaning your skin that well.
