If you really need to moisturize your face, body lotion can work, in a pinch. Still, some types will probably offer a little more benefit — not to mention a lower risk of side effects. Moran recommends a lighter lotion, especially if you have more oily facial skin.
In fact, most product lines carry two or more forms of a moisturizer, such as one cream form and one lotion form, to satisfy every skin type (more on that below). So, a lotion can actually be a moisturizer.
Lotion has a higher water content than moisturizer, and therefore does its work on top of the skin to cause some sort of effect, like preventing sunburn. Lotions certainly can carry vitamins and minerals, but ones that have a topical use; they're doing something on the surface on the skin, rather than penetrating it.
It's best to stick to moisturizing products designed for your face. Facial skin is thinner and more sensitive than body skin. Body lotion tends to be thicker and can lead to redness or discoloration, dryness, acne, and irritation if used on your face.
Just as you should cleanse your skin twice a day, your face is calling out for moisture at least two times a day—in the morning and at night. You want to moisturize after every time you cleanse. This way, you can lock in moisture and keep skin from drying out.
The rest of the product then sits atop your face and forms a thin layer of oil, bacteria, and other ingredients. This layer will then clog the pores and whenever cores get clogged, pimples and zits form. So, yes, moisturizer can cause acne but it only typically happens whenever you over-moisturize your skin.
Too much moisturiser or heavy formulations can clog your pores, because of which you end up with blackheads and whiteheads.
You should absolutely moisturize your skin even if you have active acne. It's an absolute myth that moisturizing your face will worsen your acne. In fact, moisturizers are necessary to keep acne-prone skin as relaxed as possible.
"Skin's oil production peaks at midday, and there is less oil production at night. Therefore, when you lose that protective layer of natural oils, your skin loses more water, so it's important to replenish the water loss with a moisturizer overnight," says Sobel. "While you are asleep the skin goes into renewal mode.
You could develop more wrinkles.
That's right: Leaving moisturizer out of your routine today could lead to deeper wrinkles later on. "When the skin barrier is compromised, which is what we see when it becomes dry, there's actually a low-grade chronic inflammation that occurs in the skin," warns dermatologist Dr.
Aesthetic dermatologists have observed that habitual, daily moisturising over a prolonged period can actually age the skin. This induced ageing occurs because the same fibroblast cells which produce GAGs (the skin's moisturiser) also produce collagen and elastin, which help maintain the skin's elasticity.
If you use too much moisturizer, over time it makes your skin lazy, which can encourage your skin to produce less moisture on its own. Over moisturizing signals to your skin that it has enough water, lipids and protein (skin's building blocks) and that it can slow down the production of these important skin nutrients.
"When the skin is dry, it can be more irritated and make acne look and appear worse," explains Rachel Nazarian, MD, a New York-based board-certified dermatologist. "With acne, the issue is inflammation in the skin—most acne responds better and improves when you calm it down. Therefore, moisturizing is helpful."
Use an oil-free moisturizer, preferably including hyaluronic acid, to deeply hydrate the skin, says Bratschi. This is an essential step to getting rid of blackheads, because overly dry skin can start to produce excess blackhead-causing oils.
One thing you shouldn't do to deal with acne scars is load up your face with masks or fancy lotions — these won't help and may irritate your skin further, making the scars red and even more noticeable. If you have a red or brownish mark on your face that you got from a bad zit, it should eventually fade.
Almond oil is great for your skin. It gives you a beautiful natural glow. First, you need to clean your face and then apply almond oil all over. After applying oil massage gently with fingertips and let it absorb in your skin through the night.
Moisturizer. If you're using a moisturizer that suits your skin type, a nickel-sized amount should be enough for your whole face. If you use too much: Overdoing moisturizer can make your skin shiny and lead to breakouts. It can also feel heavy on your skin and make it harder to put on your makeup.
If your skin tends to be dry, look for a cream - they tend to have a higher oil content. Moisturizing can reduce the appearance of other blemishes. Freshly moisturized skin has a healthy sheen, which can even out any existing blemishes. Some moisturizers have some tint or self-tanner that can work with any skin tone.
You should always use a moisturizer at night. Some people avoid using night cream to let their skin breathe, but this is far from the truth. Avoiding using a night cream offers no positive benefit to the skin. When skin is bare, any existing moisturize evaporates right out of it.
Goldenberg's go-to recommendation for timing between serums and moisturizers is about one minute. This wait has the same reasoning: Sixty seconds — give or take — gives each product a moment to delve into your pores.