“Skin cells do their greatest renewal and repair while you sleep at night, so applying hydration and moisturizer [at night] is encouraged to maximize absorption and to enhance the skin barrier,” explains Rachel Nazarian, M.D., FAAD, of Schweiger Dermatology Group in New York City.
Night is an essential time to renew your mind—and your skin. Adding a lotion before bed creates softer, more hydrated, and better-looking skin the next day. It also helps seal in moisture and repairs the skin barrier that's compromised by dry air and harsh cleansers.
DON'T Skip Your Moisturizer
According to famed esthetician Renee Rouleau, skipping moisturizer can cause breakouts, rather than the reverse. Go for something light and oil free if you're worried about aggravating your pores, but it's not something you should let fall to the wayside.
Moisturiser cannot by itself make your skin dark or fair . Moisturisers are only meant to give the hydration a skin needs. In very humid climates, it is better to avoid moisturiser as a whole.
If you over-moisturize, the leftover moisturizer just sits on your face. With nowhere to go, this extra moisturizer will eventually fill up the pores on your skin and clog them, resulting in the production of acne, whiteheads, and blackheads.
"If you use a night cream in the day, your skin will feel greasier and won't be protected from the sun. While if you use a day cream in the night, your skin will feel moisturized and nourished, but won't get a full range of anti-aging and moisturizing ingredients," she says.
If you're dealing with acne, the right moisturizer serves 2 roles. First, it can help regulate oil production, which may help decrease breakouts. Second, it can help combat some of the negative side effects of the active ingredients in your acne-fighting products, like cleansers or spot treatments.
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.
Moisture is another key factor when it comes to treating dark spots, according to Engelman. "Adding moisture back into the skin with oils and lotions can reduce the appearance of existing dark spots and prevent new ones from forming," she explains.
It's a myth that moisturizer causes oily skin. In fact, if you're using acne treatments such as salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide, you definitely need a good moisturizer to keep your skin from drying out. Without moisturizer, any skin type will dry out.
To get the most out of your skin, especially as you hit your 30s and beyond, your best bet is to choose both a day moisturiser and a night cream, each with different key functions. For your daily moisturiser, opt for something packed with SPF and other protectants that will shield against daily life.
The most important times to use moisturizer are after a bath, shave or exfoliation. For some, this might be twice a day. Moisturizing after a shower is very important because hot water strips all the moisture and oils out of your skin, leaving it parched and dry.
When skin is moisturized, it also reflects light, making it instantly appear more glowing. And be sure to shield skin with broad-spectrum SPF 30+ facial sunscreen or day cream, as exfoliation makes it more prone to sun damage, including dark spots.
Dr. Garshick says the most immediate signs are clogged pores, blackheads, and excess oil production. She advises moisturizing no more than two times a day, using a product formulated for your skin type.
“When you use moisturizer every day, you run the risk of making your skin older, not younger,” he said to Refinery29. “If you apply a lot of moisture, skin will become sensitive, dry, dull, and interfere with natural hydration.”
Spread the moisturizer evenly around your face with your fingertips. Using your fingertips, smooth each dab of moisturizer upwards and outwards on your face using circular motions. You only need to apply gentle pressure to blend the moisturizer into your skin evenly. Be extra careful around the delicate eye area.
In short, yes. "A daily moisturizer is necessary to maintain your skin's moisture barrier and to prevent environmental damage to your skin," Weinstein explains.
Unlike moisturisers, day creams and night creams are tailored to both cosmetic and clinical use. Day and night creams will target and remedy the skin concerns of an individual over an extended period while providing the same luxurious sensation of a moisturiser.
The answer: Moisturizer is the culprit. Dr. Neal Schultz, NYC-based dermatologist and creator of Beauty RX, explains that if you have oily skin, you can actually stop using moisturizer at night. "You should only use products that serve a purpose," says Schultz.
In addition to moisturizing the skin, aloe vera gel can ease or soothe conditions like. Frostbite. Aloe vera gel can help your skin in hot and frigid weather. If your skin is damaged from a mild case of frostbite, aloe vera gel may help your tissues regrow more quickly and boost healing.
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.