Washing your face doesn't necessarily speed up the process of aging. However, the way you wash your face and the products that you use may damage your skin. Damaged skin looks dry, unhealthy, and can be prone to fine lines and wrinkles.
Dr. Chwalek still recommends that her clients wash their face at least once a day with a gentle cleanser, preferably at night (when your face is coated with a day's worth of dirt). "Not washing your face could cause the buildup of oil and dirt that may lead to acne, more prominent pores, and inflammation," she says.
Cleansing your skin and thoroughly removing makeup each night is an important part of any effective anti-aging regimen. Without cleansing, free radicals, toxins, and impurities aren't removed from your skin. For every night you don't cleanse your face, you are aging your skin by 3 months! And, it's accumulative.
Even with perfect sunscreen use, wrinkles can't be prevented completely. Some wrinkling is hereditary, and a certain amount of wrinkles are natural to aging. Besides preventing sun damage, other habits can age skin prematurely. Slow the aging process by eliminating these skin wrinklers.
Lifestyle factors that can speed the pace of aging skin include smoking, use of tanning beds, and sun exposure. The sun begins leaving its mark during the first years of life, says Tamara Lior, MD, chairwoman of the department of dermatology at Cleveland Clinic Florida.
Ultraviolet radiation, which speeds the natural aging process, is the primary cause of early wrinkling. Exposure to UV light breaks down your skin's connective tissue — collagen and elastin fibers, which lie in the deeper layer of skin (dermis).
“When washing the face too much, you lose natural oils and fats in the skin, which technically will pull the skin cells apart allowing room for debris and bacteria to enter the skin, causing infections and inflammation,” says Dr.
It's a great practice to use in your regular routine, but too much exfoliation or scrubbing too hard with an exfoliator can, in fact, cause inflammation that might cause wrinkles down the line. If you don't over-exfoliate, you shouldn't have any issues with wrinkles down the line.
Excessive exfoliation actually increases the aging process of the skin (due to the lack of lipid barrier mentioned earlier). If you exfoliate too much, too often, you'll end up with thin, dry skin and wrinkles will pile up faster than your laundry.
“Unless you've been sweating heavily, have visible dirt on the skin, or have used heavy cosmetics, in some cases washing just with water is adequate.”
It protects your skin's natural barrier
Your skin works hard all night building its own natural barrier against the world (a layer of helpful oils keeps skin soft), so why strip it all away as soon as you wake up with a face wash? “Washing your face in the morning can strip your natural defense barrier,” says Carlen.
Regular cleansing is essential to keeping your skin looking radiant and healthy. Cleansing helps anti-aging products and treatments work properly. Cleansing helps maintain proper pore size. Cleansing encourages proper skin hydration and prevents the production of excess oils.
Regular exfoliation is one of the most effective ways to keep older skin looking youthful and bright. As we age, our skin's natural exfoliation process slows down and causes a buildup of dead, dull skin. Exfoliating helps speed up cellular turnover, softening fine lines and wrinkles and diminishing hyperpigmentation.
Using a clean, soft washcloth is effective for cleaning your face, but unless you use a new one every day, you should probably stick with using your hands to scrub, Dr. Green says. Also, ideally, you should change the towel you use to dry your face every couple of days to keep bacteria at bay, adds Dr.
“And over time, that irritation and rubbing, even if it's just once a day, can cause an increase in fine lines, wrinkles, and hyperpigmentation.” Basically, makeup wipes suck and will make you look like the Crypt Keeper by age 35.
“You should wash your face both morning and night because the skin creates sebum and oil throughout the day,” says Saya Obayah, M.D., a board-certified dermatologist located in Austin, Texas.
Picking pimples
But you're creating scars, irritation and, yes, wrinkles, when you pull and pick at your skin. Your best bet is to use over-the-counter or prescription products to help get rid of acne or let pimples heal on their own.
It's still advisable to wash twice a day and use a gentle formula “that removes impurities, deep cleans pores, helps remove makeup, and leaves the skin feeling refreshed, clean, and hydrated,” says Tim. Also, don't overlook foaming cleansers.
Use a gentle, non-abrasive cleanser that does not contain alcohol. Wet your face with lukewarm water and use your fingertips to apply cleanser. Resist the temptation to scrub your skin because scrubbing irritates the skin. Rinse with lukewarm water and pat dry with a soft towel.
Myth: You should always wash your face twice a day.
"Cleansing before bed is generally recommended not only to remove makeup but also dirt and pollution that accumulates on our skin during the day," she said. Those particles can cause oxidative damage and contribute to collagen breakdown and wrinkles.
It can't reverse aging, per se, he cautions, but “there's clear evidence that exercise can activate the machinery necessary for DNA repair.” Of course, the sooner you begin and the longer you remain physically active, the better. But physical activity is important at every age.
When it comes to skin aging, there's not much we can do to completely stop the process. Signs of aging like wrinkles and spots are the results of the accumulation of defects in cells and intracellular structures. Experts have found that skin aging typically starts around age 25.
Wrinkle reduction
And while dry brushing does draw blood circulation to the area you're treating, the blood flow isn't going to stay concentrated in that area for long after the dry brushing is over.