Continually not washing your face at night can lead to dryness, breakouts, eczema, and premature aging.
While forgetting to wash your face for one night is unlikely to cause lasting damage to your skin, one night is all it takes to clog pores and cause a breakout. Makeup left on skin overnight can prevent the skin from “breathing,” and can also inhibit the skin's process of repair and regeneration while you sleep.
“Bacteria builds up on your skin when you sleep at night, so you need to wash it off in the morning,” says Debra Jaliman, MD, an assistant professor of dermatology at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and author of Skin Rules: Trade Secrets from a Top New York Dermatologist.
"As long as you know how your skin works and how it responds to products, skipping your makeup and skin-care products for a few days is absolutely okay," says Dr.
"Not washing your face could cause the buildup of oil and dirt that may lead to acne, more prominent pores, and inflammation," she says.
You do not need to wait until right before bed to wash your face. Starting your nighttime skincare routine at 7pm or 8pm will make you less likely to skip it. Even if you do not wear makeup every day, you might have touched your face all day long and that makes it the dirtiest part of your body.
The Beginning Stages Of Acne Could Occur
This twice-daily routine of cleansing your face is especially vital for people who have acne-prone skin. "If you are acne-prone, you will likely break out more. The buildup on the skin can clog pores leading to the development of acne," says Shah.
You could experience dryness, breakouts, or dermatitis.
Kikam explains, a one-night break from your face wash routine won't cause too much damage, but it is important to rid your skin of dirt before dozing off.
By cleansing with water only, you're less likely to over-strip the skin's natural oil and therefore reduce the risk of damaging your skin barrier. Cleansing your face with water only not only reduces the oil-stripping action but also the physical rubbing action, which would reduce irritation to the skin.
Believe it or not, your skin can accumulate environmental debris in your sleep, so it's necessary to wash them off in the morning. “Dead skin cells and allergens may collect on your pillowcase and be transferred to the facial skin throughout the night,” Palm says.
Considering your sweat mixes with whatever dirt and bacteria is on your skin—because, yes, you might have washed your face last night but if your linens aren't freshly laundered, bacteria could live there and transfer onto your skin—if you don't wash your face post-sweat, it will clog up your pores and cause breakouts.
Your body boosts blood flow to the skin while you snooze, which means you wake to a healthy glow. Skimp on sleep and your complexion can look drab, ashen, or lifeless. “Sleep deprivation causes a decrease in blood flow to the skin surrounding your face,” Breus says.
This is true for your epidermis as much as it is for your brain or your muscles. During sleep, your skin's blood flow increases, and the organ rebuilds its collagen and repairs damage from UV exposure, reducing wrinkles and age spots.
You'll need a cleanser to wash off the dirt, makeup, excess oil, dead skin cells, and environmental impurities that end up on your face naturally throughout the day. Moisturizer will help keep the skin's protective barrier functioning properly and your skin feeling smooth and soft.
No matter your skin type, you want to wash your face at least once a day — in the evening to remove any dirt, makeup, oil, and grime that's built up on your skin throughout the day.
Whether or not you have acne, it's important to wash your face twice daily to remove impurities, dead skin cells, and extra oil from your skin's surface. Washing more often than twice daily is not necessarily better; it may do more harm than good. Use warm, not hot, water and a mild facial cleanser.
Washing your face throughout the day can irritate your skin and cause acne breakouts.
Gohara recommends Dove's Beauty Bar because it "won't strip away skin's moisture like soap can." Although it looks like a bar of soap, it's good for your face. It's considered a non-soap cleanser made with moisturizing cream to keep your skin soft, but clean.
Acne Problems
Acne can flare up when you aren't getting enough sleep. In fact, sleep deprivation is considered one of the three main acne triggers, along with stress and sweating. Studies have borne this out.
You may be using unnecessary products. "Some people may just not be genetically predisposed to breakouts or may produce less [oil],” says Batra. If that sounds like you, you may actually find your skin looks better when you ditch your cleanser.