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.
“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.
"There's really no reason to wash your face in the morning, especially if you thoroughly cleansed the night before," says Hirsch. (Ah ha! I win!) "But, at the same time, there's nothing wrong with cleansing the face every morning, as long as you're not overstripping the skin with harsh, drying cleansers.
Both Emer and Zeichner agree that if you're only going to wash your face once a day, nighttime is the best time to do it. "Most dermatologists recommend face-washing twice daily, once in the morning and once before bed," says Zeichner.
As we age, our bodies start producing less oil. If you are noticing that your skin has began to feel parched after using even a hydrating cleanser, it's time for you to move to wash your face with water only.
During the day as you're upright, the dermal fluid moves towards your legs, but overnight, when your body is horizontal during sleep, dermal fluid settles back. This swells up your facial skin, reducing the appearance of wrinkles, like pumping water back into a raisin or rehydrating a shriveled, dried sponge.
"Twice-a-day cleansing removes the pollutants and irritants that our skin is exposed to 24/7 — even when we sleep," she tells Allure, citing indoor pollution, oils, and irritants that build up on your pillowcase as reasons why you want to wash your face in the a.m.
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.
If you wash your face in the morning and at night, it will be just enough to clean away makeup, dirt, and extra oil on your skin that can contribute to breakouts. What you use to cleanse your face also matters. 2 The skin on your face is delicate, so you don't want to use harsh soaps.
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.
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.
Generally, dermatologists and estheticians recommend washing your face both morning and night, but it's also important to take your skin type into consideration as well as lifestyle factors.
Lukewarm water is advisable to wash your face with, but cold water has its benefits, too. Cold water tightens the appearance of your skin, so it may make you look renewed and refreshed. It also helps boost your circulation, which can help give your skin a healthier appearance, albeit temporarily.
A warm room causes pores to contract and expand. Once sweat gets in, pores can become clogged and prone to blackheads and breakouts. They'll also become more visible in the morning, said Dr.
Skin makes new collagen when you sleep, which prevents sagging. “That's part of the repair process,” says Patricia Wexler, MD, a dermatologist in New York. More collagen means skin is plumper and less likely to wrinkle. Only getting 5 hours a night can lead to twice as many fine lines as sleeping 7 would.
Pale skin can be a sign that you have a shortage of normal red blood cells (anemia), which means that less oxygen is delivered to your body. This can be from a nutritional deficiency, blood loss, or a blood cancer like leukemia. Other causes of pale skin include low blood pressure or infection.
“If you're using the right products for your skin at night, there is really no need to cleanse in the morning. Simply splash the face with water to freshen up, and go straight in with your morning serums, moisturiser and SPF,” she said.
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. Gohara.
Removing Build Up
A common benefit of facial cleansing is the removal of dirt, oil, and other unwanted debris. Throughout the day the skin on your face is continually covered with bacteria, pollutants, viruses, dirt, and old (dead) skin cells. Daily facial washing removes these impurities to give the skin a fresh look.
Keep it simple: Try to aim for 20 to 30 seconds of washing, or until the product lathers up on your face, because doing more than that could be too much for your skin.
You don't need to use conventional soaps in your daily hygiene routine. All you absolutely need, bare bones, to stay clean is water. Just water. Water does a fine job of rinsing away dirt without stripping vital oils from your skin.
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.
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.