Hold it right there! Yes, you, poised to nab that annoying zit, we are talking to you. We know you’re intentions are good: you want your skin to look its best, you see an immediate problem to fix, and besides, that pimple hurts! However, the fact is that you are probably doing more harm than good—and not just when it comes to pimple-popping. Most of us are guilty of one or more behaviors that thwart skin health, often without even knowing we’re doing anything wrong.
Our Washington, DC skincare professionals know this, and we work every day to help patients break their bad habits and enjoy more youthful, radiant skin. That’s why we wanted to share this article from Refinery 29 with you. It lists nine common things we can do that are actually pretty horrible for your skin, ranking them in order of least-worst to most potentially damaging.
Most of us are guilty of common daily behaviors that thwart our best efforts to keep skin healthy and radiant. Where can you improve?
We encourage you to flip through all the slides in the article and see what you might change to help improve your skin. For instance, are you clogging your skin by sleeping in your makeup (#6 on the list), or do you need more reasons to quit smoking (#2 on the list), such as the fact that it makes you look older than your age and develop unsightly lip wrinkles, a.k.a smoker’s lines?
Back to the acne: should you pop pimples, ever?
Believe it or not, pimple-popping came in 9th place for bad skin habits to break. But even though there are worse things you can do, you’re still better off leaving individual pimples alone—breaking your skin to pop a pimple opens up your skin to infection and potential scarring, plus the inflammation can make your skin look worse in the short term.
You’re far better off seeking safe, effective acne treatment from a qualified skincare professional, who can help you address the cause of acne (not just individual zits), and minimize outbreaks over the long term.
Whether you’re a pimple-popping fiend or you know now that all that tanning you did as a teen was in fact a bad idea (yes, it’s #1 on the list), it’s never too late to change your habits and take action to get your best skin possible.
Our advice? Get professional skin care from a board certified plastic surgeon, dermatologist, or licensed aesthetician working under MD supervision. These individuals can help you design a safe, personalized program for your skin type and needs, with medical-grade products and treatments that will get results.
If you are in the Washington, DC area, contact us at CPS! Our skincare specialists can help you get started on better skin at a complimentary consultation.