The one thing we all care about deeply is our skin. We hate it when a pimple pops up, a wrinkle starts showing, or a dark spot is left behind. All of these, individually, might seem like small things, but combined, they can be highly damaging to our skin. However, we have the means to slow down skin aging. Here are five skincare mistakes that may lead to premature skin aging.

Over cleansing

Our skin needs a proper scrub now and then to keep it clean. If you do not exfoliate daily, a layer of dead skin will accumulate over your pores, causing the surface to look dull and older. To avoid this issue, it’s crucial that you exfoliate two to three times a week. You need not scrub every day to remove dead skin cells that form. Over-exfoliating never does any good. Instead, you will scrub off the protective oily barrier that protects your skin from pollutants, making the skin age faster. So remember to cleanse your skin but don’t overdo it if you want to avoid premature aging.

Not using sunscreen

A light dose of vitamin D from the sun sounds very appealing. But we often misunderstand that the “walk in the sun for good health” rule only applies in the early mornings. We need excellent protection as the sun goes up and about. The rays and radiations from the sun are often harmful to our skin. They cause premature aging, wrinkling, hyperpigmentation, and in extreme cases, cancer. Going out without sunscreen now must have started sounding like a horrible idea. If you want to protect your skin, using this product is a step you can’t miss. Some people apply sunscreen every day before stepping out, but they forget the crucial part of reapplying it. Such products don’t last all day, so ensure you have enough for a second use.

Ignoring crucial skincare steps

While selecting the right product for your skin is often a nightmare, applying it properly is paramount to avoid premature aging. Finding a product that best works for your skin often takes trial and error. Our skin needs to change with time, so, ideally, you should revisit your skin products once every year to check if they are still working in your best interest. Talking about skin products working, you have to be certain that the products are being used in the correct order. Remember that you should apply the thinnest product and then move on to thicker products. When the products are used correctly, they can penetrate your skin smoothly.

Sleeping without removing cosmetics

We travel around daily with our skin exposed to all the radiation and pollution. Throughout the day, dirt, germs, bacteria, etc. accumulate on the skin. Not to mention the make-up that one needs to carry all day long. The make-up accumulates in the pores and clogs them. All these factors have quite an adverse collective effect on our faces during the day. And at the end of the day, when we go to sleep, the issues are still present. However tired you are, do not ever sleep without washing your day off. All these foreign materials on the skin will cause premature aging and several other skin problems if not washed off properly.

Using incompatible products

When it comes to the skin, it is important to pay attention to what products you use. We often forget to check the expiration date on our skin products or wash our unclean sponges and brushes. It is ideal to clean make-up brushes monthly to avoid skin irritation and subsequent premature skin aging.