Striking the perfect balance between a good skin-care routine and overloading your skin can be tricky. Using too many products or treatments can push your skin into a state of irritation and inflammation. So, how do we find that line, and what really happens to your skin when you use too much skin care? We’re answering these questions and more, ahead.
Featured Experts
- Jody Levine, MD is a board-certified dermatologist based in New York
- Tina Alster, MD is a board-certified dermatologist based in Washington D.C.
- Jeanine Downie, MD is a board-certified dermatologist based in Montclair, NJ
- Carolina Reis Oliveira, PhD is OneSkin’s Co-Founder and CEO
Can Too Much Skincare Make Your Skin ‘Stop Working?’
“What you can give your skin too much of is too many irritating products at one time,” explains Dr. Downie. “The irritating products then strip your skin and make you more irritated. Therefore, your skin does not perform its normal function as a barrier because your skin is in disrepair.” Essentially, you can overwhelm your skin. And when you do, it won’t function normally. This is called over-processing.
But what about the myth that your skin can get addicted to moisturizers? Lots of people think if you apply moisturizer every day, your skin loses its ability to stay hydrated on its own. New York dermatologist Jody Levine, MD says this one is not accurate and it’s actually due to “the elements.” She recommends you “moisturize within five minutes after a shower or bath to lock-in moisture every morning and every night for supple, youthful, healthy skin.”
What Causes Over-Processed Skin?
Over-processed skin occurs when excess actives compromise the skin’s natural ability to heal and protect itself. “Beyond the surface level signs of irritation, barrier damage, an over-processed skin looks distinctly different under the microscope too,” explains OneSkin’s Co-Founder and CEO, Carolina Reis Oliveira, PhD.
OneSkin’s proprietary ingredient, OS-01, switches off the damaged cells that contribute to lines, wrinkles, and sagging skin. During the testing process, researchers were able to monitor the integrity of the skin. When they used too many actives, or ‘too much skincare,’ they didn’t see optimal results.
“While the right combination of active ingredients will promote epidermal thickness and improve skin cell organization so that it looks similar to young skin under the microscope,” Oliveira explains. “In contrast, a not so great formula, either with too many actives or irritants, can strip the barrier and deteriorate epidermal thickness. In the mirror that translates to seeing plump, hydrated skin turn irritated, red, dull, itchy and even flaky.”
How to Find Your Routine
When it comes to figuring out if you’re using too much skin care and avoiding over-processed skin, it’s important to take changes slowly. Consider introducing one new product at a time.
Washington, D.C. dermatologist Tina Alster, MD stresses the importance of starting small. “A patch test is the application of a product on the underside of the wrist (which is relatively thin skinned) for a few days in a row,” Dr. Alster explains. “This will provide an initial assessment of a product’s irritation potential.”
If you’re still not getting the results you want, a dermatologist or medical aesthetician can help figure out what formulations, ingredients, concentrations, and other lifestyle changes could benefit your skin.
