Lifestyle Habit Correction Part 2 - Wrong Cleansing Ruins Your Skin: A Dermatologist's Standard

1️⃣ Is cleansing more often always better?

Many people think like this:

✔ ‘Washing thoroughly improves the skin.’

✔ ‘Double cleansing is essential.’

✔ ‘Cleansing is the most important step.’

👉 However, in actual dermatology practices,

👉 ‘reducing’ cleansing is often much more important.

2️⃣ Why does cleansing ruin the skin?

The essence of cleansing is

👉 not ‘removing dirt,’

👉 but a process that removes the skin's lipids (protective barrier).

✔ Cleansing products

👉 contain surfactants.

These ingredients

✔ help remove impurities

✔ and makeup,

👉 but at the same time,

✔ they also strip away the skin's protective barrier (lipids).

👉 The result:

✔ Skin barrier damage

✔ Increased moisture evaporation (increased TEWL)

✔ Increased sensitivity

3️⃣ It is especially dangerous in these cases:

✔ Washing the face 2 to 3 times a day

✔ Daily double cleansing

✔ Cleansing oil + foam + additional washing

✔ Preferring a squeaky-clean feeling

👉 These are situations where the skin barrier is continuously being stripped away.

4️⃣ Patterns actually seen in dermatology clinics

Characteristics of these individuals:

✔ They wash their face diligently.

✔ They use many high-quality cosmetics.

✔ Yet, their skin remains constantly sensitive.

👉 There is only one reason:

👉 ‘The barrier has no time to recover.’

5️⃣ Changes that occur when cleansing is excessive

✔ Tightness immediately after washing

✔ Stinging sensation when applying cosmetics

✔ Increased redness

✔ Repeated breakouts

👉 This is not a clean state, but a state where the protective barrier has disappeared.

6️⃣ Dermatologist's standard for ‘normal cleansing’

👉 The standard is simpler than you think.

✔ Morning

👉 Washing with water only, or using a very mild, slightly acidic cleanser (about 1/2 to 1/3 of the evening amount).

✔ Evening

👉 Wash only once.

Days with heavy makeup → Double cleansing is acceptable.

Normal days → One wash with a mild cleanser is enough.

👉 The core principle:

✔ ‘Only when necessary’

✔ ‘To the minimum’

7️⃣ Habits you must absolutely avoid

✔ Thinking ‘squeaky clean = actually clean’

✔ Thinking that more foam, longer washing, and harder scrubbing are better

✔ Daily double cleansing

✔ Exfoliating and cleansing at the same time

✔ Periodically scrubbing dead skin cells or peeling

✔ Washing the face directly under the showerhead while showering

👉 These are all barrier-destroying routines.

8️⃣ Bonus – Is scrubbing with an exfoliating mitt really okay?

Many people think, ‘Exfoliating is necessary for better skin,’

or ‘Scrubbing off dead skin makes it clean.’

However, from a dermatologist's perspective,

👉 scrubbing is not ‘exfoliation,’

👉 it is the ‘act of peeling off the barrier.’

✔ The skin's stratum corneum (horny layer)

👉 is not simply waste,

👉 but a structure that protects the skin.

When you scrub your skin,

✔ the dead skin cells and lipid layer are removed together,

✔ and micro-damage occurs,

👉 resulting in skin that becomes

✔ drier,

✔ more sensitive,

✔ and easily prone to contact dermatitis.

👉 Especially in cases of

✔ sensitive skin,

✔ after laser treatments,

✔ rosacea / highly reactive skin,

👉 you must absolutely avoid it.

9️⃣ The relationship between a skincare diet and cleansing

As mentioned in Part 1,

👉 skin problems are

✔ not an issue of ingredients,

✔ but an issue of total exposure.

👉 Cleansing is the same.

✔ The number of times you wash,

✔ the strength of the cleanser,

✔ and physical irritation (including scrubbing)

👉 as these increase, barrier damage and immune stimulation also increase.

🔟 Change to this, and your skin will improve

👉 Just remember these 3 things:

✔ Reduce the frequency of washing your face.

✔ Use a mild cleanser.

✔ Avoid physical irritation (No peeling gels, no scrubbing).

[[ Conclusion ]]

When your skin is in a sensitive state,

👉 cleansing more diligently

👉 does not make it better,

👉 it ruins it further.

👉 The skin

✔ does not improve the more you manage it,

✔ it recovers the less you touch it.

🔥 Preview of the next article

👉 Part 3 – Continuing to scrub your skin will ruin it