The 8 most common mistakes that men make in skincare

These are the eight mistakes in skincare that have crept into your daily routine and the tips to change it.

1. First mistake: Pop pimples

A classic one and we do it over and over again! The solution is very simple: do not pop them. Period. Why? Firstly, because the nails dig into the skin and can leave scars. Secondly, because the bacteria found on the surface of the skin is pressed, thereby penetrating the pores and small open wounds of the skin. In addition, almost nobody manages to squeeze blocked or inflamed pores in a really clean way. So the sebaceous residue remains in the sebaceous gland hair follicle, and the pimple begins to sprout again immediately. Most even worse than before.
Solution: Use a facial cleansing brush, which simply “ejects” impurities from the pores when used regularly.

2. Second mistake: Taking your eye lenses off "the wrong way"

It is clear that you have to remove the lenses at night, at the latest. The question is: how? If you are consistently pulling your eyelids, thin and sensitive, you will deform the skin in the long term. This will cause them to drop down and wrinkle. Another habit that is especially bad is letting the lenses "pop out" of the eye with a sharp tug on the eyelid. It is just as bad to rub your eyes with a towel after a shower or to squint them during a meeting. It may sound silly, but modern dermatology today knows the difference between the faces of men who have been doing it for decades and those who have not.
Solution: To remove the lenses, use the contact lens "vacuum cleaner", which may seem a little dated, but vacuum the lenses and remove them from the eye very easily. In general, stop pulling the skin and apply an eye cream every day.

3. Third mistake: Sleeping on a dirty pillow

Amazing but true: pillows have a significant effect on your appearance. Your pillow is full of fat and dead skin cells and bacteria after a while. In addition to house dust mites. Disgusting. 10% of the weight of a two-year-old pillow is made up of dead mites and their droppings. Problem: By turning your face you press all that against your pores.
Solution: Wash the pillow in the washing machine every six weeks at a temperature of at least 60 degrees. And wash the pillowcase at least every week, preferably with the rest of the bedding. This is especially necessary for people allergic to household dust.

4. Fourth mistake: Focusing ONLY on face moisturizer

Caring for the skin of the face is important. But almost nobody puts cream on the neck! And the same thing happens with the neck as with the face: it is constantly exposed to all external environmental influences. And so, at some point, environmental toxins and gravity also hit him, and his neck, which was formerly young and smooth, becomes limp and wrinkled. This can be delayed quite a bit with specific attention.
Solution: Apply cream to the entire neck, with moisturizing care and sun protection. If you apply special treatments from time to time, such as a facial peel or a mask, you must remember that all products can also be extended to the neck.

5. Fifth mistake: Not applying sunscreen

We won't get tired of repeating it: a sun protection factor of at least 30 SPF (broadband) is essential, and it is implementing the best anti-aging advice of all time. UV light causes the skin to age prematurely. So yes, you need to actually use it every day. Even in winter and on cloudy days. Also in the office. The sun shines until it sets.
Solution: Include sun protection in your daily routine, just like brushing your teeth. It's that easy. If you want to go further and immediately correct the skin damage that has already occurred, you can combine an antioxidant serum, then (never before) apply your moisturizer and, finally, protection against UV rays (it is important to keep this order).

6. Sixth mistake: Using your mobile device in excess

The wrinkle devil is in the details. If you put your smartphone between your head and shoulders to make calls or if you use your mobile phone a lot to surf the Internet, read, check or answer emails, you will seem much older than you think. The strong curvature of the neck, the constant downward gaze, or squinting to read on the small screen: everything leads to visible aging of the skin. Science even has its own name: "Smartphone Face".
Solution: Do not put the mobile between the neck and the shoulder and instead use headphones. Expand the system source and set the maximum light intensity (so as not to strain your eyes when reading). When looking at the screen, it is best to keep the phone at eye level.

7. Seventh mistake: Washing your face too much, too often

As men, we do everything at full speed. We think that if we know how to clean the terrace with a high-pressure cleaner we will know how to clean our skin. Mistake: Each wash with soap and warm water rinses the important lipids from the skin or healthy bacteria from our "microbiome" and, depending on the skin condition, two things can happen:
1. Dry skin dries even more. The protective layer, responsible for sealing the skin's moisture, becomes even more permeable so that the skin's moisture evaporates. At the same time, bacteria and attackers (nicotine, dust, etc.) can more easily penetrate the skin from the outside and irritate the complexion. The result: an unpleasant feeling of tightness, dry and flaky skin and redness.
2. Oily skin becomes even more oily. Because the skin feels the cleaning "thoroughly" as an attack and, as a reaction, it extends its protective shield. That is, it creates more fat. And with this, an oily fat film is formed where impurities can settle.
Solution: Use a mild cleanser at night and rinse only with warm water. In the morning or after exercising, for example, just water is enough. And, in general, shower gel is usually not suitable for facial cleansing because it dries the skin too much.

8. Eighth mistake: Not eating healthy or balanced.

Just like if you had an important business meeting tomorrow, today you would not stay at the bar until late at night, the same thing happens with your skin. If you know you want to look good tomorrow, you should do without alcohol today, as it removes a lot of moisture from the skin, making it look pale and gray. And with caffeine, when you're not used to it, the same thing happens (coffee addicts don't react as strongly). But they are not the only ones, it is also harmful to take a lot of salt and sodium (that is: pizza, pasta, and hamburgers) because the face appears swollen the next day and the dark circles are more noticeable. And then in the morning, there is no more eye cream to help.
Solution: The day before important appointments, refrain from drinking alcohol, caffeine, salt, and sugar.

Credit: Article traduced by Justin Davis for Eleven Eleven Skin Alchemy. The original article is taken from GQ DE. Link here.