At the end of a grueling day, there’s nothing better than coming home and washing your face to make it feel clean and fresh—no one wants, or likes, dirty skin. But are there things you can do to get your skin even cleaner than it is? You may be surprised, but the answer is yes. Here’s how:
1. Use the right cleanser. What you wash your face with can make a world of difference in how it looks, feels and even acts. Santa Monica, CA, dermatologist Ava Shamban, MD, says that you must choose the right cleanser for your particular skin type. “For dry or mature skin, choose a milky cleanser with moisturizing glycolic acid. For oily or acne-prone skin, wash with a gel cleanser that contains salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide.”
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New York dermatologist Julie Russak, MD, advises to use two different cleansers—one in the morning and another one at night. “Use a gentler formulation in the morning and a more astringent one at night to address makeup, oil and accumulated buildup from the day. Using the same cleanser morning and night can sometimes irritate your skin and dry it out, causing inflammation.”
2. Consider a cleansing tool. Cleansing tools have become a beauty mainstay and here’s why: They help to create cleaner skin because they exfoliate the surface. But, Dr. Russak warns to use them in moderation. “Overusing a cleansing device can cause more harm than good. Although they often come with instructions that suggest using the tool twice a day, you really should be using it once or twice a week at most.”
3. Exfoliate regularly. Dr. Shamban says that skin health largely depends on your skin hygiene and what you use on your skin. Exfoliation is key in maintaining clean, healthy skin because it helps to remove the dead skin cells that accumulate on the surface. “Not only do dead skin cells dull the skin, but they can also contribute to oil and breakouts,” says Dr. Shamban.
Dr. Russak likes medical facials to get skin super clear. “Medical facials manually extract blackheads and whiteheads from the root. They also effectively remove dead cell buildup, which can lead to congested pores and a dull complexion.”
4. Add in a mask. To clean your skin even more, Dr. Russak recommends using a deep pore cleansing mask. “I like SkinCeuticals Clarifying Mask because it lifts up impurities and removes excess oil,” she says. “Once your pores are clean, your skin is at a fresh baseline, and from there, your skin will absorb products better.”
