By Alyssa Asick, Quill Contributor
The most important parts of a skincare routine obviously depend on each individual, but there are certain aspects that are necessary for everyone.
Especially for college students, it’s easy to just go to sleep without taking your makeup off, or even just using a makeup wipe, but a long time of keeping this habit can cause some bigger issues.
The buildup of dirt and impurities can cause blackheads and other breakouts, and one of the easy options to try and get rid of these is using pore strips and exfoliation.
According to Sydney Davis, the Skin Specialist at Ulta Beauty in Selinsgrove, pore strips can do more damage than good.
They have the potential to cause even more severe breakouts because the follicles can be damaged by the harshness of the strip.
Also, most of the time only the surface of the blackhead is removed, and they show up again in about a week.
Some more efficient alternatives are face masks, serums, exfoliants or spot treatments that are specific to your skin type.
Facials and pore extractions are the easiest way to see a dramatic difference in your skin, and Davis is a professional who offers these treatments at Ulta.
Davis also stated that one of the most common mistakes people make is using products that are not right for their skin type.
People with oily skin might think that they shouldn’t moisturize, but the lack of moisture causes the skin to produce an excess of oil, causing more breakouts. For dry or sensitive skin types, over exfoliating and using aggressive products will dry out and inflame the skin.
This can also cause redness if the skins protective barrier is compromised. Specific products with cucumber, aloe, and colloidal oatmeal are great to sooth skin and decrease redness. The overall advice Davis left was that consistency with a skincare routine is key.
When you find the right products for you, it can make a huge difference in treating and preventing acne.
Avoiding touching and picking at your skin, as hard as that may be, will also help with this issue, and using an SPF of at least 30 all year round will decrease the risk of discoloration, wrinkles, and even skin cancer.
If you don’t know already, find out your skin type through research or a professional like Davis, then get the basic essentials such as a face wash, toner, and moisturizer and you will see a beautiful difference in your skin soon enough.
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