CAN ACTIVE INGREDIENTS BE DAMAGING YOUR SKIN?

 But first things first- what is an active ingredient? Simply putting, it is an ingredient in skincare or beauty product that targets specific problem/ concern; an integral part of product formulation, something that lets us understand how it is working and is it working at all. The best example of an active ingredient that few years ago blew up is Hyaluronic Acid. When you see it written on the bottle of a serum or cream you instantly know- hydration, plumping. Similarly, if you have blemishes or acne and want something to will help with it- you might look for products that contain Salicylic Acid.

So here is the question- can you use too many “actives” at once and how do you know if you are?

For example, if you eat too many sweets (if that's ever possible) you might feel a little queasy or have a sugar hangover (a real thing). Does this same principal apply to skin care? Can we overdose on active ingredients?

The answer is- absolutely. If you think about it, our skin is designed to protect us from the environment, pollution and it's renewing itself every 28 days. This drops to about 84 days in mature skin. Therefore, everything that we put on our skin have effect on its natural performance and balance. Every good dermatologist will tell you- less is more when it comes to skin care. 9 step skin care routine is every skin specialist nightmare! It makes me squirm especially, when I see young girls following this trend as it might be actually dangerous. Why? Because it stimulates the skin and the hormones, which makes it rely on these products and with time might slow down the skin natural production of all these amazing things that keep the skin looking...young. Using anti-ageing creams and serums that are age inappropriate can actually damage the skin. It will not make your skin looking “young” for longer, because those ingredients like retinols, peptides, collagens etc. are way too powerful for a 25-year-old.

You must understand ingredients before you start piling on more and more. Like, combing heavy chemical exfoliants (like AHA's or BHA's) with retinols...

A few good rules of thumb worth following as you put together your daily routine: Use a cleanser and either an antioxidant, like vitamin C, an exfoliant, like glycolic acid or Hyaluronic Acid in the morning. At night, keep things simple with a cleanser, a retinol or whichever ingredient would feel your skin needs, and a hydrating mask.

Drink plenty of water, go out for a walk to get that Vit. D, eat those greens.

Remember, you cannot buy a healthy skin- you have to look at everything holistically.

Oh, and one more thing in case you forgot.

Less. Is. More

With love,

Alexandra