Some days you just want to come home after a long day, flop on the bed and drift off to dream land, but you're doing a huge disservice to your skin.
How bad could it be you wonder?
The quickest way to aging, inflamed and breakout skin is by not cleansing.
#1 Breakouts
Imagine all of the environmental pollutants that latch to your skin throughout the day, the excess oil your skin releases, the sweat that gives you a glow, and the makeup you've applied working its way into your pores. Now imagine coming home and laying down, rubbing all of those factors into your pillow and your skin. Sleeping on that dirt and grime causes a build up of bacteria and breakouts.
If you already have acne prone skin, it increases the problem causing additional breakouts.
#2 Inflammation + Infection
The skin is your body's first line of defense. Within the skin there is a balancing act that occurs between sweat and oil called the acid mantle. When these two and in balance your defense system is strong. When they are not, bacteria can creep in and causes a multitude of infections.
Additionally, sleeping with products on our skin that contain fragrances or other questionable ingredients can cause inflammation of the skin. Most makeup/cosmetic products are not intended to be worn at night and kept on for extended time periods.
#3 Dull Skin
Oil and dead skin cells are pressed into our skin off the surface of our pillows each night. When you wake in the morning without cleansing the skin it will appear darker or duller than you'd hope. Exfoliation and a good daily cleansing are crucial to the bright and vibrant skin we all seek.
#4 Aged Skin
Leaving the skin with a days worth of grime causes stress to the skin. Throughout the day your skin is in defense mode, and at night it repairs itself. However, if you leave the day (makeup, pollutants, excess oil, etc.) on the skin you cause oxidative stress - meaning you deprive the skin of oxygen causing a loss in collagen and elastin production. It can also cause an increase in dark spots, wrinkles, sagging and texture changes.
Something so simple as cleansing your skin has such a large impact its ability to protect, as well as shine bright with a healthy glow. Help your skin get a bit of relief and repair the days' damage by remembering to cleanse it each night (at the very least).
