A couple of years ago, I visited a dermatologist who told me the opposite of what I expected to hear: I was using too many skincare products.
The 15-step routines of the 2010s can actually damage something called your skin barrier, which keeps moisture and oils where they should be, I was told.
It seems Dr Karan Rajan, who’s known for sharing his medical know-how on TikTok, agrees.
In a recent video, the doctor said: “you don’t need a complex skincare routine for good skin health.”
How can I tell if I’ve gone too far?
If you’re unsure whether your nighttime routine is a little much, Dr Rajan says “a simple routine is usually the best for skin health and function.”
Your skin, which is a part of your immune system, “is alive with numerous living organisms,” Dr Rajan says.
And while that might sound unpleasant, they play a crucial role in keeping you healthy.
“You could run the risk of disturbing your skin barrier and disrupting your skin microbiome” if your skincare has a lot of very involved steps ― especially if you’re regularly using stronger ingredients like AHAs and glycolic acid.
In fact too many skincare products, or too high a concentration of them, “can cause flareups like acne, dry flaky skin, or even exacerbations of inflammatory skin conditions like psoriasis,” he adds.
Health information site Healthline says some signs your skin barrier has been disrupted include:
- dry, scaly skin
- itchiness
- rough or discoloured patches.
- acne
- sensitive or inflamed areas
- bacterial, viral, or fungal skin infections.
What should I do if I have skin issues?
My dermatologist shared that a good basic skincare routine involves a gentle cleanser, a moisturiser if you like, and sunscreen.
I was also prescribed a retinol which can often cause very dry skin and acne when you start ― that’s used for my adult acne, but I started slow and it’s the only “active” in my routine.
This brings me to Dr Rajan’s point; you can see an expert if you’ve got skin issues, but “the problem is we’ve pathologised the normal; pores, pigmentation, and the process of ageing ― to the point where we’re subjecting our skin to medical-level treatment daily.”
“Perfect skin is not a health goal, it’s an aesthetic one,” he ended his video. “And in trying to achieve it, you might end up compromising the health of your skin.”