I can't remember the last time I bought a "face wash" rather than regular soap.
The latter, I reason, can service all my skin, whether it's in my armpits or my cheekbones. Plus, it can do so all at once: in the shower.
For moisturizer, I almost always use a (free) body lotion, sometimes a sample-sized one snagged from a hotel or, in pre-COVID days, a pump out of the communal jug at the gym, and my face has never come into contact with a serum.
At 33 years old, my skin still hasn't seemed to mind. But dermatologist Dr. Ife J. Rodney of Eternal Dermatology + Aesthetics in Columbia, Maryland, does.
When I asked her to be honest with me about my routine, she tore through it, saying things like, "that's a big 'No'" about nearly everything I do (or don't) do, offering tips for how to improve my routine, in ways that she says will make a marked difference.
Rodney said staying consistent with my products, being sure to wash my face at night, and investing in a moisturizer with an SPF are important for the health of my skin — which is, after all, the body's biggest organ — and my own longevity.
Consistency is key, and body washes are too harsh for the face
At home in my Brooklyn apartment, I wash my face with body wash, body soap, or my (male) partner's cleanser in the shower after I exercise.
When going to the gym almost daily was routine, I'd use the facilities' generic body wash. These days, I'm spending some time at a family home in Wisconsin, and using the bar of soap I found sitting in the shower.
Rodney explained why my pick-at-random approach to face washing is not a good idea. "Consistency is key," she said. "You have to have a routine that's simple, that's something you can stick with every day."
Alternating products so nonchalantly means I'll have a difficult time pinpointing the culprit of any bad reaction.
Rodney also said she prefers making face care an "event of its own" (rather than in the shower) so it doesn't get forgotten between the hair-washing and shaving.
Her biggest concern, though, was my use of body wash or soap for my face. "It's different skin," Rodney said, "and face skin is more sensitive."
She said pretty much everyone can benefit from using a gentle cleanser like La Roche Posay Toleriane Hydrating Gentle Face Cleanser or Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Daily Cleanser.
Look for one that that doesn't foam too much, she said, which can dry out and irritate the skin — even if your skin is oily or acne-prone.
"Use a gentle and mild cleanser," Rodney said, "and leave the heavy lifting to the prescription." That goes for people with a dry skin condition like rosacea, too.
Skipping a nighttime face wash is 'doing a disservice to my skin'
Washing my face only once daily didn't please Rodney, either. "That is again doing a disservice to your skin," she said.
I countered: I rarely wear makeup, and only use a bit of mascara and a swipe of powdered bronzer (never foundation or concealer) when I do.
I lost. "Even if you applied nothing on your skin, there's still oil and dead skin cells," Rodney said, adding that the face also comes into contact with "environmental pollutants and irritants."
She said washing my face at night, no matter what I have or haven't put on it, is a "bare minimum" and "a hard-and-fast rule."
A minor next step would be to apply a moisturizer or serum after to help with tone, texture, and sometimes fine lines and wrinkles.
Using body lotion on my face may be my biggest dermatological crime
Similar to my approach to "face wash," my take on "moisturizer" is to use whatever's there for both my body and face.
Before I get to the reprimanding, I am proud to report Rodney told me I'm doing something right by moisturizing immediately after the shower when my skin is most receptive to taking it in. Hooray!
But the rest I'm doing oh so wrong. "No no," she said when I told her my strategy. "That is a big no-no."
Body lotion, she explained, tends to be much thicker and heavier than a moisturizer intended for the face. "We know thicker, denser products are more likely to occlude or clog your pores," leading to breakouts.
I asked her if she'd use it in a pinch, like if she were at a hotel and left her moisturizer at home. She said no, but recommended mixing body lotion with water if you must apply it to your face.
There's one suggestion I plan to incorporate
I'm still reluctant to change my routine — it's literally effortless, nearly free, and I've suffered no visible consequences. My theory: My skin doesn't know what it's missing.
Rodney said I do seem to be lucky to have low-maintenance skin, but that I may notice more of a glow or fewer than my already-occasional blemishes if I took her advice.
I might. But the one piece I feel obligated to adopt is less about aesthetics and more about health and longevity: I need to consistently use a moisturizer with SPF to protect against cancer.
Applying one with an SPF of 15 or higher daily reduces the risk of melanoma by 50% and squamous cell carcinoma by about 40%, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation.
The former is estimated to kill 6,850 people in 2020, and the latter, double that.
Even if the pandemic has kept you largely indoors, Rodney said, wearing an SPF daily is imperative since the damaging rays penetrate windows. "You should make it part of daily routine, period."
- Read more:
- Moisturizer can be the most important part of your skincare routine. Here's how to do it right.
- How to introduce a new skincare product to your routine, according to dermatologists
- 3 ways to tell if your skincare routine is working, harmful, or a waste of money
- A dermatologist told me everything I'm doing wrong in my shower routine, and how to fix it
