Everyone wants to look good and age gracefully, and having great skin fits these goals. When it comes to your skin goals, bad habits are often the root of the cause. That is why our team of aesthetic professionals breaks down the common habits they see people make and recommend good habits to develop.

1. Overuse of Harsh Cleansers

Overexposure to a harsh cleanser can cause your skin barrier to be damaged in the long term. The damage comes from stripping your skin of its natural oils, reducing your skin’s capability to protect it from a whole list of threats such as bacterial, UV damage, pollution and excess transepidermal water loss. All these lead to visible skin blemishes including pigmentation, skin redness and sensitivity, pimples and premature ageing signs. Switch to gentler cleansers such as bSoul Hydra Milk Cleanser, this certified natural cleanser removes dirt and oil from your skin while protecting your skin barrier.

2. Not Exfoliating Regularly

Regular exfoliation increases your skin’s turnover so it looks more glowing and radiant. Your skin is kept fresh and the skin barrier remains healthy. A common misconception is women with ageing skin should not scrub the skin as it can make the skin thinner. This is not true. In fact, ageing skin requires regular exfoliation as the skin’s turnover slows down with age and can look dull and lifeless. A good exfoliating routine helps ageing skin maintain a radiant glow effortlessly. Our selection of face scrubs have exfoliants for every skin type, while IOMA Soft Peeling, is perfect for ageing and thinner skin. Its exquisite balm-like formulation is packed with cactus fruit enzyme to restore radiance even on the most sensitive skin.

 3.  Overuse of Skin “Whitening” Skincare

Skin whitening is an obsession common among Asians. Unfortunately, many products that promise to deliver ‘whiter’ skin are often formulated with mild AHA and other forms of acids. Such products are not suitable for long term use as they can cause the skin barrier to weaken over time, causing the very problem they are supposed to solve – pigmentation and uneven skin tone. Give your skin a ‘timeout’ from such products after 2 months of use. A better strategy to ‘whiten’ the skin is to develop a routine consisting of a mild facial cleanser, regular exfoliation, serums that control melanin production and a suitable day moisturizer. Unless you are constantly exposed to the sun, daily use of sunscreen does not make your skin ‘whiter’ if you spend most of your time indoors.

 4. Over Layering Your Skin With Products

Sure, some videos showcase piling of products as the ultimate luxury and cure to your skin issues. When it comes to the skin, simplicity is the key. Furthermore, by applying many products over each other at one time, the ingredients cannot penetrate your skin as well. Overloading can lead to skin irritation and fatigued skin. Stick to a simple routine of one product for one function: cleansing the skin, exfoliating, two serums for 2 different functions - one for the day and one for the night, 2 moisturisers – one for day and one for the night and 2 eye products one for day and one for the night.

4. Smoking

Smoking not only damages your health, but you will also develop a blotchier and more sallow skin tone. Smoking also causes more wrinkles, such as “smoker’s lines” vertical wrinkles over the mouth and crow feet. Toxins in cigarette smoke cause oxidative stress and reduce the amount of oxygen supplied to the skin, damaging collagen and elastin, which are components of the skin that keep it firm and supple. As a result, the skin ages prematurely.