There’s nothing wrong with making grandiose, life-changing New Years resolutions and testing your fortitude in the struggle to achieve them. But, just to keep your spirits up in your long-term quest for betterment, why not include some easy, short-term goals to your 2018 to-do list?
Here are a few common bad skincare habits that you can easily (some more-so than others) break over the next year to give you some hope in achieving your loftier goals.
Focusing all of your effort on your face
The skin on your face is the focus of the skincare and cosmetics industry for a reason: it’s thinner, it is fully exposed to the harmful effects of the sun, pollutants and free radicals, and it is more frequently stressed and strained by active muscles. But just because your face is the most important part of your skincare routine, doesn’t mean the rest of your body should fall by the wayside.
Any exposed area of your skin, especially your neck, shoulders, and décolléte, should be included in your daily skincare regimen. If you haven’t already established a full-body skincare routine, make 2018 your year for comprehensive skincare.
Overindulging your sweet-tooth
Over the holidays you often give yourself a free pass to overindulge in delicious food, both sweet and savory. But if you let those habits carry over into the new year, you might find that habit will have some not-so-sweet effects on the look and feel of your skin.
When your body gets too much sugar it can start a process in your skin called glycation which causes the structural building blocks of your skin to sag, causing wrinkles and fine lines.
So the next time your waiter asks if you’d like dessert, think about your skin’s health and maybe reconsider.
Not sleeping enough
This one is a gimme: one of your New Year’s resolutions for 2018 should be to get more sleep. We could probably stop right there since this isn’t exactly a hard sell, but there are plenty of reasons for getting more sleep besides the fact that sleep is great.
If you’re someone who is constantly binging a new show late into the wee hours of the morning, or if you’re a Margaret Thatcher type who can function on a few hours sleep a night, maybe it’s time to rethink your sleep habits for the sake of your skin.
Sleep is essential to your skin’s health as it is the only time your body is singularly focused on repairing itself. When you are chronically deprived of the sleep that your body needs, many of your natural biological functions – including the reparative functions of your skin – will under-perform, leaving you with lackluster skin.
So do yourself a favor and make 2018 the year you take back your beauty sleep.
Leaving your makeup on overnight
Speaking of sleeping habits effecting the look and feel of your skin, if you’re leaving your makeup on overnight on a regular basis, you’re doing untold damage to your skin’s health.
We fully understand the desire to come home after a long, hard day of work and fall right to sleep before doing anything else. But, by doing so, the makeup on your skin can clog up your pores as easily as dirt and debris which can cause acne breakouts.
So, with that in mind, try to make a conscious effort to consistently remove your makeup before you hit the sack.
Using dirty makeup brushes
This is an easy habit to break as it only takes about 5 minutes of your time a few times a month. And, since dirty makeup brushes can cause bacterial infections, acne breakouts, and inflammation, you’re proactively protecting your skin with a minimum amount of effort.
All you have to do is clean them with your shampoo, rinse them out, and let them dry overnight. It’s as simple as that!
Popping zits
“See a zit, pop a zit,” is the mantra of many of us who want to rid ourselves of unsightly acne as soon as it appears. However, this mantra is inherently flawed since if you prematurely pop your pimple, you could be doing much more harm than good.
There are two ways to properly pop a pimple: you can wait until the pimple pops on its own, which can be impractical for those who like to interact with other humans without a massive pimple, or your can follow this short process.
- Disinfect a small needle with rubbing alcohol
- Gently lance the pimple’s surface
- Squeeze from the sides of the pimple using a tissue around your index fingers
- If it doesn’t work right away, leave it alone! Popping a pimple before it’s ready can result in irritation and possibly scarring.
Ignoring moles
This last habit could end up saving your life so it is arguably the most important on the list.
It’s easy to overlook a mole on your body since it’s been there your entire life. But, since skin cancer can come in many different forms, it’s vital to perform a comprehensive mole check at least twice a year.
The size, color, shape, and evolution of a mole could signify a number of things so paying attention to those spots on your body is critically important. Feel free to reference our guide on identifying cancerous moles here: How to Detect Skin Cancer Early
If you’re reading this the day it’s published, MERRY CHRISTMAS from everyone here at Lira Clinical!!! Otherwise, have a fantastic New Year and keep checking in because 2018 will be Lira’s best year yet!
Lira Clinical Blog 
These are good tips
Great post 👍🏻