ephas
27 May 2021
We are pretty sure you have been guilty of this crime; not removing your makeup before you sleep. There have been many nights when we have simply forgotten to remove our makeup ourselves. It could be because we are just too tired and other times, we were just plain lazy.
Whatever the reason may be, we realised that leaving makeup on while we sleep is one of the worst things we are doing to our skin.
It is very important to remove makeup before going to bed as it can cause extensive damage to your skin during the night. In this week’s article, we look into the dangers we are doing to our skin. Here are 10 reasons why you should remove your makeup before bed.
Increase or develop pimples or acne
The first reason why you should remove your makeup before bed is because of acne. Your skin has a large number of pores on it and the face is the part of the body that has the most.
When you do not remove your makeup and leaving it to stay on your skin overnight, it blocks these pores that are responsible for the production of sebum. Sebum, an oily secretion of the sebaceous glands, is responsible for lubricating your skin and helps remove dead skin cells and pollutants from your skin.
Your makeup blocks these pores and the sebum mixed with chemicals and pollutants on your skin, and in turn, leads to pimples.
Could cause eye irritation and infections
When removing your makeup, pay close attention to the makeup on and around your eyes. This is because the chemicals present in eye makeup can cause eye irritation, allergic reactions, infections and even lead to your eyelashes becoming brittle and falling out.
So look after those beauty lashes of yours by removing those makeup before you head to bed!
Bad chemicals = Bad skin
Another reason why you should remove your makeup before bed is because of the chemicals found in your cosmetics. Regardless of the type of makeup you use; for sensitive skin, organic or the natural ones, all of them have chemicals that can harm your skin.
When kept on your skin for a long time, these chemicals tend to penetrate into your skin and can cause long-term damage. Apart from causing wrinkles, other signs of ageing, making your eyelashes brittle, it could also stop the natural repair mechanism of your skin.
Even more infection
In some articles, they do mention that leaving your makeup on while you sleep at night may not cause an infection. However, if you already have an active skin abrasion, such as an inflamed acne pimple, it is highly possible that an infection can occur because your skin barrier is compromised.
So for those of you who are already suffering from acne, it is time to cultivate a new and different routine that could help reduce acne on your face.
Ageing of the skin
When you are resting at night and sleeping, makeup slows down the renewal process that your skin. If your makeup was left on your skin overnight, your skin is unable to breathe and the chemicals that permeate the skin interfere with the natural repair mechanism.
Besides that, the makeup along with the other pollutants stuck to it, give rise to oxidative stress that attacks your skin with harmful free radicals. This damages the molecular structure of your skin and decreases the production of collagen, making your skin age faster. You would not want to look older than you actually are, do you?
Discolouration of skin
Another reason why you should remove your makeup before bed is due to the discolouration of your skin. Have you ever seen women who wear too much makeup without their makeup? Their skin is patchy because the long-term effects of too much makeup lead to skin discolouration. Discolouration is most apparent on the lips and around the eyes, both of which can add years to your face and make you look much older than you really are.
Leads to dry skin
As mentioned earlier, makeup blocks your pores and slows down the production of sebum. Not only that, the blockage of the pores can also lead to dry skin, which further worsens the way you look.
With dry skin, it also slows down the repair process, which causes the construction of wrinkles and an even more tired looking skin. This is another reason why you should remove your makeup before you head to bed.
Even more skin irritation
Leaving your makeup on overnight not only can cause eye irritation, but the skin as well. In some research done by dermatologist, the more sensitive your skin is, the more likely you are to suffer from red patches of irritated skin. This can happen even though you are using makeup made especially for sensitive skin.
Well, when you sleep without removing makeup the chemicals in the makeup, the dirt from the environment sticks to it and other chemicals get locked in, increasing a number of irritants that are present on your skin. This leads to an allergic reaction which causes reddened and irritated skin. Apart from this, the skin also becomes extremely dry which worsens the irritation and may cause it to spread.
Cleanse your skin
Another great reason why you should remove your makeup before going to bed is that you will always need to cleanse your skin every night. We are constantly surrounded by toxic chemicals and pollutants, and it is especially bad when you step out of your house.
Your daily makeup not only protect your skin from harmful chemicals but at the same time, it catches a lot of dust and pollutants from the surrounding our environment and the free radicals that are not beneficial for our skin health. Washing your face and cleansing it assures the removal of all the dust and pollutants.
Larger dirtier pores
Finally, the last reason why you should remove your makeup before going to bed is due to larger dirtier pores. When you leave makeup on, it causes your pores to get clogged with dirt and leftover makeup. These pores become larger as the skin loses its firmness since it is dry, and it is unable to produce collagen and repair itself. Over time these clogged pores become larger and more visible.
All that Glitter
So after partying the night away or even if you just came home from work, always remove them makeup. Make it into a habit that you should cultivate every time you head home. Spend a couple of minutes wiping off those makeup with a makeup removing towelette, while you wind down and take a shower or that hot bath that you deserve!
Rinse that gorgeous face of yours with facial soap in the shower before you head to bed and then get some sweet dreams. Do not forget to apply a moisturiser to help lock in hydration and keep your skin happy!
About the Author
Nikki Y lives in Perth with her fur child, Hamlet. Nikki enjoys writing and reading, and loves a great G&T.
