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When you add a new skincare product into your routine, odds are you want it to actually improve your complexion–not make things worse. From serums and moisturizers, to face washes and scrubs there are a variety of products on the market which can claim to offer a number of benefits to your skin, reducing breakouts, fading fine lines and wrinkles, and hydrating chronically parched areas.
However, despite the large claims, there are many skincare products which actually do very little to improve your appearance, and may instead aggravate your complexion further, making your concerns worse over time or causing new issues to crop up. Above all, there’s one popular skincare item which may be in your medicine cabinet at this moment which could be causing irritation and even the development of acne. According to dermatologists, if you’ve been using facial scrubs with microbeads, it may be time to toss them in the trash.
Facial scrubs can have a valuable place in your skincare lineup for removing any dead skin and revealing a smoother and healthier complexion. But while they may be of use occasionally, it’s first and foremost essential to check the ingredients list to ensure that what you’re applying to your skin won’t make things worse. “Those scrubs [with microbeads] create small tears in the skin, slow down healing, worsen hyperpigmentation, and will likely worsen acne,” warns dermatologist Dr. Charles. If you already struggle with acne, rubbing microbeads onto the skin may agitate the open wounds, provoking the problem to become even worse.
While microbeads may be a fun addition to your skincare routine and can feel like they’re creating a vast improvement in your complexion, it’s more than likely that they’re actually agitating the skin’s barrier, making any existing issues even worse. “One of the main functions of your skin is to create a barrier between you and the outside world. When we use products with microbeads aimed at mechanically exfoliating, we disrupt that skin barrier,” explains Dr. Charles.
“A broken skin barrier leaves skin more prone to infection (from bugs getting in) and hyperpigmentation (from irritants getting in). It’s a popular myth that you need to scrub or exfoliate your own skin. The body will do this on its own,” he notes. Instead, alpha and beta hydroxy acids are perfectly useful for providing exfoliation to the skin without developing microtears.
Acne is often caused by clogged pores and oil collection in the skin, as well as a buildup of dead skin cells. Because of this it may seem that exfoliating will be a solution to the issue, but with the irritation it causes, it’s quite the opposite. Microbeads are also made of plastic which is much harsher on the skin’s surface than natural scrubs like brown sugar.
Additionally, not only are they bad on your skin, but they can have a dangerous effect on the environment as well. Elle reports, “microbeads function in the same way as a sponge, and absorb chemicals such as pesticides and flame retardants which are ingested by marine animals and so the harmful substances can work their way up the food chain.” Long story short? Natural exfoliants are much better on your skin and the planet.
