Most people have a skincare routine that they stick to out of habit. But what if their skincare habits are wrong? For instance, how do you dry your freshly-cleansed face? Is it by using the same towel to dry both body and face? Well, it’s something probably everyone has done at some point, if it’s not something they do every day. But according to Dr Amitabh Kumar, skin specialist, Max Hospital, Delhi, your face towel matters more than you think.
He says you should use a separate towel for your face than the one you use to dry your body after a bath. “Your facial skin is delicate and sensitive, and none of the products you put on your body, such as, moisturisers, fragrances, and hair products should be transferred onto your face,” says Dr Kumar.While many may assume having facial hair is considered low maintenance (less shaving leads to less stress, no?), growing a beard actually comes with its own set of special skin-care concerns. Take, for instance, dry skin, irritation, and acne.”One of the most common issues I see as a dermatologist is acne, which, in the beard area, is called pseudofolliculitis barbae,” Shari Marchbein, a board-certified dermatologist in New York City, tells Allure. “This occurs when hairs that are shaved or plucked get trapped under the skin, causing a cascade of inflammation,” Marchbein explains. These ingrown hairs can show up as little red bumps, pustules, or painful cysts.These bumps aren’t technically the same as the pustules caused by clogged pores that pop up in hair-free areas of your skin, since they’re caused by different things. “If skin is shaved, waxed, plucked, or threaded, it can irritate the skin as the sharp hair grows through the skin,” Jennifer MacGregor, a board-certified dermatologist in New York City, tells Allure. This causes the itchy, red razor bumps, which, if they become infected, can become pustular and look more like acne.Dandruff and dry skin are also common issues caused by facial hair. This is because it is sometimes “more difficult to thoroughly cleanse, as well as moisturize, under facial hair,” Marchbein says. That said, we tapped the experts to find out how to take care of the skin under (and around) your facial hair.If you’re prone to acne and pimples, you might want to get a fresh face towel even more frequently. (Shutterstock)But he is not the only one advising against this practice. “The bacteria left on your skin — arms, legs, shoulders — have some specificity to those areas of the body, and if you use a towel on your body and then your face, you can transfer those bacteria, viruses and fungi onto your face,
