While ideally, you should maintain a consistent skincare routine, skipping a night of skincare, particularly cleansing, is generally not recommended. According to Dr. Zeichner, it's more important to avoid skipping your night wash than your morning face washing session.
The Importance of Night Cleansing
Your skin accumulates dirt, oil, makeup, pollutants, and other impurities throughout the day. Cleansing at night is essential to remove these elements, allowing your skin to repair and regenerate while you sleep.
The provided reference highlights the significance of this step:
- "It's important to cleanse your skin both morning and night."
- Dr. Zeichner emphasizes the importance of "never skipping a night wash more than skipping a morning face washing session."
This means that if you absolutely must skip a wash, the morning one is the less detrimental choice compared to the evening cleanse.
Best Practice for Skincare
The reference states that the ideal approach is to cleanse your skin twice daily:
- “Best practice is to wash your face twice daily,” explains Dr. Zeichner.
Washing in the morning removes any products used overnight, excess oil, and sweat, preparing your skin for daytime products and protection. Washing at night removes the accumulated grime from the day and prepares your skin for targeted treatment products like serums or night creams.
What Skipping a Night Might Mean
While occasionally skipping might not cause immediate drastic issues for everyone, making it a habit can lead to:
- Clogged pores
- Breakouts
- Dull skin
- Reduced effectiveness of other skincare products
In summary, based on the reference, while you technically can skip a night, it is strongly advised not to, especially the night wash, as it's considered less ideal than skipping a morning cleanse, with the best practice being to wash twice daily.
