Maintaining a healthy skincare regimen isn’t important just because it makes our skin look better, although that certainly doesn’t hurt. It’s also crucial to keeping our skin healthy and preventing serious health problems like skin cancer.
There are hundreds of skincare products out there and certainly not all of them are essential to our skin health — it’s totally fine to keep your routine to the basics. But nearly 30% of women who were surveyed by The List are skipping a crucial step most of the time.
Out of the 574 women in the U.S. who were surveyed about their skincare practices, the most common step being skipped is face masks, with 29.7% (171 women) opting not to use sheet masks most of the time. But just behind face masks was sunscreen, which is concerning due to the risks of sun exposure. A total 165 respondents (28.75%) self-reported that they consistently skip putting on sunscreen.
Sunscreen is an incredibly important skincare product
According to The Active Times, dermatologists agree that sunscreen should be worn every day, even if it’s cloudy outside. The outlet reported that not wearing sunscreen is the primary cause of premature aging, and it also results in issues including skin damage, DNA damage to the skin cells, wrinkles, spider veins, and weakening of the immune system.
Of course you’ll want to apply sunscreen to all exposed areas of your skin if you’re going to the beach or just spending the day outside. But if you spend your typical day mostly indoors and have minimal sun exposure, dermatologists recommend wearing a high-quality SPF moisturizer. Mary Stevenson, a dermatologic surgeon at NYU Langone, told The Cut that most people don’t put on enough SPF moisturizer. “You want to put it on your face, jaw, neck, hands, anything that’s exposed,” she said. It’s also worth noting that most dermatologists, including Stevenson, recommend wearing an SPF moisturizer and sunscreen everyday.
Going back to sheet masks, you’re not doing any direct damage to your skin by skipping this step — but the right ones can have major benefits. According to Allure, doing a daily sheet mask hydrates your skin and is like “using a super-powered moisturizer every day,” as dermatologist Ava Shamban told the outlet. As for the other skincare steps being skipped, 24.5% of women answered toner, followed by moisturizer at just over 9%, and cleanser at nearly 5%.
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