Can You Moisturize Your Face Too Much?
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As Derek Zoolander so eloquently said, “Moisture is the essence of wetness and wetness is the essence of beauty.” Early-aughts pop culture references aside, there truly is no concept more highly regarded in the beauty world than moisture. Cue images of celebs with glistening skin promoting their product lines, aisles upon aisles of hydrating serums, toners, and masks at Sephora, and even social media’s current obsession with Moo Deng the hippo’s dewy glow.
Moisture, moisture, and more moisture is the name of the game. But can too much of a good thing actually backfire? To find out, we asked a couple of dermatologists how much moisturizer is too much moisturizer—and how to find your hydration happy medium.
Why is moisturizing your face so important?
Everyone, no matter their skin type, should be using a moisturizer, Morgan Rabach, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in New York City and clinical assistant professor of dermatology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital, tells SELF. Hydration is key if you want to keep your skin barrier healthy and ward off dryness and irritation. And, particularly if you’re on the oily side, keeping your face well-moisturized ensures it doesn’t paradoxically start producing more sebum (the skin’s natural oils), Dr. Rabach notes. (This becomes even more important during the fall and winter, when cooler temps coupled with lower humidity levels coupled with dehydrating indoor heat can seriously dry out your face.)
“Moisturizing is not the devil, but it’s a matter of balance and moderation,” Shereene Idriss, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in New York City, tells SELF. You need to understand both your skin type and the climate you live in to tailor a moisturizing protocol to your specific face, Dr. Idriss says. With everyone talking about “glass skin” and the importance of hydration, it seems like more moisture is the sole secret to a glowy complexion, but that’s not the case, she points out.
What can happen if you moisturize too much?
“You can definitely go overboard with moisturizing,” Dr. Rabach says. “It’s a thing, for sure, and one that’s not talked about enough.” Issues arise when your skin’s natural hydration levels are out of whack, she explains—whether your face is too dry or overly moisturized. A healthy skin barrier (or stratum corneum) is balanced with natural moisturizing factors (NMF) and ceramides that act like ‘glue’ to hold skin cells together, Dr. Idriss says. Too much moisture throws off this delicate balancing act and can cause a microscopic breakdown of your barrier. As a result, external irritants can more easily penetrate and trigger inflammation and irritation, she explains.
Another potential pitfall? Fungal and/or yeast overgrowth. Both of these microorganisms love moisture, so over-moisturizing creates the perfect breeding ground for them, Dr. Idriss notes. Finally, using too many hydrating products (or ones that contain the wrong ingredients for your skin type—more on that to come) can also clog pores and cause breakouts, Dr. Rabach says.
Signs that you’re going too hard on moisturizing products
Both experts we spoke with agree that irritation is a big one, manifesting as redness in lighter skin and darker brown or purplish discoloration in deeper complexions. (Though they note that lots of other factors, including harsh skin care ingredients like retinol, can irritate your face). Dr. Rabach also says that eczema sufferers may notice more flares if they’ve over-moisturized; too much moisturizer can end up trapping sweat and triggering irritation, she says. Other symptoms include those aforementioned acne breakouts, as well as milia, which are particularly common around the eye area, she says. A generally shiny appearance and feeling like you always need to blot your skin are other tell-tale red flags, she adds.
As far as a fungal or yeast overgrowth situation goes, those signs are far less subtle on your face than what you’d see if you were dealing with a fungus on, say, your feet, Dr. Idriss notes. Fungal acne (which manifests as uniform, inflamed bumps) is one, as is persistent blotchy redness, itchiness, and flaking around your nose and eyebrows, she adds.
What to do if you over-moisturized
If you’re experiencing any of the issues above and suspect that you’ve been hitting that jar of moisturizer a little too hard, Dr. Idriss says the best move is to give your skin a total reset: “You really need to pull the plug on the majority of the products you’re using and go cold turkey. That means eliminating everything except for one very simple, very plain moisturizer and sunscreen. And that’s it.” Do this for a few days to a week to give your skin time to rebalance and return to its natural state, she recommends. Then, you can properly evaluate what it needs.
How to moisturize correctly
“Over-moisturizing can be caused by the frequency with which you’re moisturizing, the amount of moisturizer you’re using, and the actual formula of the product(s),” Dr. Rabach says. You’ll want to consider all of those factors while, even more importantly, taking your particular skin type into account. Though there is lots of individual nuance, here are a few general rules to keep in mind for three of the most common types.
If you have dry skin: Go ahead and use a few different hydrating products, particularly if you live in a cold, dry climate, Dr. Idriss says. Incorporating moisture into various steps of your routine (think via toner, serum, and moisturizer) is a good way to combat dryness. But if you’re experiencing any of those previously mentioned symptoms of overdoing it, consider eliminating one of your products or cutting back on the frequency (to, say, a few times a week).
The amount also matters: How much moisturizer you need depends largely on the spreadability of the formula, but a dollop the size of a pencil eraser is a good place to start, according to Dr. Idriss. (Then add more as needed; if your skin still feels tight or looks dry, you should probably use more.) As far as ingredients go, Dr. Rabach recommends skin barrier-strengthening ceramides and, if you’re not acne-prone, occlusive ingredients like lanolin. Occlusives work by creating a seal on top of the skin to lock in moisture, and Dr. Rabach adds that they’re especially good for areas of your face that tend to get super dry, like around your eyes and mouth.
If you have oily skin: You don’t need five different hydrating products, Dr. Idriss says. Dr. Rabach agrees, adding that using a water-based gel moisturizer once per day is a good move; up it to twice per day if your skin feels dry. She recommends looking for formulas with humectant ingredients such as hyaluronic acid and glycerin, which attract water to (and trap it in) the skin but aren’t as heavy (and potentially pore-clogging) as oils and butters.
If you have combination skin: With some innately dry areas and others that skew oily, it can be challenging to find Goldilocks-style moisturizer success. Both doctors we spoke with advise adopting a spot-treatment approach: using lighter products on oily areas like your T-zone and thicker, richer ones on drier areas, like your cheeks. The ingredients we mentioned above for oily and dry skin, respectively, are good ones to seek out in this scenario.
Some other universal guidelines to keep in mind: Again, consider the climate and season. Even people with oily skin may need to up the moisturizers in the winter, and drier types can probably lighten up in the summer. It also helps to adopt a gradual approach: “Start slowly when it comes to hydrating products so that you can gauge just how ‘thirsty’ your skin really is,” Dr. Idriss advises. It’s better to err on the side of less and add more when/if it’s needed (i.e. anytime your skin looks dry or feels tight or uncomfortable), rather than drenching your face from the outset and ending up with too much, she adds.
There’s really no one-size-fits-all moisturizing protocol (sorry), hence why loading up on face cream alone isn’t the answer to all of your complexion concerns. “It’s so not sexy, but moisturizing properly really is all about balance and consistency,” Dr. Idriss says. And while the advice may be dull, your skin will be anything but.
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Originally Appeared on SELF
