Can I not wash my face when the weather is cold? The answer is unexpected

Several reasons why you don’t want to wash your face in winter:

When the weather gets cold, people’s desire to move around is likely to decrease, which means they are more likely to become lazy.

· The process of washing your face is cumbersome. You need to put on clothes and shoes, go to the bathroom, turn on the faucet, rub your face, hang the towel on the table, and go back to bed... Just thinking about this makes me not want to wash my face anymore.

In cold weather, contact with cool basins, towels and face wash water may cause discomfort to the skin.

Some people think that in winter, the skin secretes less oil and sweats less, so there is no need to wash the face frequently.

So, is it really possible to wash your face less or not at all when the weather is cold?

Our skin is far from being as clean as it looks, and there is a lot of dirt on the surface.

Part of it is physiological dirt , which is a metabolic product produced, secreted or excreted by the human body. In addition to sebum and sweat, there are also aging and shed cells, and excretions of mucous membranes.

The other part is pathological dirt , such as scales, pus, scabs, etc. caused by certain skin diseases (dermatitis, eczema, acne, etc.).

Finally, there are a variety of exogenous dirt that cannot be ignored, including microorganisms, environmental pollutants, and residues of various cosmetics and topical drugs.

These dirt will affect the pores and hinder the normal physiological functions of the skin and mucous membranes.

The Chinese Skin Cleansing Guidelines, formulated by the Skin Beauty Development Working Committee of the Dermatology Branch of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association, states:

Dust, metal or non-metal oxides that are deposited on the skin surface in the form of particles can be removed by washing your face with clean water .

However, some molecules in the skin's oil, pus or dirt are tightly bound to the skin by electrostatic attraction or intermolecular chemical binding forces, and can only be better removed with cleansing products .

From this we can see that although we don’t want to wash our face subjectively, we need to wash our face to keep our skin clean.

Not washing your face, or washing it infrequently, may not necessarily have obvious disadvantages, but it does carry real risks.

From a social perspective , not washing your face can easily make you appear greasy and unhygienic, which won’t give people a good impression.

From a health perspective , there are more risks. For example, the various dirt mentioned above will accumulate on the skin, which may clog the pores, make the pores appear larger, or cause other skin problems such as folliculitis. Especially for people with oily skin, if they don't clean it in time, they will be more prone to acne.

This is not groundless, but has been researched by scholars.

Take acne as an example. Scholars found that there is not much public evidence to confirm a common sense - washing your face twice a day, although it is generally believed that cleansing the skin can improve facial condition. To this end, they recruited a group of men with acne and designed a study.

First, the men used a mild cleanser to wash their faces twice a day for two weeks. After two weeks, they were randomly divided into three groups, washing their faces once, twice, or four times a day for six weeks. After six weeks, their acne was assessed.

The results showed that the closed comedones (blackheads) of men who washed their faces twice a day were significantly improved, while the acne condition of men who only washed their faces once a day worsened, as evidenced by a significant increase in redness, blackheads, and the total number of red pimples.

Based on this, they believe that both in terms of efficacy and convenience, it is more recommended to wash your face twice a day with a mild cleanser.

In addition, there is a risk of a higher risk of infectious diseases . Take the most common and variable upper respiratory tract viral infections as an example - the main route of viral transmission is through exhaled droplets of varying sizes, which can be inhaled by nearby contacts or deposited on people and surfaces. Contact with contaminated surfaces followed by hand-to-face transfer is a potential route of infection.

Research data also shows that we humans can touch our faces involuntarily more than 20 times per hour. This shows that if we can pay attention to the cleanliness of our face (including hands), the risk of infection will definitely be much smaller.

I believe that after reading this, everyone knows that washing your face is an important step in maintaining healthy skin. There will be a price to pay for being too lazy to wash your face.

Image source: Photo Network

Even in cold weather, washing your face correctly and moderately can help maintain the water and oil balance of the skin and reduce the adverse effects of the external environment on the skin.

Image source: Photo Network

So, how can we wash our face properly? The Chinese Skin Cleansing Guide provides a lot of guidance:

Frequency of washing your face: It is recommended to wash your face once in the morning and once in the evening. This suggestion is consistent with the above research conclusions.

Water temperature for washing face: It can vary with the season and there are no strict regulations, but it is not recommended to use water that is too cold or too hot.

Facial cleansing products: In daily situations, it is recommended to cleanse your face with water, which is usually enough. If your work and living environment is poor, or you use sunscreen, foundation, oil-based cosmetics, etc., you may need to use facial cleansing products.

Use of cleansing products: Take facial cleanser as an example. This is the most commonly used category. Use a volume the size of a soybean to a broad bean each time, which is equivalent to 1g to 2g. The key use area is the T-zone of the face. Apply it lightly in circles with your fingers, and then wipe it with a towel wet with clean water.

Image source: Photo Network

Here are a few more things to note:

One is to be gentle when washing your face and not to rub your face excessively to avoid damaging the skin.

Another thing is, try to avoid using alkaline products, such as soap, when cleansing your face, as long-term use can easily damage the skin's barrier function.

Finally, choose clean towels , replace them regularly, and use them by one person only. Wash them thoroughly after use and dry them promptly to prevent bacteria from growing on the towels.

Statement: This article is a medical-related educational popular science article. It does not involve specific treatment methods or medical behaviors and cannot replace hospital visits.

References

[1] Li Li, He Li, Zhu Xuejun. Chinese skin cleansing guidelines[J]. Chinese Journal of Dermatology, 2016, 49(8): 537-540.

[2] Kwok YL, Gralton J, McLaws ML. Face touching: a frequent habit that has implications for hand hygiene. Am J Infect Control. 2015; 43(2): 112-114.

[3] Choi JM, Lew VK, Kimball AB. A single-blinded, randomized, controlled clinical trial evaluating the effect of face washing on acne vulgaris. Pediatr Dermatol. 2006; 23(5): 421-427.

[4] Hastuti R, Mustifah EF, Ulya I, et al. The effect of face washing frequency on acne vulgaris patients[J]. Journal of General-Procedural Dermatology & Venereology Indonesia, 2019, 3(2): 7.

[5] Przekwas A, Chen Z. Washing hands and the face may reduce COVID-19 infection. Med Hypotheses. 2020; 144: 110261.

Content Production

Source: Science Popularization China

Author: Tang Jiaoqing, attending physician of dermatology department

Reviewer: Feng Jun, Deputy Chief Physician, Dermatology Department, General Hospital of Datong Coal Mine Group Co., Ltd.

Edit: 100% sweet

Map: Eastern Zhou Dynasty