The summer season releases more sweat than regular days and it makes the pollution, dirt, and smoke stick to our skin as we step out. Therefore, this season makes our skin more susceptible to allergies, acne, breakouts, and black spots. All this can be prevented by cleansing the skin properly. Another challenge is the hot water coming through the taps during the summer season. Washing your face with it becomes the only simple method to cleanse all the dirt, dust, and pollution after coming home. But this can cause long-term damage to your skin. Face cleansing is such a crucial piece of skin care that doing it right can either make everything right or turn everything upside down.
Dr Vidushi Jain, dermatologist, medical head at Dermalinks, Ghaziabad, spoke to Health Shots about the risks involved with longtime exposure to hot water during summer season.
Dr Jain says, “Whether to wash your face with hot or cold water has been a fascinating subject that has to be addressed. Water temperature can be a major determinant in keeping your skin healthy and supple. We must understand how the temperature of water used on the face might influence the skin, just as we must evaluate the ingredients of a cleanser before choosing it or the ingredients of food before eating it.”
Here are 4 side effects of washing your face with hot water:
1. Clears essential sebum
After a long and tiring day, steaming hot water might be quite soothing and relaxing, but it can also strip away the natural sebum or oil. By stripping the skin of its natural sebum or oil, this may signal the skin to increase the oil secretion. This may cause acne and breakouts due to disruption of the skin’s natural barrier.
2. Causes permanent scarring
Your skin loves cold to room temperature water. If you rush in from the external hot environment and wash your face using hot water, it may cause tiny black spots and worsen scarring. Sharing her personal brush with acne, Dr Jain says, “For years, I had acne on my face when winter arrived since I used hot water on my face as well. I couldn’t figure out why, and then I discovered this simple concept, which was a game changer for me. I stopped washing my hair and face with hot water and it reversed the health of my skin.”
3. Disturbs skin barrier
Similarly, washing your face with the hot water from the tap, may be detrimental for your skin’s barrier. The outermost layer of the skin protects you from pollution, UV damage and irritation while sealing the moisture in. Hot water causes your skin’s barrier to go haywire and affects the purpose it serves. This can result in increased UV damage, enhanced pigmentation, freckles, and even photosensitive rashes.
4. Worsen pigmentation
Hot water splashes on your face may activate the melanocyte cells in the skin. Melanocytes are what offers a colour to our skin. When these cells get activated, they may result in dark patches, spots and pigmentation on your face. This will cause your skin to darken and enhance pigmentation.
To prevent hot water from harming your skin, always store water in a bucket on room temperature. If too necessary, mix some ice cubes in a jug of water to bring down it’s temperature before splashing it on your skin.
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