Use day cream during the day and night cream at night? Can I use whatever I want?

Reviewer: Yang Rongya, Chief Physician, Seventh Medical Center, PLA General Hospital

Who doesn’t want to have good skin? Nowadays, not only women pay attention to skin care issues, but more and more men are also joining the skin care team, wanting to make themselves look younger and more energetic.

But most people are inevitably overwhelmed by the wide variety of skin care products and cannot understand the differences in their effects for a while.

For example, in daily skin care, day cream and night cream are both creams, but because of their different functions, the effects of use are also different. As the name suggests, day cream is used during the day and night cream is used at night.

Some people may ask: "What is the difference between day cream and night cream? Can't I just buy one product once in the morning and once in the evening? What are the consequences of doing so?"

Below, we will answer these questions one by one.

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The difference between day cream and night cream

Although both day cream and night cream are cream products, there are still big differences between them. Day cream focuses on protection, while night cream focuses on repair. They cannot be used interchangeably. There are two differences between them.

1. Different ingredients

Day creams are mostly designed based on the physiological state of the skin during daytime activities. Some day creams containing sunscreen ingredients can help the skin resist the invasion of ultraviolet rays.

Night creams usually contain rich nutrients, moisturizing factors and repair factors. Some night creams also contain whitening ingredients that need to be kept away from light and need to be used at night.

2. Different effects

Day cream has certain light protection, anti-oxidation and moisturizing effects. It can also make the skin texture smoother and increase light reflectivity, making the skin look more hydrated and lustrous. At the same time, day cream can reduce the damage to the skin caused by wind, sun, haze, etc.

Night creams are generally rich in nutrients, and have good nourishing, moisturizing, repairing and whitening effects. They can also enhance the skin's ability to regenerate and absorb, allowing the skin to repair skin damage suffered during the day in a quiet environment and sleep at night.

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Can I use day cream and night cream at will?

Before answering, let’s look at the damage that the skin encounters during the day and at night.

1. Damage to the skin during the day

During the day, our body and mind are tense and busy, but our skin is "passively slacking off", not only the circulation and metabolism slows down, but also the nutrient supply is insufficient. Therefore, the skin is prone to oiliness and dullness, and even with makeup covering it up, it is easy to show tiredness.

At the same time, the skin has to endure external pollution, wind, sun, computer radiation and other stimuli, and the unsuitable temperature and humidity in the environment and the pressure at work will also make the skin "stressed". If you have the habit of wearing makeup, even the lightest foundation will put a burden on the skin. In addition, many people do not have time to take care of their skin in the morning.

2. Damage to the skin at night

At night, the skin needs to take a deep breath after being subjected to various environmental stimuli and mental stress during the day. Thorough cleansing is a good start to relax the skin, and then replenish the skin with sufficient and balanced water and oil, making the skin comfortable and free.

Compared with the daytime, the blood circulation and metabolism of the skin are accelerated at night. In addition, due to the sleep environment, it is easy to cause dry skin due to water loss. Some people feel that their skin is oily or tight when they wake up in the morning. This is the reason. If you want your skin to be comfortable when you wake up the next day, you must apply more moisturizing (oil-containing) products during night maintenance. Simply replenishing water is not enough.

It should be noted that relaxing the skin does not mean doing nothing. Night is the time when skin cells grow most vigorously, and they also undergo a series of self-renewal and repair, which is much more efficient than during the day. If you can seize this opportunity to supplement the skin with corresponding nutrients and promote its repair and regeneration, the effect of "beauty sleep" will definitely double.

Therefore, we need to treat the skin differently according to the different conditions during the day and at night. During the day, we need to cover the skin with a layer of protective film, while at night we need to further nourish the skin and let the skin "breathe" as much as possible.

Day cream and night cream solve these two problems respectively, so it is best not to mix day cream and night cream, so as not to fail to protect the skin and bring unnecessary burden to the skin.

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What happens if I mix day cream and night cream together?

The skin's absorption capacity during the day is not as good as that at night. Therefore, if you apply a thick, nourishing night cream during the day, it may clog your pores, make your skin worse, and easily cause makeup to not adhere to your skin.

In addition, night creams generally have no sun protection effect, and most products contain some light-shielding ingredients. When exposed to sunlight, these whitening substances may deteriorate and affect the skin condition.

The biggest function of day cream is sun protection, which contains a lot of oily substances. Applying day cream at night is like putting a layer of armor on your face, which does not allow the skin to have a breathing space and does not provide protection. Instead, it will cause acne on the skin and make it worse.

In short, we need to protect our skin during the day so that it can resist ultraviolet rays. Sunscreen day cream is a good choice. At night, we need to let our skin rest. Try to remove makeup or sunscreen products on your face before 22:00. Apply night cream after cleaning to allow the skin to absorb nutrients and develop good skin.