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

The weather is getting colder, and some people may feel like not wanting to wash their faces. However, is it really possible to wash your face less or not at all when the weather is cold?

Why don’t you want to wash your face when it’s cold?

When the weather gets cold, people's desire to move around is likely to decrease, which means they are more likely to become lazy. Washing your face is a cumbersome process. You have to put on clothes and shoes, go to the bathroom, turn on the faucet, scrub 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.

Of course, another reason why people are reluctant to wash their faces in cold weather is that washing your face may cause discomfort to your skin, especially when it comes into contact with cool basins, towels and water. Some people even think that the skin secretes less oil and sweats less in winter, so they don’t think it’s necessary to wash your face frequently.

Image source: pixabay

The actual situation may not be so. The skin is far from being as clean as it appears, 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, developed by the Skin Beauty Development Working Committee of the Dermatology Branch of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association, points out that dust, metal or non-metal oxides deposited on the skin surface in the form of particles can be removed by washing the face with water. However, some molecules in the skin's oil, pus or dirt are tightly bound to the skin by electrostatic attraction or intermolecular chemical bonding, and need to be removed by using facial 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.

What happens if you don't wash your face when it's cold?

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.

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This is not groundless, but scholars have done research. Take acne (scientific name is 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 cleaning 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.

How to wash your face properly?

I believe that everyone knows that washing your face is an important step to keep your skin healthy. Being lazy about washing your face will have its price. Even in cold weather, washing your face properly and moderately can help maintain the water and oil balance of your skin and reduce the adverse effects of the external environment on your skin.

Image source: pixabay

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.

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.

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.

Planning and production

Author: Tang Jiaoqing, attending physician of dermatology department

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

Planning丨Fu Sijia

Editor: Fu Sijia