Our skin is the largest organ in our body. It is fairly hardy and built to protect us against external elements as well as bacteria, viruses, fungi and other infectious organisms.
However, like all areas of our body it does need a bit of TLC to keep it looking and feeling its best. Regularly applying moisturiser is a tried and tested way to do so.
While this may seem like a simple part of your daily routine, the way in which you apply moisturiser can have an impact on how effective it is.
And, according to one expert, applying it incorrectly could even leave you with some unwanted skin problems.
Dermatology doctor, Dr Adel, shared her advice for the best skincare practice on social media platform TikTok.
This includes when the best time to apply moisturiser is and the best way to apply it.
Speaking to her 1.5 million followers she said: “I’m going to tell you the correct way to apply body moisturiser because you have probably been doing it wrong.”
Her tips include:
- Applying it to damp skin
- Applying it along the direction of hair growth
- Using a spoon or spatula to extract the moisturiser.
Damp skin
It might be tempting to apply moisturiser whenever your skin feels dry, but Dr Adel said it is actually worth waiting until you’ve stepped out of the shower or bath to do so.
This will help the skin absorb it “so much better”.
“Apply your moisturiser within five minutes of coming out of the shower to damp skin, not dry skin,” she said.
“This is a really important tip when it comes to applying any skincare product.
“If you apply it to damp skin the absorption is so much better.”
Application technique
Doing this incorrectly could even result in an unpleasant “bumpy” rash.
She continued: “The technique actually matters. So when you’re applying your moisturiser you want to apply it along the direction of hair growth.
“This is important because if you apply in the opposite direction you end up plugging your hair follicle, which can lead to a bumpy rash like this, which is called folliculitis which essentially is an infection of the hair follicle.”
Extracting the moisturiser
Many of us will be guilty of this one.
Dr Adel warned: “Do not dip your finger into the pot. This introduces bacteria from your skin into the whole pot, which you then spread across your whole body.
“You definitely don’t want to do that especially if you have eczema or acne because it can make it worse.
“So instead use a clean spoon or spatula to basically detangle the moisturiser out before applying it onto your skin.”
