What Happens To Your Skin When You Sleep With Your Makeup On

Written by , BA Hons Indrani Karmakar BA Hons Experience: 2.5 years
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The fact that we should not sleep with our makeup on is not news to us. Numerous articles, blogs, and videos stress on the importance of going to bed with clean and moisturized skin. However, if you are curious as to why you should never sleep with makeup on your face, we are here with the answers. In this article, we have stated some skin problems that may haunt you if you don’t maintain a good nighttime skincare routine. Read on to know more.

1. It May Clog Pores

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Pores can get clogged by the use of certain cosmetics, specially those containing silicones or acrylics. These substances penetrate the skin and entrap germs and sebum. Clogged pores can be caused by excess oil, perspiration, germs, and dead skin cells. Even if you use makeup just during the day, there is always a possibility that it will transfer to your skin at night.

2. It May Cause Breakouts

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Makeup that isn’t removed before night might prevent oxygen from reaching the skin. Makeup’s active ingredients are also having increased contact time with your skin. Makeup can clog pores and block oxygen from reaching the skin, both of which can contribute to acne.

3. It May Cause Skin Sagging

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Makeup made using synthetic dyes and other substances has been linked to harmful chemical reactions and accelerated skin aging. If we don’t give our skin a chance to reset every night, we risk having it become less effective as a barrier, which might even lead to changes in our gene expression. Makeup can also increase the skin’s receptivity to free radicals that we encounter throughout the day.

4. It May Lead To Skin Infections

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Many cosmetic products include harmful chemicals like formaldehyde and heavy metals. These toxins on the skin might cause inflammation and premature lash loss. A case study found that those who didn’t remove their mascara regularly experienced eye irritation and conjunctivitis.

5. Your Lip Skin May Dry Out

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Eating and drinking causes lipstick to fade fast during the day, thus it seldom stays on when worn during the day. Lipstick can soak up some of your lip moisture as you sleep. Lipstick can cause dry, chapped lips in the morning if you don’t remove it before going to bed.

6. Your Skin May Get Greasy

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Makeup that is worn to bed can transfer on to sheets, pillows, and even hair. Lipstick or lipgloss can transfer to your hair and make it oily and difficult to detangle by morning. Makeup left on overnight may clog pores and exacerbate oily skin, so cleansing your face thoroughly is a must.

7. Your Skin May Get Dull

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Having your makeup linger on the surface of your skin for an extended period may make your skin appear dull and lifeless. Makeup traps pollutants from the environment onto your skin, so it’s important to remove makeup at night to prevent premature aging and dullness.

How To Cleanse Your Skin Properly?

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Cleansing your skin is a delicate procedure, so you need to make sure it doesn’t strip your face of moisture or irritate your skin. To keep your face from drying out you can use a cleansing oil. Lightly massage the oil into your skin all over your face after swiping it across your eyelids, brows, and lips with your fingertips. Then put some cleaning oil on a flat, square gauze pad. Repeat the process on the same areas, taking care to avoid scrubbing in a back-and-forth motion. To bring out the makeup, you should just scrape the surface in one direction.

How To Use Steam To Your Advantage?

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In addition to washing, you may also steam your face. Hover your face for some time over a basin or sink full of hot water. The cleaner will be able to get under the skin more deeply to remove dirt and makeup since the steam will have opened up the pores. It may take a little longer to steam your pores, but this is a nice treat every once in a while. Add a few drops of lavender oil for spa-like tranquility.

What To Do If You Accidentally Dozed Off In Your Makeup?

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Makeup removers with fragrance-free ingredients and skin-soothing ingredients are ideal for removing eye makeup. Sooth your eyes with some eye drops. Choose a mild scrub or cleansing oil to effectively remove makeup, then proceed with your usual skincare regimen. Use an ultra-rich lip balm over the following 24 hours to aid in the healing process.

Removing makeup from your skin should be something you do by default, but many times we are too tired to do it. So make sure you get in the habit of cleansing your face thoroughly before bed. So how often do you sleep in your makeup? What sort of reaction did it have on your skin? Let us know in the comments section!

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Indrani Karmakar

Indrani KarmakarSenior Social Writer

Indrani is a writer and artist who likes to add a dash of humor to everything she does. She has two years of experience in writing articles across beauty, health, and lifestyle genres. After graduating in Political Science from Calcutta University, she took a detour into the world of creativity and discovered her knack for social writing, advertising, designing, and...read full bio

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