Shereene IdrissBoard Certified Derm, Founder and Chief Nerd

1 Year without washing your face?! #shorts

9 Feb 2024 · 1 min

Watch on YouTube

0:58

YouTube short by board-certified dermatologist Shereene Idriss giving brief skincare advice: recommends using a cleanser once nightly—especially for city dwellers—to remove daily environmental buildup, says rinsing with water in the morning is generally fine and won’t over-strip skin, warns that over-cleansing can worsen oiliness/acne, and strongly advises against dry brushing because it can increase inflammation, spread bacteria or viruses (e.g., herpes), and contaminate brushes. The clip closes by inviting viewer questions.

Chapters

It's been one year since I washed my face and it's healed my skin. When I told you nerds to stop washing your face, I didn't mean that. Now listen, I'm a board certified dermatologist. I'm somebody who strongly advocates for washing your face with a cleanser once a day versus overdoing it twice a day. Because in fact you can over strip your skin. You can become oilier and your acne can get worse. But chances are, if you're living in a city, and let's say you're not even somebody who wears makeup, or not even somebody who wears sunscreen for that matter, you're just somebody living in a city, you should wash your face with a cleanser at night, especially because it's just not hygienic to go to sleep after your face has been exposed to the air and the life that we live in. But washing it in the morning alone with water is still not going to over strip your skin because it's just water you're putting on your face and your face is still going to allow itself to heal and it's still not going to get over stripped. And with regards to dry brushing, you're just going to be worsening the inflammation or spreading bacteria or a virus like herpes if you have active acne or an infection on your face. Plus your brush will get contaminated. So don't do it. Let me know if you have any questions below.