3 weeks ago
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Many people have a beauty routine that we tend to follow in the morning or before we go to bed but it turns out it may be doing more harm than good.
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Skin can get dry during the colder months (Image: Getty)
Beauty experts at Glow Hub have shared a warning that a common skincare habit could cause long-term skin damage and infections.
For avid skincare users or even just someone who swears by their nightly moisturiser, then Brits have probably used this common application method to spread their favourite products.
But it could be unknowingly also spreading bacteria to the skin.
Data from health experts has found that the average human hand has between 10,000 and 10 million bacteria, including some that can cause nasty infections.
Some of these germs can even survive on the skin for over three hours, meaning your seemingly clean hands could cause some skin concerns.
Our skin can become damaged or red (Image: Getty)
Especially when the vast majority of people are using them to apply its products.
While these bacteria may be invisible to the naked eye, they could be living in your skincare. As many people use their fingers to scoop up their skincare, the bacteria and fungus on the hands (especially those living underneath your fingernails) are transferred into your product.
In some circumstances, this can lead to skin infections that can cause permanent scarring and redness to the skin.
How much bacteria is in someone's skincare?
Tiffany Salmon, founder of GlowHub and skincare expert said: “While skincare can bring some amazing benefits to your general skin health, if not treated right it can cause long-term damage to your skin.
"It is natural for us as humans to use our hands to help us apply products to our skin. But, unfortunately, many are prone to not washing their hands before we start handling our products, which opens our products up to harmful bacteria.
Applying makeup or creams to our skin can cause damage (Image: Getty)
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"This risk is especially prevalent in any container that doesn’t come with an inbuilt applicator such as a pump or narrow silicone top. Containers without these applicators often rely on an eternal object physically scooping out the product before it can be applied.
"When used with clean, freshly washed hands the spreading of bacteria to the skin is limited. However, if the user's hands have not been washed effectively, they run the risk of introducing bacteria into the product."
Silicone spatulas have gained popularity in skincare for their ability to be thoroughly sterilised before use.
Thereby limiting outside contaminants in the product. However, many consumers are still opting to their fingers to gather the beauty product.
While the majority of these bacteria are harmless, some can be dangerous. If this small percentage of harmful bacteria comes into contact with damaged or thin skin (which is commonly found on the face) they can cause infections.
Left untreated, these infections can lead to long-term damage and scarring on the skin.
She added: "To limit this risk and keep your products in tip-top condition, it is recommended to wash your hands thoroughly before applying skincare. Alternatively, choose products where a silicone applicator can be used to apply the product as these can be cleaned and sterilised."
English (US) ·