You spend a fair amount of time each day to care for your skin, apply sunscreen diligently, stay away from alcohol and nicotine and apply a range of skin care products and cosmetics. However, despite your best intentions, there may be things you are doing wrong. These errors could lead to premature aging of the skin.

Here are 4 things that may be doing more harm than good to your skin:

Over Exfoliation

Exfoliation is a key process in a skin care routine that removes dead skin cells from the skin surface to reveal fresh healthy cells underneath. Women with dry skin tend to over-exfoliate in a bid to scrape off the flakes and dead skin cells. However, over-exfoliating your skin does just the opposite; the skin becomes drier and it’s ability to retain water is impaired which results in lifeless and dull-looking skin. If you exfoliate too much, you can damage the healthy new skin cells beneath the top layer and permanently damage your skin.

Using the Same Moisturizer Throughout the Year

It’s very important to keep your skin moisturized at all times. However, since our skin texture is not the same year round, using the same moisturizer all year could leave you with little benefit. The skin is generally oilier in the summer months and becomes drier in winter. This change is primarily because of the variation of humidity levels in the air. Therefore, you need to use different moisturizers for different times and seasons throughout the year. Use a lightweight oil-free moisturizer like Kinerase Clear Skin Moisture Light in the hot summer months and switch to a heavier, creamy moisturizer like Kinerase Ultimate Night Moisturizer in the winter.

Using a Harsh Cleanser

One of the most common misconceptions women have is that cleansers are only effective if they leave the skin feeling tight and tingly. What they fail to realize is that the tight and tingly feeling, caused mainly by foaming cleansers and bar soaps, is the natural lipids of the skin being stripped off. As a result, one’s complexion looks parched and becomes more prone to the development of premature wrinkles. Use a mild cleanser that removes the dirt and impurities from within the skin pores without leaving your skin dry. Skin Care Heaven Purifying Gentle Cleanser is rich with antioxidants, Green Tea and Caffeine. This purifying cleanser not only cleans the skin but also fights free radical damage at the same time.

Not Using Retinoids

Retinoids are powerful anti aging ingredients that serve to diminish the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines. Since there are no natural alternatives to retinoids like Differin and Atralin, its best to embrace these chemical formulations and gain the anti aging benefits they provide.

Author's Bio: 

Naomi Andrews is a professional esthetician and has extensive experience of professional skin treatments like laser therapy, chemical peels and facials. Through her articles, she aims to educate women about effective skin care and inform them about anti-aging cosmetics and discount skin care products that they can buy.