AcneWhispererTV - Removing Eye Makeup the Right Way

If you think the task of removing eye makeup is a simple no-brainer, my experience with hundreds of adult acne clients over the years shows a different picture.  Why?  It’s just removal of makeup, what’s the big deal?

Removal of a stubborn coating of mascara involves quite a bit of rubbing.   Thing is, depending on the material used with makeup remover, it can also involve microscopic scratching.  This results in two really important problems.

According to the “Inflammation Theory of Aging”, any inflammation that happens in the skin creates a kind of sensitivity that makes the aging process edge just a little closer.  Even before that, this sensitivity, especially with the eye area being as thin as it is, can be unpleasant.  After a nasty bout with allergies I can end up with an eye rubbing session that makes my lower eye area feel like it's on fire.  To repair, this is the eye cream I use.  For info on eye creams and Adult Acne, learn more from a post I wrote some time ago.

In addition, the skin has this really nifty way of repairing microscopic tears that result from all the scratching.  It creates teeny little balls of wax, oil, lipid and dead skin cells to plug them up, adding more surface area so whatever’s been scratching your skin so much will scratch them instead (well, that’s the theory, anyway). 

These little pearls right at the surface of the skin, you know, the ones that can’t be squeezed out unless you’re willing to gouge them out, are called Milia (singular Milium, but nobody says that, we just use the same word for single and plural).

I see milia quite a bit in my practice.  I also see a lot of breakouts on the very upper cheeks right below the eye area. Pore clogging ingredients from moisturizing makeup removers get pushed into pores, while some cleansing cloths leave a pore clogging film.  When you keep in mind that pore clogging occurs little by little, molecule by molecule, you can use any one of these products for a long time without any issues, and then all of a sudden, BOOM.  Combine this with the microscopic scratching from a cloth being used too aggressively, and we’ve got a real mess on our hands.  But the real mess I see is when people remove leftover mascara with a towel after washing without fully removing mascara first!

So what’s the story?  You have to take your eye makeup off somehow.

A few tips :

• There is no need for a makeup remover to be moisturizing.  Let your skincare take care of that.  A remover that is oil-free, non-clogging, and thorough, always works well with cotton-rounds.

• You don’t have to rub hard or rub back and forth vigorously to do a good job!

• The only need for a remover that is oil-based or even silicone-based is if you’re wearing waterproof mascara and/or liner.   Be absolutely sure you really need waterproof.   Experiment first with water-resistant, washable mascaras.   Since oil removes waterproof, if you’re oily and have smudging problems, that might explain it.   On the other hand, I’ve had clients insist that the only mascara that never smudged on them was a waterproof one.  So, if you have to use waterproof, use a silicone-based remover, and not an oil-based one.

• There are cleansing cloths that don’t clog pores (very few!), but it’s too easy to use them instead of cleanser at night if you’re tired.  If you remove all of your makeup, please don’t neglect to wash your face anyways afterward.  These cloths all leave a film on your skin - it needs to be washed off!

RULE OF THUMB:

Watch the AcneWhispererTV video below for a step-by-step review of how best to remove your eye makeup!

            (please excuse the ads, just payment for naively having background music
            when I made the video... lol  just X it out)

Which makeup remover did I use?  Here’s the scoop!

This is by far the best makeup remover I’ve ever used, not only because it’s so thorough, but because of its consistency.  Being a thin gel, I’m able to put a quarter-size into my hand after removing my eye makeup with cotton-rounds, and use it like a cleanser to dissolve the makeup on the rest of my face.  Then I simply rinse, and continue right away with my regular cleanser.  Not a stitch of makeup left after I finish washing!

Your acne problem has a source, and clearing your skin requires finding that source and either eliminating it or healing it.  You can start that right now by filling out my Eval by Email® Online Skincare Consultation Form created specially for ages Gen-X to Baby Boom!

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