Are Face Masks Important For Your Skin?
June 10, 2021 | Farah Jassawalla

Are Face Masks Important For Your Skin?

What is a Face Mask?

A face mask is a beneficial addition to your skin regime. They have many benefits and lead to healthier skin. Along with that, certain face masks target specific skin concerns. Generally, face masks remove excess oils from your skin and deeply hydrate it.

How Do Face Masks Work?

The ingredients from a face mask are kept longer in contact with your skin because of the occlusion phenomenon of the mask on your skin.

The mask traps the moisture within the skin and helps prevent dryness. It creates a layer or film that helps with different things depending upon the ingredients and the purpose you are using them for. It can hydrate and moisturize the skin. Besides that, it can also either dry or exfoliate the skin. The reason for their relative effectiveness is that face masks allow ingredients to penetrate better into your skin in a short amount of time.

For example, if your face mask contains salicylic acid, it will help with breakouts and acne. Similarly, retinoids are used to lighten dark spots. If the main ingredient is Vitamin C, it is used to smooth out fine lines.

General Benefits of Face Masks

Minimizing the Appearance of Fine Lines

Although face masks are not a magic solution for deep fine lines, they can work splendidly when it comes to minimizing the appearance of fine lines. Vitamin C and Vitamin E are particularly responsible for this. Vitamin C helps with smoothing out fine lines. Whereas Vitamin E protects the skin from things that cause fine lines. These things include pollution in the environment and sun damage.

Reducing Dark Spots and Pigmentation

If you are suffering from dark spots that are refusing to go away, face masks might be of help. Certain ingredients in the face mask such as Vitamin C, Kojic acid, and Azelaic acid help with brightening dark skin. As for pigmentation, these ingredients help brighten it as well. Along with that, alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) and lactic acid help remove the dead layer of skin from the top to reveal brighter skin from underneath.

Hydrating Dry Skin

Face masks can hydrate your skin deeply. For this purpose, face masks contain hyaluronic acid which retains moisture in the skin. As a result, you can have smooth and soft skin.

Fighting Oily Skin

Face masks which contain salicylic acid, glycolic acid, sulfur, or charcoal, are optimal for dealing with oily skin. These ingredients remove excess oil and keep your pores unclogged.

Types of Face Masks

Clay masks:

These are perfect for revitalizing your skin. They are rich in minerals and absorb excess oil. However, they can be a bit on the drying side.

Mud masks:

Mud masks are great for deep cleansing and hydrating your skin.

Charcoal masks:

These masks are said to remove toxins from your skin as activated charcoal is used as the prime ingredient.

Cream or gel masks:

These masks are like thick creams which provide added hydration and vitamins which are essential for the skin.

Exfoliants:

These masks are chemical substances that are layered over the skin for the purpose of deep exfoliation.

When to Use a Face Mask

Face masks are known to work best at night time, especially cream, gel, or sheet ones. If your skin reacts in any way to your newly purchased mask, you should immediately stop using it. You can consult a dermatologist with Shifa4U if you face further skin irritation.

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Farah Jassawalla

Farah Jassawalla is a graduate of the Lahore School of Economics. She is also a writer, and healthcare enthusiast, having closely observed case studies while working with Lahore's thriving general physicians at their clinics.