You may be washing your face wrong! Find out what are the 5 mistakes that are triggering acne. During the summer season, many people unexpectedly notice breakouts, and it is not entirely out of the blue. Summer can be tough on the skin, with record-breaking temperatures, sweat, sticky humidity, pollution and, of course, layers of sunscreen making the face feel greasy and clogged.During summer season, many experience unexpected breakouts. (Picture credit: Shutterstock)ALSO READ: Face looking dull or tired? Bengaluru dermatologist shares tips to keep skin radiant: ‘Eat low-salt diet like…’Because of this, after returning from a gruelling day outdoors, many people end up washing their face repeatedly to clean away the grime, sweat and oil. But how much is too much? Can you go overboard with the cleansing step of your skincare routine?The very intention of cleansing is to keep the face clean, fresh and healthy. However, when done too often or too aggressively, it can become counterproductive, sometimes triggering the very breakouts you are trying to avoid.In a conversation with HT Lifestyle, cosmetic dermatologist, dermatosurgeon, Dr Smita A Nagpal, founder of Anya Skin Clinic, in Ahmedabad informed us about the risks of overcleaning and how they may be contributing to the summer breakouts.“For most people, intense summers often lead to an over-cleansing trap that disrupts the protective film in our skin. When this delicate balance is thrown off, your skin becomes a breeding ground for bacteria and excess sebum causing acne and breakouts,” Dr Nagpal said, suggesting that washing face too much can trigger acne.The dermatologist shared with us 5 mistakes you are making as you clean your face during summer1. Over-cleansing strips natural oilWashing more than twice a day can strip away essential lipids, leading the skin t to produce even more oil.Stick to using facewash twice a day.If midday refresh is needed, use a simple water mist or oil-blotting papers instead of a full cleanse.2. Using harsh, alkaline soapsMany ‘deep-clean’ summer face washes are highly alkaline.While they provide that 'squeaky clean' feeling, they destroy the acid mantle. The skin is naturally slightly acidic.Maintaining a pH of 5.5 keeps the skin barrier tight, locking in moisture and keeping acne-causing bacteria at bay.Switch to a pH-balanced, soap-free cleanser specifically labelled as ‘pH 5.5.’3. Avoid hot water:Hot water feels like it might ‘melt’ the oil away, but it dilates blood vessels and can inflame existing acne.Heat can cause extreme dryness, leading to micro-tears in the skin barrier. Always use lukewarm or cool water.Cool water helps soothe the inflammation caused by summer heat and reduces redness.Avoid overcleaning your face. (Picture credit: Freepik)4. Aggressive physical scrubbing:Summer breakouts often feel ‘clogged,’ leading people to reach for grainy scrubs.In reality, friction triggers more inflammation.Scrubbing active breakouts can spread bacteria to other parts of your face, leading to a ‘breakout chain reaction.’Use a chemical exfoliant (like salicylic acid) once or twice a week or simply let your pH-balanced cleanser do the work with gentle, circular motions.5. Forgetting to moisturise post-cleanse:Common myth is that oily summer skin doesn't need moisturiser. In reality, this is the way skin gets damaged.Cleansing, even with a gentle wash, temporarily shifts your skin's environment.Without a moisturiser to seal the barrier, your pH remains unstable for longer.Use a lightweight, gel-based moisturiser. This helps reset your skin to that ‘magic’ 5.5 level immediately after washing.Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.Adrija Dey’s proclivity for observation fuels her storytelling instinct. As a lifestyle journalist, she crafts compelling, relatable narratives across diverse touchpoints of the human experience, including wellness, mental health, relationships, interior design, home decor, food, travel, and fashion that gently nudge readers toward living a little better. For her, stories exist in flesh and bones, carried by human vessels and shaped through everyday endeavours. It is the small stories we live and share that make us human. After all, humans and their lores are the most natural and raw repositories of stories, and uncovering them, for her, is akin to peeling an orange under a winter afternoon sun. Always up for a chat, she believes the best stories come from unfiltered yapping, where "too much information" is kind of the point. A graduate of Indraprastha College for Women, University of Delhi, and an alumna of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), Delhi, Adrija spends her idle hours cocooned with herbal tea and a gripping thriller, scribbling inner monologues she loosely calls poetic pieces, often with her succulents in attendance. On lazier days, she can be found binge-watching, for the nth time, one from her comfort-show holy trinity: The Office (US), Brooklyn Nine-Nine, or Modern Family. Dancing by herself to her peppy playlists, however, is an everyday ritual she swears by religiously.Read MoreHealthSkincareSummerCatch every big hit, every wicket with Crick-it, a one stop destination for Live Scores, Match Stats, Quizzes, Polls & much more. 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