Realistically, you only need to wash your face once a day — twice at the most,” says Dr. Todd Minars, MD, a dermatologist and Assistant Clinical Professor of Dermatology, University of Miami School of Medicine. “Most of us when we sleep have a clean face from removing the day’s grime or makeup off, so I tend to think that in the mornings you don’t need a thorough face washing outside of your normal showering routine. If you experience specific issues that require attention in the morning it’s fine to do it then, but I see more benefits at the end of the day when you return from work or go to bed.”
Generally, a third washing is okay, but only if you’ve “just come from a sporting event where you sweat a lot, or if you’re wearing a lot of makeup [ahead
of going to the gym] and would prefer not to deal with that while working out,” says Dr. Peterson Pierre, MD, a dermatologist in Thousand Oaks, California.
Apparently, overwashing your face is a thing — but your skin will likely let you know if you’re doing this via breakouts, dryness or irritation.“When washing the face too much,
you lose natural oils and fats in the skin, which technically will pull the skin cells apart allowing room for debris and bacteria to enter the skin, causing infections and inflammation,” says Dr. Roberta Del Campo, MD, a Florida-based dermatologist.
