Do You Really Need to Wash Your Face Twice a Day?

How often should you wash your face? Dermatologist Dr. Dray explains how often to cleanse your skin, whether you really need to wash your face twice a day, and what happens when you cleanse too much. In this video, Dr. Dray discusses face washing, skin cleansing, the skin barrier, dry skin, sensitive skin, oily skin, acne-prone skin, and nighttime skincare. She also addresses a common skincare misconception: you do not necessarily need to wash off everything you applied the night before. Should you wash off moisturizer in the morning? What about petroleum jelly? Do you need to wash off tretinoin? And does cleansing twice a day actually improve your skin? Dr. Dray explains when twice-daily cleansing may be beneficial, when once-daily evening cleansing may be enough, and how factors such as oil production, acne, sweating, sunscreen, makeup, eczema, dryness, and skin sensitivity can influence your ideal cleansing routine. She also explains how harsh cleansers, hot water, excessive washing, scrubbing, and abrasive cleansing tools can contribute to skin barrier disruption, dryness, irritation, and sensitivity. In this video: 0:00 Introduction 0:25 What does cleansing actually do? 2:21 Who benefits most from washing twice a day? 4:21 What about normal, dry, or sensitive skin? 5:55 How the skin barrier changes the equation 7:36 Do you need to wash off nighttime skincare? 9:43 What about tretinoin and other retinoids? 10:48 Why sunscreen makes nighttime cleansing important 11:4