Since no one wants their skin care to look like winter capes that have been washed too many times, what happens? Pilling occurs when you rub a skin care product onto your skin and it is never fully absorbed. As you rub it, the product pellets or builds up on top of your skin, says Purvisha Patel, board-certified dermatologist and founder of Visha Skincare. It means that the product is prevented from being absorbed and that it simply comes off again. There is an occlusive barrier that prevents absorption, and it happens if too many products are used at the same time or in the wrong order.
Do you know how annoying it is when your favorite sweater starts to pill? Well, it's even more annoying when the same thing happens to your face. Rowe, the pilling of the product is the description of when a topical cream applied to the skin begins to “pill” after being applied. You may have noticed that this happens immediately after applying makeup or skin care, or maybe a few hours later. You touch or rub your face and you feel the products on your skin roll into dirty balls.
Rowe said, “The pilling of the product has to do with the ability of the product to be absorbed by the skin.”. The less a product is absorbed, the more it accumulates. Along the same lines, Dr. Comstock said: “Pilling is more common with thicker moisturizers.
So, if you've been using a moisturizer or foundation that looks like it's on your skin, don't be surprised if that product starts to pill. Another reason could simply be a user error. Rowe explained: “Products may accumulate due to improper application, as well as too much product used or the order of application of the products.”. Try to use a less aggressive approach to your makeup or skincare routine, and if that doesn't work, try changing the order in which you apply products, if possible.
You can use the removal process to determine which product is causing pilling and then stop using it if you think that product isn't worth it. Other ingredients that could be causing pilling, according to Dr. Comstock, are talc, iron oxide, mica and fluorphlogopite. Talc is especially often found in makeup.
Comstock suggests using products that contain these ingredients at the end to prevent pilling. Rowe said earlier, you can consider getting rid of any products that are not being absorbed into the skin because they are simply too heavy. Comstock recommends a regular exfoliation, as well as a time between each application of the product to help with pilling. Rowe said: “It's important to remember to exfoliate the skin before use and make sure there is time between applying the products so that the skin has time to recover.”.
If you apply a layer of products on your skin without giving them time to absorb, then it makes sense that everything will come out of the skin and turn into small balls of product. People with combination or more oily skin can exfoliate somewhere in the baseball stadium three times a week. It is necessary to remove dead skin cells on the face, and if they do not come off, they can form a blockage that prevents products from entering the complexion. To keep your skin freshly exfoliated, try incorporating a solid chemical peel product (AHA or BHA) into your regimen.
It's not just slapping skincare in a hurry that increases the chances of pilling, excessive rubbing can cause skin care and makeup to build up as well, especially if it contains silicone. They not only soothe the skin, thanks to the addition of centella asiatica, but also provide a superlight exfoliation that does not irritate the skin. The formation of pilling in skincare products is not the end of the world, but knowing how to prevent them will definitely save you a lot of hassle and, if you end up reducing your entire routine, a lot of time and money. I usually change my skincare routine every few months or have at least one new product once a month as I receive subscription boxes (glossy box, birch box, etc.).
So consider adding a chemical peel to your regular skincare routine if you're not already using it, whether it's a simple pharmacy product like Stridex acne pads or a more sophisticated scrub like Drunk Elephant T. You know, in the morning, after you've finished your skincare routine and applied your favorite moisturizer over that vitamin C serum, then you applied the foundation, the SPF, you polished the foundation, and all of a sudden, those little pellets start to form, completely ruining your perfect MUA-level application and the only option you have is take it all away and start over. This could be due to the fact that you're using skincare or makeup products that are too occlusive for your skin, so it sits on the surface instead of melting well. Download your FREE “Best Anti-Aging Skincare Routine” cheat sheet to find out what really works to prevent aging and minimize wrinkles (plus weekly tips).
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