Overcleansing is not a flex

Retinoids. Salicylic acid. BHAs. AHAs. There's only so much your skin can take. Ease up on your routine. Let natural skin be

- Tanisha Saxena

“Men’s skinproduces moreoil, and theyhave largerpores,morehair follicles and thicker skin thanwomen,” saysDr Dhillon.All of this makes themmoreprone to acne, cloggedpores, andblackheads, to say nothingof grubby surfaces at apublic gym. PHOTOS: ADOBE STOCK

Look back at pictures of, say young Princess Diana or even Kareena Kapoor Khan in Jab We Met (2007). They're beautiful, of course. But they look real, human, natural. Now, contrast the images with videos of any skincare influencer online. The skin is poreless. Did she ever have facial hair? She has glass skin, but surely she never sweats. It might seem like Little Miss Selfie was generated by AI.

Front cameras have all given us closer looks at ourselves. We've ended up with no tolerance for a breakout, a wrinkle, peach fuzz or closed come-done (and taught us what a closed come-done is - that ghastly under-skin zit that never pops).

The first law of skincare is cleansing. And many dermatologists believe that it's where most beauty aficionados go overboard and do the worst damage. Complicated 10-step routines are giving way to less stressful cleansing methods. So, who needs what and why? Read on.