Our skin is one large and massive organ, in fact, it is the largest organ of our body and ironically it is one part of the body that is not same everywhere and is also the most neglected. Aging and many other factors including the harsh environment we live in causes the skin to degenerate in its functionality.
The human body is capable of producing moisturizers or natural oils that help in protecting the skin from degeneration. It works as a protective cover for our body from all external elements, but when the skin is not given due care, it turns weak and unhealthy causing a lot many health complications.
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In this effort to protect our skin, we often ignore the importance of the different type, texture,and composition of the skin on our face and our hands. We use the same product on our face as we for our hands.
So, is it right to use the same cream on our face and hands?
Let’s keep it straight – NO. The skin or our face isn’t the same as that on our hands. The face skin is a lot more thinly and delicate as compared to the one on our hands. You must have noticed that we have lesser problems on the hands apart from occasionally feeling dry and rough, whereas there lot more to the face – pimples, acne, complexion problems, dark spots etc. The skin type is actually different everywhere and hence different applications with different care and different formulas.
On the flip side, the hands are exposed to continuous wear and tear. Apart from the skin on the hands being thicker than it is on the face, it has a protective layer hydrolipidic film, that has the ability to regrow and diminishes as we age. This film is all natural and indispensable and hence you need to nourish and moisturize it with a cream that is much tougher, richer and protective.
What is the difference between a face and a hand cream?
The basic and the major difference is a face and a hand cream is the level of concentration of ingredients that been used to manufacture them. Although both could have the same kind or types of ingredients.
The hands need something that can protect them from frequent exposure to water, weather and foreign elements and as a result, the cream that is manufactured to be used on the hands have a much higher concentration of waxes, occlusive agents and other elements. The main reason why you should not use a cream made for hands on the face is that a hand cream might cause blockage of skin pores on the face causing problems of pimples and alike. Moreover, the ingredients in hand cream are known for their comedogenic effects – the effect that causes blackheads to form.
Also Check : Best Luxury Hand Creams 2019
A Face Cream and a Hand Cream
While developing a product of the face there are a lot of factors that need to be considered that are totally different from the ones while doing a hand product. As we know that our face is not as tough as the hands while developing a face cream the first and foremost aspect to be kept in mind that product needs to be light and thin and the application needs no stress to be applied on the face.Secondly, a face cream should be containing ingredients that absorb easily inside the skin and thirdly, it should not be shiny, so the oil has to be down.
All of these aspects are achieved by getting the right balance and hence, we often hardly see any difference in the list of ingredients in a face and a hand cream. Anti-aging properties and sunscreen properties are two aspects that are seen more on a face product than a hand product, but in actuality, these are essential for both the skin types and good hand cream will also have these two qualities.
There are certain risks associated with face creams – it can block the pores and also may cause spots. It is probably the concentration of the cream and the make of an individual’s skin that does not match. This is one thing that you needn’t have to worry about hand cream. The biggest problems with hands are the drying of the skin and if I turn bad, it could start skin cracks. This is a condition that is not only ugly and inconvenient but is also very painful. The only good in such a situation is a cream that is much oily and creates a barrier for the dryness to heal.
Hand creams are made in such a way that makes it much thicker than a face cream. The thickness of hand cream can cause blockage of pores on the face, leading to acne and blackheads if applied on the face. On the contrary,face cream is too light to be an effective solution for hands as the thin cream will hardly have any impact on the thicker skin of the hands.
The formulas used for hand and face creams and its ingredients are blended in such a way that it suits the type of skin you are applying it on – hand or face. A face cream will have the properties that will alleviate the skin qualities of the face leaving it smooth and with a clean complexion, while the one for the hands will have nutrients that will help in nourishing the dry and rough skin type. Some properties of a face cream like face tightening that will give you a youthful appearance when applied on the face but could cause cracks and knuckles when applied on the hands.
Final Words
So, now you are aware that you cannot use the same cream both way around on your hand and face. Make your choice carefully the next time and be sure of what you choose to apply and where. Ensure that you go through the ingredient list of any cosmetic care product that you choose and it is always a safer bet to buy products that are made of natural ingredients.
