Skincare Hygiene

Never place dropper DIRECTLY onto skin

Why?

Enterobacter, Klebsiella, Escherichia coli, and Proteus spp. are the predominant Gram-negative organisms found on the skin.

Most bacteria that are listed here grow in a moist environment. Therefore, logic dictates that when you apply a dropper directly to the skin and pick up even one or two of these bacteria on the tip and then put that same dropper back into your skincare vial, the likelihood of them contaminating and multiplying in the mixture is high. Most skincare e products contain ingredients like natural sugars or glycerin and even water which are all mediums that can grow these gram negative rods.

However, these are not the only bacteria found on skin. Depending on the location and environment of the skin’s micro environment, various pathogens are prominent in different areas.

Some of the most common concerns that can arise due to poor skincare hygiene are:
Acne
Contact dermatitis
Bacterial rashes
Breakdown of the immune barrier leading to opportunistic infections by viruses or fungi


So what should you do to practice better skincare hygiene?

Use your dropper to dispense desired amount of product directly into your palm, making sure to not make contact directly with skin. Also, cleaning the dropper tip with a sterile alcohol wipe is not a bad idea (DO NOT RINSE UNDER TAP WATER). Allow the dropper to air dry (5-10 seconds) and reinsert into vial.

Skin health is a very tricky area of science and with an increasing awareness of the micro biome, it is important to understand how bacteria grow and function.

Also, do not share skincare with friends and others to help avoid the spread of any contact related reactions. It’s just like makeup- sharing lipsticks is looked down upon and so should sharing droppers.

We all have a unique micro biome working to protect our skin and therefore it is important to utilize these common safety measures to ensure and also rule out any causes of certain skin pathologies like contact dermatitis or a rash. This also helps provide more information for your dermatologist if something goes wrong so that they know you’ve been practicing good hygiene habits and can avoid redundancies in patient history.





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