Starting a skin care routine is just the start. A lot of people walk through their daily and weekly regimens, applying products they bought years prior, or treating all four seasons as equal when it comes to a skin care strategy. That's just two of the most common skincare mistakes people make – we've got more below. Perhaps a few ring true for you? It’s not too late to correct the course, and to improve your skin in short-term and long.

Mistake #1: Caring for your blemishes – the wrong way

Call them zits, pimples, acne or blemishes. Bottom line: Most people will get them at certain periods in their life, and some will get them more severe than others. Where most people go wrong is in how they treat the blemish once it appears. Picking at it, applying spot treatments at the wrong phase of the breakout, and using the wrong breakout treatments on the wrong kinds of blemishes will all result in a blemish lasting longer and leaving a post-breakout red or dark scar that can linger for months.

Mistake #2: Getting too aggressive with actives

Today, a consumer can purchase ‘active’ products such as a 70 per cent glycolic with a pH of less than two per cent, which is very dangerous and actually illegal. The ‘actives,’ like retinol and chemical exfoliants like AHAs, can really change the skin for the better, but, when overdone, it is a nightmare.

Mistake #3: Using too many exfoliating products too often

You must have recently noticed the “If it’s not burning or stinging, it’s not working” trend. In the quest to look younger and have smoother skin, people are doing too many aggressive exfoliating treatments that are actually injuring their skin. Too much exfoliation can cause a damaged moisture barrier, resulting in flaking, dehydration and inflammation, possible destruction of healthy cells, and a stimulation of melanin activity causing increased hyperpigmentation.

Mistake #4: Not going “back to basics” every once in a while

Once the skin is burnt and out-of-balance, experts recommend going back to the basics. Start feeding and building the skin back. For instance, you can use a gentle non-foaming cleanser, an aloe-healing gel and a hydrating non-active moisturiser. After that, comes a physical sunblock high in zinc, titanium and iron oxides with a minimum of SPF 40. When the skin is balanced, the skin is nutrient-healthy – meaning it heals quickly, stays hydrated and is flexible to the touch. And this is when the magic can happen: Actives can now change the depth of a wrinkle, reduce a pore size, brighten and firm the skin.

Mistake #5: Not wearing sunscreen daily and not applying it generously enough

You knew this one was coming. For starters, the number-one reason why your skin will get premature aging is from sunlight, daylight and UV rays – period –78 per cent of those rays come from incidental exposure. These are all the times when you don’t think you’re getting the damaging rays, like driving in the car, sitting in your home or office near windows or walking outside on a cloudy winter day when people don’t feel like they need sun protection. If you want to prevent wrinkles, wearing sunscreen 365 days a year, rain or shine, inside or out, is a must. But in order for the SPF to truly protect your skin and prevent the harmful UV rays from damaging it, the formula has to be applied generously or it will not provide adequate protection.

Mistake #6: Not taking care of your neck

Most women know to apply moisturiser daily and nightly to their neck, and many do. But the mistake: Treating your neck as an afterthought. A woman will typically rub moisturiser onto her face and then whatever is left over on her fingertips will extend down onto her neck. Sound like you? While the intention is good, it’s truly not helping that much in the quest for smooth, moist skin on the neck. This particularly applies with sunscreen, which is considered to be the best anti-aging product in the world.

Mistake #7: Not using the right skin routine to care for both wrinkles and breakouts

This one is common for those who are 25–35 who still get clogged pores and breakouts, yet they are noticing fine lines and wrinkles. Their home routine is either only addressing the breakouts with drying acne products, or they don’t have anything to prevent blemishes and they are using heavier anti-aging products. We realise that this type of skin is probably the most challenging because what your skin really needs is the best of both worlds. Any acne product that leaves your skin feeling tight, dry and irritated is most definitely a no-no, as this creates dry skin cell buildup on the surface that traps oil and bacteria within the pores and can lead to more breakouts. Any anti-aging product that feels remotely greasy on your skin is not good either because acne-prone skin needs less oil because oil breeds bacteria and bacteria leads to breakouts. We would say the best strategy for managing all your skin’s needs is to use a gentle salicylic acid exfoliant under moisturiser three nights a week.

Mistake #8: Not exfoliating often with the right type of exfoliant

Most people have a facial scrub in their bathroom, but they only use it when they remember. Exfoliation is one of the best things you can do for your skin, so you’re missing out on some major skin improvement when you only use it once in a while. An acid serum uses ingredients like glycolic, lactic and salicylic acids; when applied to the skin and left on overnight, they work deeply to dissolve the glue that holds dead cells together, revealing a brighter, smoother and clearer appearance in the morning.

If you’re going to take the time for an extra step in your routine, you might as well make it one that’s really going to benefit your skin the most, and an acid serum is the best way to go.

Mistake #9: Ditching the double cleanse

We know it’s hard to cleanse skin at the end of the day, but cleansing your skin not just once, but two times, is absolutely necessary. This allows you to clean your makeup off and any bacteria or pollutants. If you don’t wash these off, it can lead to aging and breakouts and we know you don’t want either.

Mistake #10: Either using alcohol-based toners or skipping this step in your routine entirely

Toners are an important step in a skin-care regimen and should be used daily, but using one loaded with alcohol will only dehydrate your skin and cause an increase in dull cell buildup. If you’re not using one, it’s usually because you notice that it leaves your skin feeling dry, so you’ll skip it completely and miss out on important skin benefits. Alcohol-free toners should be used after every cleansing because they offer the following benefits: They give your skin a drink of moisture when left damp on the skin before applying moisturiser, they remove drying chlorines and minerals found in tap water, and because damp skin is 10 times more permeable than dry skin, when left damp, they can carry the active ingredients of your serum and moisturiser (applied after) deeper within your skin.