Can facial sheet masks improve your skin?

Taking care of your skin topically is an important part of preventing wrinkles, acne, fine lines and other skin problems. The skin care market is saturated with different ingredients and types of product. Recently, one-time-use facial sheet masks have become a popular choice for those looking to improve their skin, but are they actually helping?

Ingredients

The effectiveness of a skin care product depends on its ingredients. Determining what problems you have with your skin and checking the ingredients list for certain items will help. For dry skin, hydrating agents such as hyaluronic acid, glycerin and ceramides are good. Masks with glycolic acid, salicylic acid or retinol in them will help to exfoliate and open up pores for clearer skin, as well as decrease brown spot pigmentation and remove dead skin cells. For a facial mask to have some positive effect on your skin, you need to check that worthwhile ingredients are included and not just gimmicks. The ingredients should also be tailored to fit your specific skin needs.

Consistency

These ingredients are only truly effective if used continuously and consistently. While using a hydrating face mask may make your skin appear moisturized and healthy for the day, this routine will need to be kept up to achieve lasting results. It’s often worthwhile to invest in a serum, cream mask or other product you can use many times to sustain results. Using a facial mask every once in a while may provide benefit through the mood-boosting act of caring for yourself. Just remember to incorporate regular-use products into your skin care, like a moisturizer or acne-fighting face wash, if need be.

The final verdict is that facial sheet masks could be effective, if used often and if they have ingredients tailored to your skin issues.

It’s important to remember that many other things factor into the health of your skin. Keep skin clean and avoid touching your face to prevent or clear acne. Using sunscreen daily has been proven to prevent wrinkles and other signs of aging in the skin. Not smoking is important to all areas of skin health.

Joy Mosser-Goldfarb is a dermatologist at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.