Ways to avoid skincare mistakes

TAMPA, Fla. - You hit the gym to work your body but good skin can start in the bathroom. 

"A lot of people exercise a lot. They take care of their body, but skin is really important", said Marie Gagnon, a medical aesthetician at Skin NV in Tampa.

She sees some common mistakes.

"First, not wearing sunscreen every day. Everybody needs to wear a sun protection daily with broad spectrum," she said, especially if you plan to be active outdoors. "The level doesn't matter that much to reapply every two hours or after swimming."

Your daily facial cleansing may need work. 
"Makeup, dirt, pollution -- it's all sitting at the surface of our skin,” Gagnon explained. “Be mindful of taking your makeup off, washing your face with a gentle cleanser and make sure you also wash pillowcases.”

She said certain products can make a difference. 

"A retinol or retina product,” Gagnon suggested. “You need to pick a good moisturizer to help plump the skin. A lot of people use moisturizer with oils in it instead of hyaluronic acid so oil is going to clog your pores.”

But using too many products or services for your skin may overdo it.  

"Over exfoliating, over treating the skin creates inflammation," she said.

Nourishing yourself inside helps the outside.  

"Water, vitamins, rest, limit stress," Gagnon said.

Because feeling good means looking good when it comes to your skin.

"That's our largest organ,” Gagnon said, “so we need to take care of it too.”