We can get a clearer idea of how this underlying, hidden damage from irritating
skin-care routines or products takes place by likening it to what happens to skin in
response to unprotected sun exposure. Being exposed to the sun day after day from
early childhood results in cumulative damage that takes place beneath the skin’s surface
and doesn’t show itself on the face until after many years of exposure. Diet offers
another good comparison. Overeating or eating foods that aren’t healthy can cause
serious health problems; you don’t feel or even notice that the food is hurting you until
sometime in the future, yet the damage is still taking place day in and day out.